Academic Integrity Policy

Immaculata University, through its faculty, staff and students, strives to create an environment of trust, mutual respect, and integrity that fosters scholarly pursuits in an academically challenging and supportive setting. To further the pursuit of truth and the exercise of honest, intelligent inquiry, the University maintains an academic integrity code that promotes the assumption of personal responsibility and integrity and prohibits all forms of academic dishonesty. The most common form of academic dishonesty is plagiarism. Other forms of academic dishonesty are also described in the sections below.

Academic Code Of Conduct

Immaculata University’s Academic Code of Conduct is designed to assist in the development of a supportive and productive learning environment. It is both a description of the University’s ethical expectations of students as well as a guarantee of students’ rights and responsibilities as members of a learning community. The Academic Code of Conduct provides clarity related to policy and procedure regarding academic conduct.

The Academic Code of Conduct is not associated with the Grade Appeal Procedure for a course. Please see Grade Appeal Procedures for the details regarding a Grade Appeal.

Violations of this Code

Violations of this Code involve attempts to be dishonest or deceptive in the performance of academic work in or out of the classroom, alterations of academic records, alterations of official data on paper or electronic resumes, unauthorized collaboration with another student or students, or unauthorized use of Artificial Intelligence (A.I.) generated content.

The Academic Code of Conduct addresses disruption or obstruction of teaching and research. Additionally, the Academic Conduct Code addresses behavior that is not congruent with the professional standards and personal conduct of the student’s field of study.

Violations are grouped into two categories:

Category A

• Cheating. Cheating is defined as using, or attempting to use, in any academic exercise materials, information, study aids, or electronic data that the student knows or should know is unauthorized. Cheating also encompasses the provision or acceptance of any unauthorized assistance during an examination or assignment to be completed individually, including but not limited to talking to another student, viewing, or copying another student’s examination or assignment, making or receiving gestures from another student, employing A.I.-generated content, or engaging another person to complete an assessment or examination in place of the student.
• Plagiarism is failing to acknowledge adequately the source of words or ideas that are not one’s own. Plagiarism includes, but is not limited to:
  1. The quotation or other use of another person’s or A.I.-generated words, ideas, logic, opinions, thoughts, or theories without use of quotation marks and acknowledgment of the source;
  2. The paraphrasing of another person’s or A.I.-generated words, ideas, logic, opinions, thoughts, or theories without acknowledgment of the source;
  3. The quotation or other use of facts, statistics, or other data or materials that are not clearly common knowledge without acknowledgment of the source;
  4. Copying or purchasing all or any portion of another’s academic, research, or creative work - even with the creator’s knowledge and permission - and submitting it, in part or in its entirety, as one’s own. This includes material available through the Internet or other electronic sources, including A.I. generated content, and any material that has copyright protection. Students are hereby advised that, when such material has been copyrighted, its unauthorized use constitutes not only a breach of academic integrity but also a violation of law that could lead to civil or criminal penalties.
     The University considers plagiarism by a student to be a serious violation of professional and academic ethics and standards; ignorance of the rules governing plagiarism is not an excuse. When in doubt, students should seek clarification from the instructor who issued the assignment. A finding of plagiarism may result in the imposition of a serious academic penalty such as, but not limited to, suspension, receipt of a failing grade, non-continuation or expulsion.
• Recycling. Recycling is defined as submission of a student’s work that has previously counted for credit in another course. Recycling is not allowed unless explicitly authorized by the faculty members of both courses in such a case, students must reference their previous work.
• Sabotage: Sabotage is defined as the destruction or deliberate inhibition of progress of another’s work, including but not limited to the destruction or hiding of shared resources such as library materials, computer software and hardware and tampering with another person’s laboratory experiments.
• Unauthorized communication during examinations. Any unauthorized communication may be considered automatic evidence of cheating.
• Failure to complete examinations in a specifically assigned location.
• Unauthorized downloading, uploading, sharing, and/or duplicating course materials including, but not limited to, assignments, exams, quizzes, slides, videos, and any other material created and/or provided by the instructor without the instructor’s express permission. This includes, but is not limited to, downloading/uploading/viewing/sharing/selling copyrighted material.

Category B:

• Falsification of Data, Information or Records: Furnishing or conspiring to furnish false information to the University by forgery, alteration, or misuse of, among other things, University documents, academic records, research data or professional or academic credentials is strictly prohibited.
• Theft of an examination. Stealing or otherwise discovering and/or making known to others the contents of an examination that has not yet been administered.
• Knowingly allowing another student to represent your work as their own. This includes actions such as: providing a copy of your work to another student, and/or providing (including selling) class materials to third parties that sell or otherwise share such materials–including, but not limited to, homework, exams and exam solutions, submitted papers, or projects.
• Misrepresentation of identity in any interaction with a member of the Immaculata University community or on any academic work.
• Conduct in a professional field assignment that violates the policies and regulations of the host school or agency.
• Conduct in violation of public law occurring outside the University that directly affects the academic and professional status of the student, after civil authorities have imposed sanctions.
• Attempting improperly to influence the award of any credit, grade, or honor.
• Intentionally making false statements to faculty or University administrators.
• Unprofessional treatment of patients and clients including, but not limited to: Treating patients/clients without authorization or supervision by faculty; treating patients/clients in unauthorized clinical settings; Accepting personal monetary payment from patients/clients for services; waiving patient payment responsibilities without authorization, or otherwise acting in disregard of patient-related contracting and financial policies; failing to comply with policies and procedures related to patient/client care; failing to maintain accepted protocols regarding infection control and OSHA standards; treating a patient/client while under the influence of alcohol or drugs; refusal to properly treat any patient/client for reasons of gender, race, color, religion, national origin, financial status, or disability; patient/client abandonment; violating patient/client rights to confidentiality or improperly disclosing confidential patient information; falsifying patient/client records in any manner, e.g., by changing previous entries, making false entries, or by forging signatures, with or without intent to defraud, injure or deceive; failure to maintain demonstrable and timely progression towards achievement of clinical competencies.
• Behavior that is not congruent with the professional standards and personal conduct of the student’s field of study.
• Disruption or obstruction of class, lab, office hours, or other teaching or research functions.
• Failure to comply with the sanctions imposed under the authority of this Code.

Review Procedure For Academic Integrity Code Offenses

Category A Violations, First time infractions

1. Faculty who have reason to believe that a student has violated an item in Category A of the Code in a course which they are the instructor and the alleged violation occurred in their course shall follow the procedures below:
   1. If the student has admitted to the academic misconduct, the faculty member may work directly with the student regarding sanctions. The faculty must submit the Academic Misconduct Form to the designated Dean’s office.
   2. The designated Dean, at their discretion, and considering the nature of the infraction or if it is not a first-time offense may convene the Academic Conduct Committee to review the alleged infraction (s).

   If the alleged infraction is not the first violation of the Academic Code of Conduct, the alleged infraction will be handled through the process described in the “Academic Conduct Committee Procedures” section of this policy (below).

2. Staff, Students or Faculty who have reason to believe that a student has violated an item in Category A of the Code in a course for which they are not the instructor, and the alleged violation did not occur in their course shall:
   1. Provide documentation to the course faculty of record
   2. The faculty member of record shall proceed with process outlined in #1 under Category A.

Cases of Disputed Academic Misconduct, Repeat Offenders, or Category B alleged violations

If the student disputes the charge of Academic Misconduct (Category A), or if the designated Dean denies permission for a grading penalty because the student is a repeat offender as evidenced by a prior record of academic misconduct in the University, or because of the serious nature of the offense, the designated Dean shall then refer the charges and supporting evidence to the Academic Conduct Committee, which shall then proceed with a hearing.

Academic Conduct Committee Procedures

All evidence should be carefully documented using the guidelines set forth below:

1. The person originating the misconduct report shall present the report in writing, accompanied by suitable evidence, to the designated college Dean.
2. Witnesses to the alleged infraction (s) of the Academic Conduct Code may be requested to file a report on the incident. The report may be provided via email to the designated college Dean.
3. The Dean will contact the student outlining the alleged academic misconduct, and the process and procedures pertaining to the violations and potential sanctions.
4. The Dean will convene an Academic Conduct Committee to review the alleged infraction (s). The committee will be comprised of three faculty members or administrators within academic affairs. The committee must be formed and provide documentation shared with the Dean within ten (10) days of the meeting with the Dean. The students may provide a written statement to the Dean that will be forwarded to the Academic Conduct Committee.
5. The Academic Conduct Committee must review the alleged infraction (s) and determine a sanction. Sanctions may include but are not limited to: precluding the ability to be in an honor society, non-admittance to academic events, educational/training requirements, dismissal from program of study, and expulsion from the University. The Academic Conduct Committee must render their decision within 14 days of the committee being formed. The decision will be sent to the student using the Academic Code of Conduct Committee Response Form, copying the designated college Dean.
6. The student must submit the Academic Code of Conduct Committee Response Form to the college Dean within five (5) days of receipt. If the form is not returned it is assumed that the student accepts responsibility and the recommended sanctions.
7. Student Response to Academic Code of Conduct Committee Response Form
   • Student accepts responsibility and agrees with the recommended sanction. Next step: Sanction imposed.
   • Student accepts responsibility but challenge the recommended sanction(s) and requested resolution via an appeal. An Academic Code of Conduct Resolution meeting will be held within ten (10) days of receiving the Academic Code of Conduct Committee Response Form indication from the student. The Academic Code of Conduct Resolution meeting will include the college Dean, and a second academic administrator. At the conclusion of the meeting the student may accept the resolution and recommended sanctions, or they can request a hearing through Formal Academic Hearing procedures (outlined below). If the student requests a hearing, it will be scheduled within ten (10) days after the Academic Code of Conduct Resolution meeting
   • If the student denies responsibility, a Formal Academic Hearing will be scheduled within ten (10) days of the student denying responsibility.

Formal Academic Hearing

The Formal Academic Hearing Committee will be comprised of three (3) faculty/administrators within academic affairs and two (2) students, studying at the same level (undergraduate/ graduate) as the student, designated by the Provost. Individuals serving on the committee must verify that they did not know the student and the alleged academic code infraction. The Dean’s office shall inform the student by email at least 10 days prior to the hearing. The email shall be sent (read receipt/delivery notification enabled) to the student’s official university email account. It shall include the following:

1. The date, time, and location of the hearing.
2. The fact that the student may request to reschedule the hearing, within a limited time, for a valid reason.
3. The fact that the student may be accompanied by an advisor (University employee) of their choice. At the discretion of the committee chair, the advisor may be allowed to make a brief statement on behalf of the student. The advisor may not otherwise participate directly in the hearing.
4. The fact that the student may also bring witnesses to provide additional information related to the alleged offense. The designated chair may limit or exclude the matters presented by any individual to the extent that such information is repetitive or is not pertinent to the academic infraction.
5. The fact that the student shall have the right to examine documentation supporting the charges.
6. The fact that the student may, but is not required, to submit a written statement and/or other documents for review by the Formal Academic Hearing Committee, provided that any such written statement is prepared by the student, and provided that any statement or documents that the student wishes the Formal Academic Hearing Committee to review are received by the Dean’s Office at least seven (7) days prior to the scheduled date of the hearing. The Formal Academic Hearing Committee reserves the right not to accept or review any materials that are submitted after this deadline.
7. A student may waive the 10-day notice requirement. The committee may hold an expedited hearing when the Dean and student both believe that doing so is in the interest of fairness.
8. Members of the committee may be excused if the case might involve a conflict of interest (e.g., kinship, teacher-student relationship, etc.).
9. A hearing shall proceed in the absence of the accused student only if:
   • The student waives the right to be present or
   • The committee is satisfied that proper notice of the hearing was given to the student and that there is no legitimate cause for the absence.
10. Because the hearing is not a court hearing, the committee is not bound by legal rules of evidence. However, every effort will be made to conduct hearings as fairly and expeditiously as possible.
11. At the request of the accused student, the chair of the Formal Academic Hearing Committee may, at their discretion, elect to admit parents or legal guardians.
12. The school/college may, from time to time, make public the facts and decisions of cases that come before the committee. However, such reports shall not reveal the name of any student, professor, or course involved in a case that has been heard by the committee.

Formal Academic Hearing Final Decision

Within 14 days of the date of the Committee’s final decision, the designated Dean of the student’s school/college shall send an email (read receipt/delivery notification enabled) to the student’s official university email account notifying the student of the judgment and penalty imposed.

Sanctions may include but are not limited to: precluding the ability to be in an honor society, non-admittance to academic events, educational/training requirements, dismissal from program of study, and expulsion from the University.

The decision of the Formal Academic Hearing Committee shall be final.