All allegations of an academic offence are considered confidential, and confidentiality must be maintained by those involved in each case when an academic offence is suspected.
Dalhousie’s discipline process: Step-by-step
The information below is a basic summary of the Faculty discipline process. If there are discrepancies between Senate-adopted/approved documents and information posted on this website, the Senate-adopted/approved documents will take precedence.
- Download the Faculty Discipline Procedures Concerning Allegations of Academic Offences [PDF- 79 KB] for the official procedure that instructors and academic integrity officers must follow for all academic integrity allegations.
- Download the Discipline Flow Chart [PDF- 274 KB] for an overview of the discipline process.
Instructor suspects an academic integrity offence
The first step occurs when the professor or teaching assistant (TA) suspects that a student has committed an academic offence such as a plagiarized assignment or paper, unauthorized collaboration or cheating on an exam.
Instructor submits a statement to the academic integrity officer
The instructor submits a statement outlining the basis for the allegation, together with all relevant supporting evidence, to the academic integrity officer (AIO) of the faculty in which the class is offered.
AIO decides if the allegation can proceed
The AIO determines whether or not there is a minimal basis (prima facie case) for the allegation. If there is none, no further steps are taken in relation to the allegation.
Meeting with AIO
If a prima facie case is established, then in most cases, the AIO will convene a meeting with the student(s), the student(s)’s advisor, if any, and the instructor within 5 working days of the student receiving the allegation. This time may be extended at the request of the student, instructor, or AIO in appropriate circumstances.
AIO decision and penalty
Following the meeting, the AIO decides whether there is sufficient evidence to support the allegation and if so, recommends what they feel is an appropriate penalty (see possible penalties). If not, the student will be advised, and the matter will be closed.
Student decision
The AIO then provides the student with the option of accepting the finding and the recommended penalty or proceeding to the Senate Discipline Committee for a full hearing. The option is presented to the student within 5 working days of the meeting, and the student has 2 working days to respond.
Guidelines for academic evaluators
Dalhousie’s guidelines for academic evaluators state:
“An alleged first or later breach of any academic standard by a student should never be dealt with by an evaluator, but in all instances, should be referred to the academic integrity officer.”
The guidelines further set out expectations for instructors and evaluators who suspect an academic offence has been committed in their class.
Penalties
Penalties for academic integrity offences are set out in Dalhousie’s academic regulations and in the Senate Discipline Committee Jurisdiction and Procedures.
Academic integrity officers
The Senate has delegated its authority to adjudicate all cases of alleged violations of academic standards by students to the Senate Discipline Committee and in limited circumstances, to academic integrity officers (AIOs) as defined by the Faculty Discipline Procedures Concerning Allegations of Academic Offences.
Each faculty at Dal has an AIO who is responsible for hearing cases in their faculty and providing support and advice to instructors on academic integrity matters.
Dr. Nancy Mclean
Assistant professor
James Forren
Assistant professor
Dr. Dawn Brandes
Assistant professor
Dr. Lindsay Dubois
Associate professor (backup AIO)
Dr. Georgia Klein
Professor
Dr. Andrew Medeiros
Professor (back up AIO)
Andrew Cochran
Instructor
Mike McAllister
Instructor
Evangelos Milios
Instructor
Dr. Corey DeGagne
Instructor
Dr. Nauzer Kalyaniwalla
Instructor
Carla Heggie
Instructor, adjunct (Faculty of Graduate Studies)
Dr. Sachin Seth
Professor
Dr. Ted Hubbard
Dr. Valerie Chappe
Associate dean
Dr. Marty Leonard
Dean (back up AIO)
Dr. Nichole Austin
Assistant professor, School of Health Administration
Dr. Sorayya Askari
Assistant professor, School of Occupational Therapy
Dr. Marion Brown
Associate Professor, School of Social Work (backup AIO)
Sarah Harding
Dean
Dr. Bo Yu
Assistant professor
Chantelle Falconer
(back up AIO)
Dr. Stephen Miller
Dr. Sarah Wells (Basic Sciences)
Dr. Ayesha Mushtaq
Associate director, English Language Studies Department
Saira Akhtar-Alwazeer
Director, Educational Development
Kate Purcell
Instructor, English Language Studies Department (AIO)
Dr. Janusz Borycz
Professor
Dr. Roman Smirnov
Professor
Ryan Snitynsky
Professor
Jennifer Van Dommelen
Professor
Ms. Tracy Lenfesty
Forms
Form A – Instructor Allegation of Academic Offence
This form is completed by the instructor who suspects an academic offence and submitted to the AIO for their faculty, along with any supporting materials.
Notice of Senate Discipline Appeal Form
This form is completed by a student who is appealing a Senate Discipline Committee decision.