Academic Misconduct

Academic Misconduct Procedures

If you suspect a student has committed academic misconduct in your course you must: 

1. Make a good faith effort to meet with the student

The meeting should occur in person or via Zoom, if possible. Phone meetings are permissible, but only if an in-person or Zoom meeting is not possible. If the student does not respond to your efforts to arrange a meeting (we recommend two attempts minimum), you should proceed with the process described below in '2. Determine whether you believe academic misconduct has occurred'.

The meeting

• Present both the allegation and the evidence on which it is based
• Give the student the opportunity to respond to the allegation

Important: If you are unable to meet with the student before submitting final grades, you should assign the grade of Incomplete (I) and check the box in the academic misconduct column on your final grade roster. This indicates to the Registrar that there is an academic misconduct matter pending. After you meet with the student, you should record the student's final grade through the 'Submit eGrade Change (Instructor)' app in One.IU. 

2. Determine whether you believe academic misconduct has occurred

Consider the evidence as well as the student's response to the allegation to determine whether a preponderance of evidence (i.e., it is more likely than not) suggests that the student committed academic misconduct.

• If no,
  • you must not impose any type of academic sanction
  • you do not report the incident to the Dean of Students (Office of Student Conduct)
• If yes,
  • you may impose an academic sanction (e.g., zero or reduced grade on the assignment, resubmission of the assignment, reduction in final course grade, F in the course, etc.)
  • you must report the incident to the Office of Student Conduct  within 5 business days* of determining that academic misconduct occurred (often this period begins with the meeting with the student, but not always). Misconduct cases involving multiple students may require additional days to complete required reports.
    • Note: Keep your report of the incident and meeting with the student brief and factual. (The student will receive a verbatim copy of your report regarding the incident and the meeting from the Office of Student Conduct.) It is not necessary to submit supporting documentation with your report, but you should retain all notes and materials related to the case. After you submit your report, you will receive confirmation via email from the Office of Student Conduct. If the student contacts you after you have filed your report, you should refer the student to the Office of Student Conduct (812-855-5419) for additional information or assistance.

The appeal process

• The student has the right to appeal a faculty member's academic misconduct report within 7 business days of the date on the notification letter from the Office of Student Conduct
  • If the student does not appeal, no further action is required
  • If the student submits an appeal, you may be contacted by Assistant Dean Terri Greenslade or Senior Associate Director Nathan Hendershott who will inform you of the next steps in the process. If the appeal cannot be resolved, the case will proceed to a hearing before the College's Academic Fairness Committee. 

After the case is closed in the College (if the student does not submit an appeal or when the appeal process concludes)

• The Office of Student Conduct will review the student's disciplinary record and may impose an additional campus-wide disciplinary sanction, if appropriate (this is different from the academic sanction imposed by the faculty member).
• In most cases, if the incident reported is the student's first academic misconduct violation, the student will be required to attend the Academic Integrity Seminar, an 8-hour workshop in which students review the Code of Student Rights, Responsibilities, and Conduct and learn about proper academic conduct, citation, paraphrasing, etc.
• Most students are not placed on disciplinary probation, suspended, or expelled as a result of their first academic misconduct violation.