These rules on Academic Misconduct apply to students registered in courses in any non-degree Marine Institute program. Students enrolled in the degree-level courses should consult the Memorial University Calendar for regulations governing undergraduate and graduate degree students.

23.1 General Procedures

23.1.1 Reporting Offenses:

The Marine Institute values academic honesty highly. When any member of the Marine Institute community (faculty, staff, student) has reason to believe that an academic offense has been committed, he/she is obliged to report the matter verbally without delay to the appropriate person immediately.

In the case of a final examination, the appropriate person shall be the chief invigilator. In the case of a classroom test, assignment, project, or other academic work, the appropriate person shall be the person for whom the work is being done or the person supervising the work. The person for whom the work is being done shall take immediate action to stop the offense, if possible. He/she shall promptly inform the student’s School Head of the offense and the action taken.

In the case of a final examination, the report shall be made to the Supervisor of Examinations who will prepare a report to the appropriate School Head once the circumstances of the matter have been determined. A verbal report shall be confirmed in writing as soon as possible.

All references to School Head in this policy refer to the Head of the School with responsibility for the program of study in which the student accused of academic misconduct is registered.

23.1.2 Resolution of Allegations:

1. In the case of work, other than final exams, which constitutes less than 10% of the final grade for the course in question, an instructor may determine that a student may be guilty of either cheating or plagiarism. Such an offense shall be considered a minor offense. In such cases, an instructor may apply a grade reduction penalty up to and including the reduction of the grade for the portion of work in question to 0%. In such cases, the instructor shall submit a brief written report to the School Head documenting the nature of the incident, the evidence used to determine that the student cheated, and the action taken to resolve the issue. For minor offenses, an instructor may choose to have such incidents of alleged academic misconduct resolved by the student’s School Head. In all cases other than those resolved in step one above, the faculty member, witness to the event or, in the case of final examinations, the Supervisor of Examinations, shall prepare and submit a written report to the School Head.

2. The School Head shall interview each person involved separately to establish the facts of the matter and the appropriate steps to follow. Those to be interviewed shall include the student(s) in question, the instructor for the course in question, the witness to the act of academic misconduct, and, in the case of final examinations, the Chief Invigilator and the Supervisor of Examinations. All interviews and the review of all documentation shall be completed and a decision shall be made by the School Head within ten (10) business days of the occurrence of the alleged offence.

3. If upon completion of step 2 above the School Head determines that there is not enough evidence to determine that a student is guilty of an act of academic misconduct, the matter is resolved and the student and instructor are notified in writing of the outcome.

4. If, upon completion of step 2 above, the School Head determines that there is enough evidence to determine that an act of academic misconduct was committed by a student, he or she will assess the circumstances and severity of the act of dishonesty and apply the appropriate penalties, as outlined below in the section concerning Penalties. The School Head shall notify the student in writing of the outcome of the case within five (5) business days of his/her decision.

23.2 Academic Offenses

Students who commit acts of academic misconduct, including but not limited to the following offenses, shall be subject to disciplinary action by the Marine Institute.

23.2.1 Cheating:

For assignment, tests, projects, reports, laboratories and examinations cheating means copying from another student’s work, or allowing a student to copy from one’s own work; consulting with unauthorized persons during a test or examination; or using unauthorized notes, books, manuals, or equipment during a test or examination.

Impersonating Another Student or Allowing Oneself to be Impersonated:

Impersonation for these purposes means the imitation or substitution of one person for another for the purposes of writing an examination or undertaking other academic work.

23.2.2 Plagiarism:

Plagiarism is the act of presenting the ideas or works of another as one’s own. Under copyright law in Canada, all such items (writings, photos, videos, handwritten notes, etc.) are the property of the originator, even if not formally inscribed with the copyright symbol. This applies to all material such as essays, laboratory reports, work term reports, design projects, seminar presentations statistical data, computer programs and research results. The properly acknowledged use of sources is an accepted and important part of scholarship. Use of such material without acknowledgment, however, is contrary to accepted norms of academic behavior.

23.2.3 Theft of Academic Materials:

Theft means the obtaining or possession of, by any improper means, examination papers, tests, or any other materials used in the evaluation of students.

23.2.4 Use and/or Distribution of Stolen Materials

This refers to the use and/or distribution of materials which the student knows have been improperly obtained.

The student shall be given a period of two weeks from the date of receiving the letter in which to make an appeal before the Executive Director’s final decision is made.

23.3 Penalties for Academic Misconduct Offenses

Penalties resulting from acts of academic misconduct, as previously defined, may be taken from the full range of penalties available including reprimand, probation, grade reduction, suspension or expulsion. A description of each form of penalty can be found below. However, conviction for certain offenses shall automatically invoke penalties as follows:

23.3.1 Submitting False Information:

Submitting false information includes, but is not limited to, the submission of false data, medical records, credentials, and misleading or incomplete information.

23.3.2 Submission of the Same Material for Two or More Courses:

This refers to submitting work for one course or work term which has been, or is being, submitted for another course or work term at this or any other institution without express permission to do so.

23.3.3 Academic Mischief:

Academic Mischief means any activities, other than those specified above, which in any way jeopardize the academic integrity of the Institute. This includes, but is not limited to, tampering with examinations, gaining unauthorized access to examinations, removing materials from the examination room, and the like.

23.4 Description of Penalties

23.4.1 Reprimand:

A reprimand shall take the form of a written warning from the School Head informing the student that his/her academic conduct has been unacceptable to the Institute.

23.4.2 Reduction of Grade:

A reduction of grade penalty shall be imposed as follows:

• (a.) On materials such as tests, assignments, labs, and similar semester work accounting for less than 25% of total mark; the student shall be awarded 0% for the work under consideration.
• (b.) For semester reports, term projects including drawings, technical reports and other academic work which constitutes 25% or more of the total mark for a course; the course mark shall be 0%.
• (c.) For final examinations; the course mark shall be 0%

23.4.3 Probation:

The period of probation shall be from the time of conviction to the end of two academic semesters beyond the semester in which the offense took place. In no instance will the period of probation exceed three academic semesters for any one offense. A student who commits a second offense while under probation may be suspended or expelled upon the recommendation of the Executive Committee of the Marine Institute Academic Council.

23.4.4 Suspension:

A suspension may apply to a course, program, or the Institute. The length of the suspension shall be determined by the Executive Committee of the Marine Institute Academic Council and shall be conveyed to the student in writing by the Chair of Academic Council.

In no case shall the length of the suspension for any single offense exceed three academic semesters.

23.4.5 Expulsion:

Expulsion shall mean that the student is required to withdraw from the Institute. Students who have been expelled shall not be permitted to re-enter the Institute.

The recommendation for expulsion shall be made to the Executive Director for his/her final decision. Prior to the Executive Director’s decision, the Registrar shall notify the student in writing of the recommendation for expulsion.

The student shall be given a period of two weeks from the date of receiving the letter in which to make an appeal before the Executive Director’s final decision is made.

23.5 Application of Penalties

A student who has been found guilty of academic misconduct shall be subject to a penalty or penalties in keeping with the seriousness of the offense. Conviction of certain offenses shall involve automatic penalties as outlined above.

The Registrar shall be responsible for the enforcement of penalties resulting from the above procedures. In some cases more than one penalty may be imposed for the same offense. Previous academic misconduct will be taken into account in determining the penalty or penalties.

In all cases where a student has been convicted of academic misconduct and there is a record on file with the Registrar, the students shall be disqualified for scholarships based upon work completed during the academic year in which the offense took place.

If a student receives a mark of 0% for any academic work as a result of academic misconduct, where this is on file with the Registrar, the student shall not be permitted to write a supplementary examination in the course concerned.

23.6 Right of Appeal

In accordance with Marine Institute policy and procedures regarding Student Appeals, a student has the right to appeal a decision concerning his or her involvement in an alleged case of academic misconduct.

In cases where the matter was initially resolved by an instructor, appeals shall be made to the student’s School Head. In such cases, the School Head shall initiate action as per step 2 above under “Resolution of Allegations”.

23.7 Disposition of Documentation

Documents relating to allegations under these procedures shall be disposed of as follows:

23.7.1 Allegations Not Supported:

In cases where the allegation was not supported, no documentation shall be retained.

23.7.2 Allegations Supported and Resolved by Instructor:

In cases where a minor offence is resolved by an instructor, documentation regarding the incident shall remain with the School Head. Documentation of the offence may be reported to the Registrar. This shall not be recorded in a student’s file or on a student’s transcript. It will be used to apply the appropriate scholarship or supplementary examination regulations for the term in which the offense was committed.

23.7.3 Allegations Supported and Resolved by School Head:

In cases where the allegation is supported and resolved by the School Head documentation regarding the incident shall remain with the School Head. In all cases but minor offenses, the Registrar shall be notified of the student’s name and the offence including the course title, the nature of the offence, and the penalty imposed. For minor offenses the Registrar may be notified. Correspondence between the School Head and the student shall be copied to the Registrar as well. Records regarding the offense shall be retained in the student’s file.

23.7.4 Allegations Resolved Through Appeal:

In cases where a student appeals the determination of their guilt or the application of a penalty regarding a case of academic misconduct, all documentation regarding the case shall be garnered from the School Head. In the case that an appeal results in the reversal of a previous decision, all previous documentation shall be destroyed by the School Head and the documentation of the case in question shall remain with the minutes and records regarding the appeal. In the case that an appeal results in a previous decision being upheld, all documentation obtained from the School Head shall be returned and a copy retained with the records regarding the appeal. The record of the offence, the appeal and the outcome of the appeal shall be retained in the student’s file.

23.7.5 Transcript Entries

Transcript entries related to the penalty(ies) imposed shall be as follows:

* These entries are removed upon the expiry of the period of Probation or Suspension. The onus is on the student to ensure that the entry is removed at the appropriate time.