- What role should instructors play in
establishing expectations for student conduct?
- Explains authority granted by the University and
Student Conduct Code.
- How does the student's right to due
process affect grading?
- Explains students' right to due process in issues
related to grading and misconduct.
- Why is it important to distinguish
between grading on mastery of content and grading on conduct?
- Explains the implications of court precedents that
have distinguished between judging a student's academic performance and
judging a student's conduct.
- Can instructors grade on behaviors such
as missing class or turning in late papers?
- Clarifies circumstances under which faculty might
grade on students' attendance or lower grades for late papers.
- How is academic misconduct defined?
- Provides the broad explanation from the Student
Conduct Code and a specific definition from the College of Arts and
Sciences.
- What can instructors do to address academic
misconduct?
- Summarizes what instructors may and may not
do.
- Preventing Academic Misconduct
- Provides strategies and guidelines for being
preventative about academic misconduct.
- Talking to Students Suspected of Academic
Misconduct
- Provides examples of options that instructors can
provide to students suspected of cheating.
- Reporting Students Suspected of Academic
Misconduct
- Explains procedures and process for disciplinary
review of students' academic misconduct.
- What information do students receive
about academic misconduct?
- Gives examples of materials available to students to
establish expectations regarding misconduct.
What role should instructors play in
establishing expectations for student conduct?
An important first step for faculty in the process of evaluating students
is to establish an atmosphere in which all students have the opportunity
to learn without distraction. As representatives of the University,
faculty have the authority, and the responsibility, to establish
expectations for academic conduct that allows all students to learn
equitably and effectively. Although students are entitled to free
expression, this freedom must be balanced against the right of all
students to a productive learning environment. To establish an atmosphere
where students can learn and have that learning assessed equitably,
instructors may forbid conduct that distracts other students and/or
interferes with their ability to teach, including such things as:
- use of cell phones, pagers, or walkmans
- loud talking or whispering
- eating and drinking
- other distracting behavior
When students violate the rules that have been established to
promote learning, they may be asked to stop their disruptive behavior or
leave the class (From the Student Conduct Code, WAC 478-120-020 (5): "An
instructor has the authority to exclude a student from any class session
in which the student is disorderly or disruptive.") You may not use such
behavior as a criterion to determine a student's grade, however, without
granting the student the right of due
process.
How does the student's right to due
process affect grading?
Despite the authority that faculty at any public institution have for
maintaining a productive learning environment, they may not unilaterally
penalize a student for misconduct without first providing the student with
the opportunity to appeal an action to an unbiased University authority.
In this regard the right to an appeal is an integral component of due
process.
So what is "due process"? "Due process" is a flexible concept that
varies as to how much is "due," with the magnitude of the sanctions that
are considered and the amount of "property" loss that might result from
their implementation. It involves providing students with a clear
description of course expectations, including grading requirements, as
well as behavioral guidelines. Most important, it provides students with
the opportunity to appeal conduct-related decisions to a higher University
authority.
Note: Since an important element of due process is the giving
of notice of expected behavior, classroom expectations/criteria should be
placed in the syllabus and on your faculty web page and announced during
class. This notice is an important prerequisite for establishing fair
rules of behavior.
Why is it important for instructors to
distinguish between grading on mastery of content and grading on
conduct?
Although court cases focused on inappropriate grading practices are quite
rare, grading based exclusively on content matery (rather than student
behavior) is far less susceptible to legal challenge. To avoid pitfalls,
instructors who choose to lower grades for poor attendance or late
submissions should provide students with information regarding how and why
these behaviors negatively affect course mastery. (See lowering grades for missing class or handing in late
papers.)
Grading on mastery of content. Because the
instructor is universally recognized as the authority on course content,
barring the "arbitrary" or "capricious" assigning of grades, instructors
are granted the right to evaluate a student's mastery of content or skills
in the academic discipline.
Note: You may evaluate students on any learning goals
established for a course and fail students who do not meet minimal
academic standards you have established. As part of due process, however,
you are encouraged to develop clear criteria for evaluation, identify
those criteria for students, let students know the level of mastery
expected for each criterion, and provide opportunities for students to
discuss directly with you concerns about the grades you have assigned. In
this way, grading cannot be perceived as "capricious" or "arbitrary."
Grading on conduct. Inappropriate
classroom behavior should be confronted apart from the Instructor's
grading practices and processed through the University's regular conduct
system (see Student
Conduct Code). In cases where misconduct is at issue, courts expect
university personnel to follow due process
procedures.
Note: Class grades should be assigned on mastery of course
content unless it can be clearly shown that a direct link exists between
the misbehavior and a specific course goal. Under any circumstances, the
student's due process rights must be respected. Once again, for cases of
misconduct, instructors are encouraged to use the University's formal
administrative channels.
Unless a student's misbehavior is linked to course goals, an instructor
should not use conduct as a grading criterion.
Example: A situation in which no relationship exists between the
misbehavior and class goals.
- A student who is responsible for and can demonstrate mastery of
course content in an entry-level course but is rude and inconsiderate
toward the instructor. (The instructor should request that the student
change the behavior, and, depending on the student's response and the
seriousness of the misconduct, use the University's normal channels to
charge the student with violation of the Student
Conduct Code. An appropriate penalty would then be determined through
that process.)
Example: A situation in which a possible relationship exists between
the misbehavior and class goals.
- A student appears to demonstrate disorganization and/or lack of
motivation by being consistently late to class. (The instructor may
request that the student change the behavior because it is distracting to
others, or lower the student's grade for any learning that is lost because
of the tardiness, i.e., a missed quiz at the beginning of class, inability
to participate in an initial group discussion that is essential to the
learning in the class, etc.).
Example: A situation in which a clear relationship exists between the
misbehavior and class goals.
- A student's inability to communicate effectively in a clinical course
in which a major goal is to develop the ability to interact effectively
with patients and colleagues. (Mastery of certain communication skills is
part of the competency required in the course. As a result, the behavioral
competency is stated in the course goals. Attendance in such clinical or
laboratory learning environments may, indeed, relate to mastery of the
subject.)
- A student's inability to collaborate in a course in which a learning
goal is to create knowledge in collaboration with other students. (Ability
to collaborate is clearly stated as a skill required in the course, so the
student has been given notice; and the instructor can assess students'
mastery of collaborative skills.)
Can instructors grade on attendance or late
submissions?
Although, on the surface, lowering grades because of absences or late
papers may appear to violate students' rights, instructors may use such
conduct in determining grades when students are given notice that such
behaviors are criteria for evaluating student performance.
Grading on behaviors such as missing class or handing in late
papers, however, can present additional challenges. Because students are
assured access to due process rights, if you
choose to include student behavior as a criterion for course grading it is
important to have clear distinctions between grading on
mastery of academic content and grading on
conduct. It is equally important to develop strategies for clarifying
expectations for students and for letting students know what opportunities
are available if they wish to discuss grading issues with you.
| Challenge | Possible Strategies |
| Including attendance as a criterion for
grading |
- Be sure that students understand that you are not merely
grading on attendance but rather whether their learning is affected by
absences (it is usually helpful to clarify this both orally and in the
syllabus).
- Link attendance to specific course goals (i.e., learning to
work in groups, generating insights through class discussion, developing
skills under the instructor's supervision because immediate feedback is an
important part of the process, etc.)
- Consider making attendance part of a participation grade
(i.e., suggest that an important part of the learning in a course comes
from interaction among students and the instructor and that students are
not experiencing the development of ideas in a course if they are not
present for the interactions).
- Let students know what their options are if they wish to
discuss grading procedures with you.
|
| Taking off points for late papers |
- Be explicit that you are not grading on students' laziness or
lack of ability to organize their time.
- Tell students both orally and
in the syllabus that assignment due dates serve to determine how well
students can master the content in a specified amount of time and that
anyone needing extra time (excepting students with disabilities who may need
special accommodations) will be docked points as an indication that they
did not show an acceptable level of mastery in the time allotted.
- Let students know that, for the sake of equity and fairness,
all students will have the same amount of time to demonstrate their
mastery of assignments.
- Inform students that it is essential that they reach
acceptable levels of mastery by a certain time so that you can move on to
new material or skills.
- Let students know what their options are if they wish to
discuss grading procedures with you.
|
How is academic misconduct defined?
The Student
Conduct Code explains that admission to the University carries with it
the presumption that students will practice high standards of professional
honesty and integrity (WAC 478-120-020 [2]). This idea is expanded in the
document Academic Honesty: Cheating and
Plagiarism, which was prepared by the Committee on Academic Conduct in
the College of Arts and Sciences. The document provides undergraduate
students with a definition of academic misconduct, explains what happens
in cases of suspected misconduct, and provides some suggestions for
avoiding such misconduct. The College
of Engineering Policy on Academic Misconduct provides definitions for
faculty and students in the College of Engineering.
What can instructors do to address academic
misconduct?
There are three things you can do to address academic misconduct:
There is one thing you may not do to address academic misconduct:
- Unilaterally lower a student's grade
Preventing Academic Misconduct
Talking to Students Suspected of Academic
Misconduct
An instructor may inform a student that s/he is suspected of cheating and
provide her/him with multiple options (including
accepting a zero as a grade on the assignment) as long as the instructor
makes it clear to the student that s/he has the right to appeal the matter to the Dean's
representative. The College of Engineering provides a
specific example of the most informal level of resolution.
Note: As the grading sanction under consideration by the
instructor increases in severity, the instructor should give stronger
consideration to referring the matter to the Dean's Office for
processing.
Options for Intervening
Less Severe Sanctions. The options you give
the student do not result in his/her failing the course or seriously
undermine his/her grade in the course.
|
Professor: I noticed that this paper doesn't look
at all like previous work I've seen you produce. In fact, it looks quite a
bit like a paper I wrote back in 1992. I'm going to give you three
options. |
- Redo this assignment and hand it in.
- Drop this assignment and let your grade be determined by the
average of your remaining course work.
- If you feel I have charged you inappropriately, you may
appeal the matter to the Dean's Representative.
|
Moderately Severe Sanctions. The options
you give the student do not result in his/her failing the course but could
seriously undermine his/her grade in the course
| Professor:
I noticed your answers are exactly the same as the person who was
sitting next to you and you were witnessed looking over at your neighbor's
paper a number of times during the hour. I suspect you of cheating. Here
are your options: |
- You can accept a zero on this exam and refrain from any other
cheating in this class. If you do well enough on the five other unit exams
you should still pass the course with no problem.
- If you feel I have charged you inappropriately, you may appeal
the matter to the Dean's Representative.
|
Severe Sanctions. The options you give the
student could cause him/her to fail the course.
| Professor:
It is clear to me that you have fabricated the results of your
marketing research project for this course. (The research project counts
for 60% of the course grade.) Here are your options: |
- I plan to give you a zero on this project, and you will fail
the class.
- If you feel I have charged you inappropriately, you may appeal
the matter to the Dean's Representative.
|
Note: Instructors are encouraged to resolve cheating
incidents through an informal, agreed resolution process, e.g., the
instructor and student agree on the facts, the decision, and the sanction.
If no agreement exists, the matter should be referred to the Dean's
Representative for resolution. Instructors must be careful not to
intimidate students into "agreeing" to a sanction for fear of being
referred to the Dean's Representative, however. If no agreement is readily
reached the instructor should offer to suspend judgment on the matter and
forward it to the Dean's Representative for a more formal, fair
hearing.
Reporting Academic Misconduct
When instructors choose to refer cases of academic misconduct, they
typically are resolved at the college or school level in an informal
hearing within a couple of weeks. A few cases, however, require several
levels of disciplinary review and take longer for resolution.
What information about academic misconduct
is available for students?
|
