Academic Integrity

Academic integrity is important to the principles and criteria of CMKL University. All students are required to maintain the highest standards of honesty and ethical behavior in their academic work. This commitment includes, but is not limited to, avoiding plagiarism, cheating, and other forms of dishonest behavior.

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Prohibited Conduct and Policy Violations

‍Conduct prohibited by this Code consists of all forms of academic dishonesty, including a comprehensive list of academic and non-academic offenses, but not limited to:

• Cheating is defined as a student using an unfair or prohibited advantage, such as, but not restricted to: fraud, deceit, or misconduct in any academic course, exercise, or research in an attempt to gain an unfair advantage and/or using or attempting to use unauthorized materials, information, or study aids in any academic course, exercise or research, including qualifying and other graduate Student examinations.
• Plagiarism refers to the use of another person's ideas or works without giving credit or citation in either written or oral, including but not limited to research conference, academic course, articles, proposals, dissertations, and thesis.
• Self-Referral is the reuse of substantially identical or nearly identical portions of one's own work in multiple courses without prior permission from each instructor. 
• Fabrication and falsification refer to making up scientific data, results, sources, or any other academic materials. Manipulating research materials, equipment, or processes, or changing or omitting data or results such that the research is not accurately represented also are included.
• Unauthorized assistance refers to completing academic work that will be graded by using sources of support that are not expressly approved by the Course Instructor(s). 
• Complicity refers to helping or attempting to help other students commit an act of academic dishonesty.
• Misrepresentation includes lying to a Course Instructor(s) or staff to increase the grade or gain academic advantage over other students.
• Unauthorized access to exams or other confidential materials refers to gaining or attempting to gain unauthorized access to exam materials or other confidential academic content that is not meant to be shared or distributed.

In any manner of presentation, it is the responsibility of each student to produce her/his own original academic work. Collaboration or assistance on academic work to be graded is not permitted unless explicitly authorized by the course instructor(s). In all academic work to be graded, the citation of all sources is essential. The citation and acknowledgement must be incorporated into the work submitted and not separately or at a later point in time. Failure to do so is dishonest and is subject to disciplinary action. Works without the citation of sources are considered to be “Plagiarism” works. Unique ideas or materials taken from another source for either written or oral use must be fully acknowledged in academic work to be graded. Examples of sources expected to be referenced include, but are not limited to:

• Text, either written or spoken, quoted directly or paraphrased.
• Graphic elements.
• Passages of music, existing either as sound or as notation.
• Mathematical proofs.
• Scientific data.
• Concepts or material derived from the work, published or unpublished, of another person.

Students must take an exam with confidence and honesty. Students must not avail themselves of an unfair or disallowed advantage, which includes but is not limited to:

• Theft of or unauthorized access to an exam, answer key or other graded work from previous course offerings.
• Use of an alternate, stand-in, or proxy during an examination.
• Copying from the examination or work of another person or source.
• Submission or use of falsified data.
•  Using false statements to obtain additional time or other accommodation.
•  Falsification of academic credentials.

If any unfair or disallowed advantage is used by students that occurred or was founded during the examination, the student will be charged with cheating and will be punished with the proper measure set by The University.

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Academic Disciplinary Action Procedures

Statute of limitations

Course instructors have the right to report academic misconduct at any point during the enrolled semester or after the course is ended, including after the student(s) has left the university or graduated.

Responsibilities:

• Students: Students are responsible for upholding the principles of academic integrity and complying with this policy in all academic activities.
• Faculty: Faculty members are responsible for educating students about academic integrity, detecting and reporting instances of academic misconduct, and enforcing this policy.
• Administrators: University administrators are responsible for promoting a culture of academic integrity, providing support and resources to address instances of academic misconduct, and ensuring compliance with this policy.

Definitions

When used in the context of this Code, the terms below mean the following:

• “Academic Advisor” means the individual(s) selected by the student or designated by the department to advise a Student.
• “Course Instructor” means the person(s) responsible for class instruction in accordance with the information listed in the schedule of classes.
• “Department Head” means the university staff member who leads an academic department.
• “Reporting Party” means the individual(s) who filed a report on a Student or incident to the Academic Office. This may be any member of the university community, including the Course Instructor or a delegate from the academic department.
• “Responding Party” means a Student alleged to have committed a violation of this Code.
• “Student” means any individual who is registered, enrolled, or auditing classes at the university either full-time or part-time or a person who is enrolled but not taking classes due to academic break, on leave, suspension or participating abroad programs.
• “Faculty” means individuals who hold academic appointments at CMKL University and are responsible for teaching, research, and scholarly activities within their respective disciplines. 
• “Administrators/Staff” means individuals employed by the institution to provide support and assistance across various administrative, academic, and operational functions. 
• “Support Person” means a person chosen by a Responding Party to provide emotional and logistical support at the hearing of the second-level review. A Support Person is not permitted to witness or actively participate in the resolution process.
• “University” means CMKL University.

Course-level review, Decision, and Action:

1. The Course Instructor(s) should start collecting all relevant evidence of the academic integrity violation within one to two weeks of discovering the alleged violation. This may include plagiarized sections, copied answers, or any other form of policy violation.
2. The Course Instructor(s) should notify the Responding Party of the alleged policy violation(s) and provide them with an opportunity to respond in person. This meeting can be conducted in the most convenient means of both parties.
3. The Course Instructor(s) should not disclose Responding Party’ identities and ensure that the investigation and its outcomes are kept confidential to protect the privacy of all parties involved.
4. In the event of the Responding Party failing to respond after receiving notification of the alleged policy violation(s), Course Instructor(s) may proceed with determination of responsibility and outcome.
5. Following the determination of responsibility and outcomes for a violation(s), the Course Instructor(s) should expeditiously notify Responding Party in writing, articulating the decision's rationale, including responsibility findings and assigned consequences, while also outlining the possibility to request an appeal.
   
   • The course-level shall possess the authority to determine suitable disciplinary actions in accordance with university policies. These sanctions may include, but are not limited to, the following:
     • Course Failure
     • Loss of Privilege
     • Disciplinary Probation
     • Disciplinary Suspension
     • Dismissal from Academic Program
     • Expulsion
     • Degree Revocation
     • Other Disciplinary Measures

6. All documented violations of the University Policy on Academic Integrity should be submitted using the Academic Integrity Reporting Form including a copy of the email communication to the student, all evidence and supporting documentation.
7. Upon receipt of the violation report, the following individuals will be notify of the course-level decision and action: 
   
   • Department Head
   • Undergraduate Studies Committees (USC) or Graduate Studies Committees (GSC)
   • Academic Advisor
   • Reporting Party
8. The Responding Party will be also officially notified by the university, the notification will include an invitation to meet with the Department Head to discuss the case, review the appeal process, and prepare for second-level review if necessary.‍

Second-level review, Decision, and Action: ‍

This course of action is deemed necessary if the Responding Party has been reported to the university for multiple violations of the Code of Conduct, typically defined as more than two violations or repeated infractions exceeding two instances. Activation of this procedure occurs upon the Department Head's request for supplementary measures beyond course failure, or in response to an appeal request. The appeal must be filed within 10 days from receipt of the course-level decision. If the Responding Party does not file an appeal within the time limit, the latest record decision shall become final.

1. Upon request of the second-level review, Undergraduate Studies Committees or Graduate Studies Committees will be asked to review all documentation related to the case. The Responding Party may submit an explanation of the charges which have been made; or an additional written statement that is relevant to the review. 
2. After the full review, the appropriate outcome will be recommended as part of their review. Any decision of the second-level review will be provided at the hearing. An appropriate redaction or an appropriate course of action based on the university's policies could range from the following sanctions:
   
   1. Course Failure;
   2. Loss of Privilege;
   3. Disciplinary Probation;
   4. Disciplinary Suspension;
   5. Drop from Academic Program;
   6. Expulsion; 
   7. Degree Revocation;
   8. Other Disciplinary Actions.
3. Conduct of the hearing is set as follows:
   
   1. The hearing shall be composed of Undergraduate Studies Committees or Graduate Studies Committees and the Responding Party and shall convene within 30 days of the time the appeal request was filled.
   2. The Responding Party may be assisted throughout the proceedings by a Support Person or an attorney. If the Responding Party is represented by an attorney, the University Representative may also be represented by an attorney.
   3. The Course Instructor(s) may be represented by an attorney selected by the university if the Responding Party is represented by an attorney.
   4. If a student fails to attend the hearing, it will be presumed that they have relinquished their appeal, unless they can provide evidence of an extraordinary circumstance preventing their attendance.
   5. The Chair of Undergraduate Studies Committees or Graduate Studies Committees shall notify the parties of the final decision.
   6. The hearing will be recorded manually or by a recording device and will be transcribed and be permanently collected in Academic Disciplinary Actions Records.