Academic integrity is a major part of the foundation of Albright College's academic community. Because integrity is so essential to this type of environment, the school enforces a number of regulations that aid in their goal to maintain and preserve it. This is why students who are accused of violating these rules, also known as academic dishonesty, have an uphill battle on their hands.
There is much to be expected of students at Albright College. If you attend this institution, it's probably easy to get in over your head with the many assignments, homework, exams, projects, and presentations you have to complete. A lack of time management skills and the overall struggle to keep up with studies while life happens is the number one culprit behind academic dishonesty charges.
In this article, we'll address how Albright College defines and handles cases of academic dishonesty, as well as why you need a student defense attorney to represent you throughout the school's processes.
How Does Albright College Define “Academic Dishonesty?”
According to Albright College's Academic Integrity Policy (ACAD), academic dishonesty is defined as any behavior that results in the circumvention of the work required and expected to gain academic credit. The fundamental question to always keep in mind is whether the behavior is a means by which to avoid the work required to secure academic credit. If the answer is yes, the behavior constitutes academic dishonesty.
The college considers academic dishonesty as a serious breach of the rules of proper academic conduct and threatens the trust upon which an academic community is built. It is this line of thinking that makes academic dishonesty an incredibly big deal to the college, and the ramifications undoubtedly reflect Albright's strict stance on academic dishonesty.
Given the school's definition of academic dishonesty, it can take many forms. Albright's policy provides several examples of this behavior.
Misrepresenting your work
One form of academic dishonesty is taking another person's work and presenting it as one's own. This can result from copying from another student's paper, display on a terminal or an exam; using data or information stored in a computer system without explicit authorization or acknowledgment of the author; presenting another person's ideas or words as one's own in a homework assignment or research paper; and so on.
Plagiarism
Plagiarism occurs when a person uses the works of another without proper acknowledgment. Students tend to commit this form of academic dishonesty on accident. Faculty will be tasked with the endeavor to distinguish between intentional plagiarism and the misuse of sources due to poor attribution skills.
Other examples of academic dishonesty include using unauthorized material or devices on examinations or in preparing for examinations; unauthorized collaboration with others; using information stored in a computer system without explicit authorization and acknowledgment of the author; claiming participation in an academic requirement in which one did not participate; submitting the same work more than once for credit (without explicit information); falsifying or fabricating data or sources; denying access to information or materials to other students; sabotaging another student's academic work; enabling others to be academically dishonest, whether one benefits or not; failing to acknowledge assistance from others and its specific results; allowing someone else to do work that one claims as one's own; and knowingly violating the ethical code of a profession for which one is preparing. Theft and/or the damaging of books, periodicals, and other instructional materials (including laboratory equipment) shall be deemed acts of academic dishonesty. The unauthorized or inappropriate use of college computers or tampering with data files or equipment constitutes academic dishonesty.
Albright College's Student Disciplinary Process
The majority of academic dishonesty violations are handled by instructors and the students accused. If an instructor believes that a student has committed an act of academic dishonesty, he or she will meet with the student to determine if this claim has validity. If it does, penalties will be carried out.
Penalties
The penalty for the first act of academic dishonesty will be a zero on the piece of work involved or an F in the course, at the discretion of the instructor in consultation with the academic dean as appropriate.
If a student commits a subsequent offense, the mandatory penalty will be an F in that course and a letter in the file. A student may be dismissed from the College for a second or subsequent offense at the discretion of the chief academic officer, in which case a notation will be placed on the student's academic record (his or her transcript) noting only the fact of dismissal.
Appeals
A student who feels that he or she has been unfairly treated in a case of academic dishonesty has the right of appeal to the Academic Appeals Board. An appeal must be submitted within 10 days.
The Academic Appeals Board is a judiciary body that investigates, holds hearings, and renders decisions on student appeals referred to it by the chief academic officer in which students challenge the academic policies or actions of an instructor. The board shall provide a copy of its decision to the instructor, the student, and the chief academic officer.
Academic Integrity Attorney
An academic misconduct violation can jeopardize the academic and professional goals you or your college student have set. If you value the investment you've made into your education and your professional future, contacting a skilled student defense attorney is a must. The attorneys of LLF Law Firm have helped students who've acquired serious academic misconduct charges recover from these allegations, and can do the same for you. Contact them today at 888-535-3686 for more information.
