UTP39 – Plagiarism & Cheating Policy and Procedure

Title: UTP39 - Plagiarism and Cheating Policy and Procedure
Published Date: 16/02/202
Version: 1.1

Version Continuous Improvement Reason Continuous Improvement Change
1.0 Original document
1.1 revised Director of Studies

1. Scope

This policy applies to UTAIT students and all UTAIT staff who deal with all matters concerning cheating and plagiarism.

2. Responsibilities

The plagiarism and cheating policy and procedure is responsibility of the Director of Studies.

3. Related documents

Student handbook Assessment tools UTP36 - Assessment Policy and Procedure Training and Assessment Strategy

4. Policy

The policy is intended to promote honesty and integrity of learning and assessment and respect for the work of others. It is expected that each UTAIT's student to accept her/his responsibility to maintain honesty and integrity in all endeavors inside and outside of UTAIT's classroom, workshop or garage.

Disciplinary actions will be taken by the Director of Training when a student is proven to be involved in cheating or plagiarism behaviour during their enrolment with UTAIT.

Cheating is the actual or attempted practice of fraudulent or deceptive acts for the purpose of improving one's grade or obtaining course credit; such acts also include assisting another student to do so. Inappropriate behavior reasonably interpreted as evidence of the intent to cheat is also interpreted as cheating for the purpose of this policy. Typically, such acts occur in relation to assessment. However, it is the intent of this definition that the term "cheating" not be limited to examination situations only, but that it include any and all actions by a student that are intended to gain an unearned academic advantage by fraudulent or deceptive means. Examples of Cheating can be found in Appendix A of this policy.

Plagiarism is a specific form of cheating which consists of the misuse of the published and/or unpublished works of others by misrepresenting the material (i.e., their intellectual property) so used as one's own work.

UTAIT regards cheating plagiarism as an extremely serious academic offence and they will be dealt with in accordance with the procedures below.

This policy and procedure is made available to applicants and students through a number of means:

• Descript at the students handbook
• By a request to administration for a copy of this policy and procedure
• On the UTAIT website

5. Procedures

1. A Trainer or Assessor who suspects cheating or plagiarism should report this to the Director Training
2. The Director of Studies must decide whether the plagiarism amounts to cheating. In other words, the Director of Studies must determine whether it is more likely than not that the plagiarism was done with the intention of gaining an unfair advantage.
   1. a. The Director of Studies decides there was no Plagiarism/ Cheating If the Director of Studies decides that it is a case of unsatisfactory assessment and not cheating, the Director of Studies will then ask an assessor to mark the work appropriately.
   2. b. The Director of Studies decides there is a possible case of Plagiarism and Cheating. If the Director of Studies reaches the conclusion that there is evidence that the student intended to obtain an unfair advantage, the Director of Studies must give the student an opportunity to respond before making a final determination. In addition to more obvious cases of plagiarism (eg copying large of information from the Internet), this situation would arise where two students, contrary to instructions, submit substantially the same work.
   3. c. The Director of Studies decides that Plagiarism and Cheating has occurred If after giving the student an opportunity to respond, the Director of Studies decides that the student has acted with an intention to obtain an unfair advantage, the Director of Studies will disallow a Satisfactory (S) outcome for that assessment task and
      1. inform the student that the result have been disallowed and advise the student that he/she has a right to appeal as per our Complaints and Appeals procedures (see Student – Plagiarism and
         Cheating disallowance letter ); and
      2. ask the Administration staff to place a copy of the letter (the Student– Plagiarism and Cheating disallowance letter ); in the students personal file.
   4. d. The Director of Studies decides that Plagiarism and Cheating has not occurred If, having heard the student’s explanation, the Director of Studies decides that the student’s conduct did not amount to Plagiarism and Cheating, the Director of Studies:
      1. Will treat the case as one of unsatisfactory academic work and ask an assessor to mark the assessment appropriately (ie Not Satisfactory (NS) or not yet competent (NYC)); and
      2. May, if it is deemed necessary, advise and counsel the student about the rules relating to plagiarism cheating. If it occurs, the Director of Studies should consider whether it is necessary to send a warning letter to the student. If a Student – Plagiarism and Cheating Warning Letter is sent to the student, the Director - Training will ask the Administration Staff to place a copy on the  students’ individual file.

6. Penalties of Cheating and Plagiarism

1. Students who are found cheating or guilty of plagiarism on any form of assessment will be deemed Not Satisfactory for the relevant assessment task. The student will then need to resubmit, resit assessment. See UTP36 - Assessment Policy and Procedures.
2. Students who are found cheating or guilty of plagiarism for a second time will need to reenrol and repeat the entire Unit of Competence and pay applicable fees.
3. Students who are found cheating or guilty of plagiarism for a third time, the matter will be referred to the CEO.
4. Students will also be issued an official written warning which will be placed in the students file.
5. Students who are found cheating or guilty of plagiarism for forth or subsequence time may be expelled from the institute and their enrolment may be cancelled by the CEO.

7. Appendixes

Appendix A - Examples of Cheating
The following examples of Cheating are intended to be representative, but not all inclusive.
1. Seeking Unfair Advantage to Oneself
a) Written Tests

• Looking at another student’s test during a test period.
• Copying from another student’s test paper.
• Employing signals to obtain answers from others.
• Stealing or arranging for the theft of test paper.
• Knowingly reviewing an unauthorized copy of a test.
• Using material or textbooks during a test when prohibited.
• Possessing crib notes at the location and during the time of the test.
• Having someone else take a test in your place.
• Feigning illness or telling falsehoods to avoid taking a test at the scheduled time.
• Claiming falsely that you took a testination at the scheduled time.
• Storing, receiving, and/or accessing course subject matter in a calculator, pager, cellular telephone, computer, or other electronic device that can be used during a test period without assessor authorization.
• Utilizing a calculator and/or other learning aids not expressly allowed by the assessor.
• Obtaining assistance in answering questions on a take-home test, when such action is specifically prohibited.
• Attempting to bias an assessor's grading after a test.
• Using bribery or threats to obtain an undeserved grade.
• Changing an answer on a graded test and claiming the student's response to the question was incorrectly marked wrong.
• Other similar activities

b) Papers/Reports/Written Project

• Copying the work of other students in whole or in part and submitting it as your own.
• Submitting a report purchased from a commercial service selling research/term papers.
• Hiring a ghost writer to compose a paper for you.
• Claiming an assigned share of a team report, toward which insufficient or no contribution was made.
• Lying about the reason for not submitting a report on time.
• Pretending to have submitted a paper to an assessor.
• Stealing another student's report and submitting it as one's own work.
• Other similar activities

c. Practical tasks

• Depending upon others to perform practical task when assessors call for independent performance. Other similar activities

2. Giving Unfair Advantage to Others.

a. WrittenTests

• Allowing another student to copy from your test paper.
• Employing signals to indicate answers on a test to others.
• Taking a test in place of someone else.
• Sharing test questions with students in another section of the course.
• Giving your returned test paper to another student preparing to take a makeup test.
• Transmitting electronically to another student information stored in or sent via a calculator, pager, cellular telephone, computer or other electronic device during a test period without instructor authorization.
• Helping others answer questions on take-home exams when such assistance is specifically prohibited.
• Other similar activities

b. Papers/Reports/Written Project

• Permitting another student to copy your work.
• Writing a paper for another student.
• Providing substantial research assistance to another student for writing a report.
• Other similar activities

c. Practical task

• Assisting others to perform practical task when assessors call for independent performance.
• Other similar activities

Appendix B - Examples of Plagiarism

The following examples of Plagiarism are intended to be representative, but not all inclusive.

• Failing to give credit for ideas and concepts, date and information, statements and phrases, and/or interpretations and conclusions derived by another.
• Failing to use quotation marks when quoting directly from another, whether it be a paragraph, a sentence, or any part thereof.
• Minimally paraphrasing the expressions of thought by others without appropriate quotation marks or attribution.
• Assembling parts from various works and submitting the synthesis or single paper as your own creation.
• Including references in the bibliography that were not examined by the student.
• Including bogus references in the bibliography.
• Falsely citing bibliographic references in footnotes.
• Other similar activities.