Contents
Catalog Links

Violations of Academic Integrity and Sanctions

Academic Integrity

Plagiarism is using the intellectual property (e.g., books, articles, artwork, musical compositions, movies, drawings, ideas, and photos) of others, including artificial intelligence, without proper citation thereby giving the impression that it is the student’s own work.

Minor Plagiarism means doing any of the following without attributing it to a source:

  • Unintentional plagiarism,
  • Using the source’s idea or logic,
  • Inserting verbatim phrases of five or more words (but less than two sentences) without quotation marks or using minimal content from an audiovisual source,
  • Revising the source’s work by inserting a few synonyms in one original sentence,
  • Revising the sentence by reordering the phrases but not changing any words.

Major Plagiarism means doing any of the following without attributing it to a source:

  • Repeatedly committing minor plagiarism in one or more papers in one or more courses,
  • Using verbatim two or more sentences from a source without quotation marks or using substantial content from an audiovisual work,
  • Revising the source’s work by inserting a few synonyms, and/or minimal paraphrasing, in one or more paragraphs.

Complete Plagiarism means doing any of the following:

  • Submitting a paper or other work obtained from a website or other source, including artificial intelligence;
  • Submitting another person’s work for an assignment;
  • Obtaining a score of 70 or more on a SafeAssign® assessment after the removal of quoted material.

Dishonesty

This lack of integrity is exhibited through lying, cheating, defrauding, or deceiving. Examples of dishonesty include:

1. copying from the examination paper of another,

2. allowing one’s own examination paper to be copied,

3. reading without the instructor’s consent a copy of the examination prior to the date it is given,

4. giving or receiving unauthorized aids,

5. submitting the same work product in more than one course without the express permission of the instructor(s),

6. disclosing or accepting information about test questions or answers if one takes a test at a different time than other students in the same course.

Procedural Trails

For Minor Plagiarism or Dishonesty Instances:

1. Faculty addresses student

a. Recommends Plagiarism Workshop or Instruction on Classroom Etiquette

b. May Recommend Assignment rewrite with any syllabus stated penalties

c. Faculty documents meeting

i. Use Retention page on Faculty Portal

ii. College keeps documentation in Deans office

iii. Student Engagement also has access to student records through copies or portal attribution

For Major or Complete Plagiarism or repeated offenses of either Plagiarism or Dishonesty:

2. Faculty checks student file and confirms completion of step 1. a-c (Procedural Trail for Minor Plagiarism or Dishonesty Instances). If not completed, then step 1.a. and 1.c. (Procedural Trail for Minor Plagiarism or Dishonesty Instances) must be implemented for first offenses. If step 1. a-c (Procedural Trail for Minor Plagiarism or Dishonesty Instances) was completed and after consultation with the student, then,

a. Faculty assigns a F grade to assignment, or

b. Faculty assigns a F grade to course.

c. Faculty documents meeting and decision and inserts Academic Integrity form in College’s student file, and, if a graduate student, with the Office of Graduate Studies

For Student Appeals

(Only for decisions from the completion of Step 2 – Procedural Trail for Major or Complete Plagiarism or repeated offenses of either Plagiarism or Dishonesty)

3. Appeals will follow the Academic organizational structure. If there is not a person at a level the appeal will proceed to the next level. The levels could include:

a. Department Chair or Associate Dean

b. Dean

c. Admissions, Financial Aid, and Academic Standing Committee

d. The Committee decision is final unless there is an appeal based on the sanctions.

e. The appeal would go to the appropriate Associate Provost.

f. Associate Provost

g. The Associate Provost’s decision on sanctions is final.

4. When the appeal reaches the end then the final decision is recorded with the appropriate Academic offices and with the Office of Student Engagement.

5. The two offices of Academics and Student Engagement will communicate with each other when a student has three recorded violations of Academic Integrity on file.

6. If a student reaches three documented violations, a three-member panel will review the student file and recommend these sanctions (the student will be given a chance to address the panel):

a. Probation and academic monitoring for the current and subsequent semester

b. Suspension from the current semester with a chance to return the subsequent semester

c. Suspension from the current and subsequent semester with a chance to apply for readmission

d. Expulsion from the University with no chance to return

e. The three-member panel will consist of one Associate Provost, the Vice President of Student Engagement or an Assistant VP from Student Engagement, and an at-large member from either Academics or Student Engagement.

Academic Integrity and Courses that Employ Online Components

Courses at NGU that employ online components, mainly “online” (or distance/DE) and “hybrid,” require a higher level of maturity and ethical standards on the part of the student. Instructors in these courses tend to post material to the course and expect the students to access it. Hard copies are rarely, if ever, distributed in these types of courses. The mention that specified resources are on the website, implies that the student is expected to access the materials for themselves and take whatever action is needed.

Ethically, the student in these types of courses must recognize that their education is their own responsibility and they must rely upon themselves to maintain their moral and ethical standards and avoid the temptation to take short cuts. Online/DE courses (also called “asynchronous” courses) in particular differ significantly in some respects to a course offered in a traditional classroom setting where the student and the instructor meet face-to-face on a regular basis during the semester. These courses ordinarily require a large amount of reading and constant attention to detail. The course syllabus spells out how the course works. Students cannot afford to ignore or never read all of the introductory materials to a course. To do so will result in a failure to follow procedures and thus lose points on their grades. Courses that employ online components are rarely easier than traditional courses. They are more accessible and allow for greater flexibility in one’s daily schedule.

Students who enroll in these types of courses must possess adequate computer and Internet resources. Students are required to have reliable access to a reliable computer to fulfill the course requirements. The computer must be able to access and manipulate Blackboard® and the other software used in the course. The computer mustbe loaded with compatible software. It is absolutely necessary that your word processing software be capable of manipulating Microsoft Word® files, and probably Microsoft Excel compatibility is also a minimum requirement. Some courses will require other and perhaps higher-level software compatibility. Students using Mac machines sometimes encounter problems with Blackboard®. At this time, NGU is able to offer very little help for Mac users in these areas of compatibility. Failure to have a reliable computer, Internet connection, and/or compatible software are not reasons for failure to complete work on a timely basis in any course that requires online submissions. NGU offers computers for student use in a variety of locations on campus such as the library and the computer laboratories.