Academic Integrity Policy
Eastern College Australia (ECA) is committed to promoting academic integrity amongst staff and students and to detect and manage breaches of academic integrity.
This policy was rewritten in July 2023 with Generative Artificial Intelligence (GenAI) assistance from Bard.
All staff. All students. Past Students.
Overview
- all academic work claimed as original is the work of the author making the claim;
- when the ideas and information of others are used, they are acknowledged appropriately, as are all academic collaborations; and
- academic work and research are not falsified in any way.
Promoting Academic Integrity
Institutional Commitment
The College is committed to a College-wide framework for academic integrity across all academic areas. The Academic Standards and Risk Committee is responsible for monitoring the application of this policy across the College.
Academic Writing
Promoting a Culture of Academic Integrity
- inform students of their requirements by providing a style guide (or guides) for the presentation of assessment tasks. This (or these) must set out the styles of writing appropriate for the different tasks and the form(s) of referencing demanded for each task;
- ensure all academic staff are aware of the need to introduce and reinforce, from the outset, student understanding of the professional and academic skills demanded by the disciplines at all levels;
- ensure that all academic staff are aware of the appropriate sources of assistance for students seeking to develop their skills in academic writing; and
- include in each Unit Guide a statement which:
- states or links to the College’s definition of academic integrity;
- makes clear that an academic integrity breach is unacceptable.
- ensure academic staff model academic integrity in their teaching materials and scholarship.
Ensuring Academic Integrity in Assessment
Breaches of Academic Integrity
- Plagiarism: Presenting someone else's work as your own.
- Cheating: Using unauthorized materials or assistance during an assessment.
- Collusion: Working together with another student on an assessment that is intended to be completed individually.
- Contract cheating: Obtaining or providing assistance with an assessment from a third party, such as a commercial essay writing service, family, or through GenAI and associated tools.
- Recycling: Submitting work that has been submitted previously, without permission from the lecturer. This includes work that has been submitted for another course, work that has been published elsewhere, or a previous attempt at the unit.
- Falsification of data: Manipulating research materials, equipment, or processes, or changing or omitting data or results such that the research is not accurately represented in the research record.
- Where the use of the tool is for preliminary research on a topic, in which case the use of the tool including its name must be acknowledged.
- The use of GenAI for the purpose of grammar and spell checking is permitted, with care, and referencing. Students are required to keep a draft of their original work before submitting to the GenAI, to demonstrate authenticity should an investigation be required.
- In the case where a lecturer provides written authorisation for the use of an artificial intelligence tool for any other aspects of an assessment task, in which case any student use must be fully referenced.
Academic Integrity Breach Outcomes
Classification of Academic Integrity Breach
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Nature and intent of breach
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Extent of breach
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Student experience
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Least Serious
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Most Serious
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References are unclear or inadequate
Inappropriate paraphrasing
Determined to be an inadvertent breach |
One to two sentences are problematic.
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Completed less than 24 credit points
Cultural considerations or English language skills involved
No prior experience of academic breaches
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Submitting aspects of other’s work as own
Recycling assessments
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Two or more paragraphs are problematic
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More than 24 credit points completed, but not in their final year
At most one previous experience of an academic breach
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Contract cheating
Substantial appropriation of other’s ideas and work as own.
Determined to be a deliberate or planned breach
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Over 20% of the assessment is problematic.
Breaches are identified in multiple assessments and/or units.
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In final year of study
Multiple previous academic breaches
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Academic Integrity Breach Decisions
Decision Makers
Level of Breach
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To Be Consulted
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Low
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Marker or Academic in Charge or Unit Co-ordinator
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Medium
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Unit Co-ordinator
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High
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Dean of Studies
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Involving graduates, or previously published results
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Dean of Studies will conduct the investigation
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Decision Making Process
- Notification received from marker.
- The Academic Integrity Officer verifies whether it is an Academic Integrity Breach.
- Review of Complaints and Grievances Register to determine the student’s history with academic integrity.
- The level of alleged breach is determined.
- The student is notified of the alleged breach, advised their rights and a proposed outcome/remediation.
- Determination of outcome.
Student’s response to allegation of academic integrity breach
Communicating the decision
- Closure - specifying an academic integrity breach has been identified and the decision regarding the outcome for that academic integrity breach.
- No case - specifying an academic integrity breach has not been found.
Recordkeeping
Appealing the decision
A student may appeal the decision made by following the College’s Complaints and Grievance Policy.
Academic Integrity Breach Outcomes
Low
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Medium :
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High
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