Policies and Procedures
When an Academic Integrity Incident Is Reported
Two actions should be taken:
1. The instructor must discuss the allegation with the student face-to-face, and then
2. The instructor should submit the incident report
Instructor Discussion with the student: The instructor and student meet face-to-face as soon as possible to discuss the apparent violation of the AI policy. In this meeting, the instructor presents the student with the allegation of academic dishonesty and any evidence supporting that allegation. The instructor informs the student of any intended sanctions consistent with those specified in their course syllabus.
If, after this meeting, the instructor believes no violation occurred, the allegation(s) will be dropped with no further actions taken.
If the instructor still believes that the AI policy has been violated by the student, he/she/they must complete the Incident Report. Once the Incident Report is submitted, the student, the instructor, and the Academic Integrity Council Chair will receive a letter summarizing the incident and the intended sanction(s). Copies are sent to the instructor’s department chair or program coordinator, the Academic Integrity Council (AIC), and the Office of the Academic Affairs to be maintained as part of AIC records.
If the student admits the incident and also accepts responsibility for it, the instructor's sanction will be applied. However, if the student does not admit responsibility and wishes to appeal the instructor's finding of academic dishonesty, the appeal process is followed, and the sanction is not imposed until the appeal process has been exhausted.
After the face-to-face meeting with the instructor, a student who wishes to appeal an academic integrity accusation begins by appealing to the department chair or program coordinator with oversight for his/her/their course.
The student has one week (five academic days) from the receipt of the emailed notification to complete the Student Appeal to the Department Head form and schedule a meeting to appeal the sanction in an email notifying the department chair or program coordinator that he/she/they intends to appeal the instructor's accusation(s) or sanction(s). If the instructor is also the department chair or program coordinator, the student must be advised in the report notice sent to them that the appeal is to be directed either to the instructor's direct supervisor or another department chair or program coordinator.
When an academic dishonesty report is filed with the AIC, the student will receive another letter, copied to the instructor and the department chair or program coordinator. The student will be informed that the notice will be kept on file in the Office of Academic Affairs and, by itself, will have no impact on the student's academic record and are only available to those with a legitimate need to know (see "Records" section of the academic integrity policy). The student is also informed that should she/he/they ever be charged with another act of academic dishonesty, the previous report(s) may be taken into consideration.
If a student chooses not to appeal the instructor’s sanction, the record of the incident is maintained, and the sanction(s) selected by the instructor are applied.
When there is no appeal to the department chair or program coordinator: Records are maintained, and the sanction(s) indicated by the instructor is(are) enforced.
Appeal to Department Chair or Program Coordinator: Upon receipt of the student’s written appeal, the department chair or program coordinator will meet separately with the student and with the instructor. The department chair must notify the instructor and the student in writing of his/her/their decision and must inform the instructor and the student in writing that either may appeal this decision to the AIC chair within fifteen (15) academic days (days when classes are in session) from the date of the department chair's or program coordinator’s letter. The department chair or program coordinator must send a detailed report of his/her/their decision along with pertinent documents to the AIC chair and the Office of Academic Affairs.
No appeal to the Academic Integrity Council: Records are maintained, and the sanction(s) indicated by the instructor is(are) enforced.
Appeal to the Academic Integrity Council: Should a student or instructor appeal to the AIC, the chair of the AIC will assemble a five-member panel of faculty and student members of the Council to hear the appeal and will notify the student, the instructor, and the department chair or program coordinator in writing fifteen (15) academic days prior to the proceeding (whenever possible). An Academic Integrity Proceeding is an academic process unique to a community of scholars and is not modeled on criminal or civil legal proceedings; however, a student against whom an allegation has been lodged may be accompanied by an advisor (with prior approval from the AIC chair). The advisor may be an attorney, but the advisor does not address the panel.
-
No grade-related sanction may be imposed until a student admits misconduct and/or forgoes appeal rights or is found in violation after a formal proceeding. The student must be allowed to continue attending the class in which dishonesty has been alleged and allowed to complete assignments until the right of appeal has been exhausted. While any appeals are in process, the Office of Academic Affairs will send out correspondence keeping those involved informed about the progress of the appeal.
-
If an academic integrity matter has occurred at the end of the semester, the instructor must assign an Incomplete (I) in the course until the matter is resolved. The Office of Academic Affairs will send a reminder.
-
A student cannot avoid a failing grade by dropping the course. The instructor can impose a sanction of F even if the student drops the class, including drops that occur prior to the no-penalty drop deadline. (See policy for further information on this process.)
Reporting Academic Dishonesty
Anyone who has witnessed an apparent act of student academic dishonesty or has information that reasonably leads to the conclusion that such an act has occurred or has been attempted is strongly encouraged to report said act. Acts of apparent academic dishonesty that occur in the classroom may be reported directly to the course instructor, the instructor’s department chair or program coordinator, and/or the instructor’s dean. Incidences of apparent academic dishonesty may also be reported directly to the Academic Integrity Council by contacting the Chair of the Council at 417-255-7282. Anonymous reports will not be accepted, but the identity of any person reporting a suspected instance of academic dishonesty will be held in strict confidence.
Academic Integrity records
Academic Integrity records are subject to the Family Educational Rights and Privacy Act (FERPA) and our Policy Regarding Personally Identifiable Student Records. Academic Integrity records are maintained in the Office of Academic Affairs.
Sanctions
XF grade
An instructor may recommend but not impose the XF grade. The XF grade is the most serious of sanctions and should not be imposed lightly because of possible, significant ramifications for the student and his/her/their future. To recommend an XF, the instructor should note this on the violation report form and include the recommended time period after which the student may petition for the XF grade to be replaced by the F grade (see "Appeal For Removal of XF Grade" section of the Academic Integrity Policy). This period may not be less than one year. The instructor may also request a hearing following the process described in the "Instructor Request for an Academic Hearing" section of the Academic Integrity Policy if he/she/they believe an XF grade is merited based on the nature of the incident.
Should an XF grade be imposed following an AIC hearing, the panel will inform the student that he/she/they may appeal to remove the X from his/her/their grade after a minimum of one year. More information on how to file the appeal can be found in the "Petition for Removal of XF Grade" portion of the "Review and Appeal Processes" section of the full policy.
Revoking a Grade
In a case where an instructor discovers academic dishonesty after final grades have been assigned and wishes to retroactively assign an F or recommend an XF grade for the course as a sanction, the instructor must submit an Incident Report to the chair of the Academic Integrity Council with a copy also sent to the instructor's department chair or program coordinator and division dean. This notice must be received by the AIC within five (5) calendar years. However, alleged academic dishonesty may be reported to the AIC regardless of how much time has passed since the alleged act.
Revoking a Degree
The Academic Integrity Council can at any time and at its discretion recommend to the Vice-Chancellor for Academic Affairs that a degree be revoked even if all degree requirements have been met in cases where the academic dishonesty, including misconduct in research, is egregious and/or occurred multiple times. A recommendation to revoke a degree, even if all degree requirements were met, requires an affirmative vote of at least 12 of the 16 voting members of the Council. The Vice-Chancellor for Academic Affairs' decision to revoke a degree requires the concurrence of the Chancellor of the Missouri State University-West Plains campus. The decision to revoke a degree may be appealed by the student to the Board of Governors, which may or may not consider the appeal.