For Faculty/Staff
Reporting Steps:
- Make sure that you are familiar with the Academic Integrity policies, which may be updated from year to year.
- Identify an Academic Integrity concern in a student’s assignment.
- Investigate the concern by using tools like Turnitin, or by analyzing assignments in other ways that may be specific to your content area.
- Speak with students about the concern that you have.
- This step is optional but is encouraged.
- Doing this not only will give you more information for the report that you will submit, but it is also important because you are the content expert. OSCCR staff will identify the likelihood of a violation based on evidence available, but we are not content experts in your field.
- File Report
- Please file one report per incident (ex. 2 students with similar papers should be one report. Please do not file one report for multiple incidents within the same course)
- Attach copies of assignments, syllabus, email communications, Turnitin reports, and anything else that may be relevant and helpful.
- Write a detailed explanation of incident, using clear and objective language, including any discussions with students and other details that may be helpful.
- Make sure that student names and ID’s are accurate before submitting.
- Example of a good report:
- “On Wednesday August 2, 2023, at 11:45 pm, Student A submitted their Discussion 4 assignment that was due that same day by 11:59 pm. When reviewing their assignment, it was processed through Turnitin, which showed it to have a similarity score of 98% to another student’s paper, Student B, who is also in my course. Student B submitted their assignment on August 1, 2023, at 1:00 pm. I sent an email communication to both students letting them know that their assignment was flagged for its similarity to the assignment of another student in the course and let them know that a report to OSCCR would be submitted. Student A emailed me back one day later letting me know that they had asked Student B for their assignment to use as a reference and decided to copy it entirely. I gave both students a zero for the assignment and reiterated the expectations of the course with them. I have attached the syllabus for my course, as well as the Turnitin report of both assignments, and a copy of the email communications between the students and me.”
- What makes this a good report?
- It establishes a timeline of events.
- As much detail as is known is provided, which assists the OSCCR investigator.
- Supporting documentation is provided.
- It uses clear, objective language to convey the information.
Frequently Asked Questions
When and how soon should I make a report?
- Reports should be made anytime you have a concern about an Academic Integrity or Code of Student Conduct Violation.
- Reports should be made as soon as possible after identifying a concern. Please do not wait until the end of the semester to submit all reports for your course. The goal of the conduct process is to help educate students on their mistakes, and if we are unable to do that promptly, then those mistakes may be repeated frequently.
Why does OSCCR need all this detail?
- Our hearing investigators are experts in Academic Integrity policy but can only investigate based on the information provided. If we do not receive adequate information, it may hinder the investigation and thus lead to an incorrect finding of not responsible.
Why can I not select the type of OSCCR hearing anymore?
- Faculty used to have the ability to indicate their preference for students to have an Information Only OSCCR meeting or a full Administrative Hearing. When faculty members were able to indicate this, OSCCR staff still made the final decision on the type of case, which led to confusion from students and faculty on the process. Now the decision will be made by OSCCR from the beginning, which is consistent with other types of policy violations.
- An additional reason for this change is that faculty do not have access to a student’s conduct history, which is a consideration in the types of hearing that is assigned to students who are alleged of a violation.
What can I tell my students that they can expect from the OSCCR process when a report is filed?
- They will be contacted by a member of the OSCCR office via email to schedule a meeting for the next step in the process.
- Encourage students to review the OSCCR website and/or the Code of Conduct for details on how OSCCR operates, and types of hearings.
- Do not guarantee outcomes from the OSCCR process. The OSCCR process will take into consideration the incident itself and, if applicable, a student’s conduct history.
- Be clear with them that the grading process and the Student Conduct process are separate.
How should I make grading decisions when I am concerned about Academic Integrity?
- The grading process is entirely separate from the Student Conduct process. This is necessary because of potential time constraints on the grading process that would be hindered by waiting for a student conduct decision.
- As a grading authority, you SHOULD:
- Be critical and fair in decision making.
- Consult with OSCCR or other staff.
- Communicate decisions with students.
- Include expectations of Academic Integrity in syllabi.
- As a grading authority you SHOULD NOT:
- Wait on an OSCCR decision to proceed with grading if a deadline is approaching.
- Promise what the OSCCR outcome will be.
How should I handle the communication with students, especially when/if they are distressed?
- When discussing a potential violation with a student, it is important to be clear on the concerns that you have. Let them know what assignment it is, why you are concerned, and what next steps might look like.
- It can be very helpful to give the student a chance to discuss the assignment with you. Often there are misunderstandings that lead to potential violations, and it helps for everyone to have that information.
- If a student is in distress, it can be helpful to connect them with resources such as OSCCR, UHCS, or WeCare to help them process the situation.
I suspect there was a violation but am not entirely sure, who can I speak to?
- OSCCR staff is always available to discuss details of a situation and offer whatever assistance we can.
- You may find it helpful to discuss situations like this with another staff member or supervisor in your department.
How does OSCCR reach a decision, what if I disagree?
- OSCCR operates on a preponderance of evidence model. Which means that there must be enough evidence to make it more likely than not that a violation occurred for a student to be found responsible. The student is provided an opportunity to share their perspective and any supplemental information to respond to the incident report.
- Disagreements on responsibility between faculty and OSCCR are rare but do occur. Often, they are due to an insufficient amount of detail or supporting documentation being provided in a report, so please make sure to supply as much information as possible and to consult the OSCCR staff when you have questions.
- The decision made by the Hearing Administrator may only be appealed by the student engaged in the hearing process. The Reporting Professor will receive a copy of the outcome to review the summary of the Hearing Administrator’s decision making.
What are the potential OSCCR Outcomes?
- Not Responsible
- There was insufficient evidence to reach a more likely than not determination that the student violated a policy.
- Responsible
- There was sufficient evidence to reach a more likely than not determinations that the student violated a policy.
- Accepted Responsibility
- After reflecting on and discussing the situation and policies at hand, the student has decided that they did violate the policy and would like to accept responsibility for it.
How can I be proactive in helping my students to avoid Academic Integrity violations?
- The OSCCR office offers presentations on the Academic Integrity policy and can present to your class on the details of the policy. You can fill out a request form here
- Clearly address your expectations regarding group work, communication between students and between students and staff, as well as the use of outside tools and resources. Take time to reiterate these expectations before large assignments and tests.
- Work to connect students with resources such as OSCCR and the Writing Center, especially if the student is less familiar with the system of Academic Integrity within the United States and/or at Northeastern University.
Additional Resources
- Request a Classroom Presentation
- Staff in OSCCR visit various classrooms to provide an introduction to the work of the office, review the expectations of the University, and talk with students about positive decision-making. If you would like to have a member of the OSCCR staff present to your class, please click here to complete the presentation request form.
- plagiarism.org
- Online resource for educators concerned with the growing problem of Internet plagiarism.
- Center for Academic Integrity
- Virtual Academic Integrity Laboratory
- A resource for academic integrity in the 21st Century classroom.
- Northeastern Citation and Academic Integrity Checklist