Academic disciplinary proceedings involving 109 first-year students at Dalhousie
University have been successfully completed in almost all cases. The
proceedings followed an initial investigation that revealed students may have
gained inappropriate access to the answers for on-line assignments before
submitting their own work.
The Dean of Science at the university, Keith Taylor, said further investigation
concluded a significant number of those students did not engage in any academic
dishonesty. Of the remainder, most have accepted responsibility and the penalty
the dean handed out. The issue has not yet been finalized in seven cases.
"This has been an enormous lesson for the vast majority of these students. It
isn't a learning opportunity we would have chosen, but the result has actually
been gratifying."
The level of penalty, the dean said, is commensurate with the level of offence.
For example, students who were found to cheat on an assignment received a mark
of zero on that assignment. Of the more than 100 cases resolved, no students
have been dismissed.
The problem first came to light when the instructor of the course was alerted by
two students, one of whom admitted involvement. The inappropriate access to a
protected web site would have been eventually discovered, but the admission
limited the potential damage.
The students involved allegedly exploited a vulnerability in an on-line learning
system that is widely used in schools and universities across North America.
Dalhousie immediately alerted the company to the flaw and it responded with an
immediate fix.
Any Dalhousie student accused of any academic offence has access to student
advocacy services. The University Senate, the ultimate authority in matters
academic, delegated the dean of science to deal with these cases, where
possible. It was deemed important that the matter be dealt with expeditiously
so the students involved could make appropriate decisions related to the fall
term.
The students had the option of following the more formal Senate disciplinary
procedures if they preferred.
"Dalhousie University takes academic integrity very seriously. A degree from
Dalhousie has meaning and currency the world over. No one receives that degree
without earning it," said Dr. Taylor. Dalhousie has posted academic honesty
policies. The university enforces the policy rigorously. Where there is a
finding that Dalhousie's standards of academic honesty have been breached,
remedies range from a mark of zero on relevant assignments up to dismissal from
the university.
For more information on academic integrity at Dal, visit:
http://plagiarism.dal.ca/