Academic Integrity Policy

A. Introduction

1. As a member institution of the Sydney College of Divinity (SCD), St Andrew’s Greek Orthodox Theological College (‘the College’) is committed to providing quality theological education to its students by promoting the highest possible standards of academic integrity, while also discouraging all forms of academic misconduct. This includes identifying academic misconduct when it occurs and taking appropriate disciplinary action in response. It also includes offering support to student learning that educates and promotes their adoption of best practice in regard to Academic Integrity.

2. This policy applies to all staff, students and associates of the College and should be read and applied in conjunction with the Academic Integrity Policy of the SCD.

B. Academic Integrity

1. Academic Integrity is a fundamental component of excellence in learning and intellectual endeavour and refers to the application of a range of important values in the production, dissemination, review and assessment of academic work including honesty and transparency and is an essential factor in supporting the advancement of knowledge, in establishing the credibility and acceptability of work, and in providing opportunities for the production of work that demonstrates learning.

2. The College is committed to the promotion of the ethos of academic integrity by providing relevant ways for students to demonstrate their learning and effective but fair processes to detect academic misconduct.

3. All staff, students and associates of the College are expected to

i. produce work that expresses their own thoughts in their own words, except for properly cited quotations and paraphrases from source material

ii. treat the work of others with due respect, and acknowledge the contribution of others in the production of academic work

iii. take responsibility for ensuring that their work meets the required standards of academic integrity

iv. follow standard practice in academic discipline, including the use of acceptable methods of reference and citation to acknowledge the work of others that has been used in the production of their academic work

v. follow all requirements of the College related to compliance with copyright law

vi. use a standard form to verify that the work they have produced is their own original work, with all sources of information properly identified and acknowledged

vii. follow the proper procedures for reporting incidents of academic misconduct

viii. submit to disciplinary proceedings when required.

4. The College will seek to promote academic integrity and mitigate the incidence of academic misconduct by supporting staff and students through orientation seminars on the College’s academic expectations; essay-writing support through workshops and Studiosity; the use of Turnitin to identify possible breaches; and training for staff and students on the appropriate use of AI for assessment tasks.

C. Academic Misconduct

1. Academic misconduct includes, but is not limited to, the following:

a) PLAGIARISM: Plagiarism is the representation of another’s works or ideas as one’s own. It includes the unacknowledged word-for-word use or paraphrasing of another person’s work; the inappropriate unacknowledged use of another person’s ideas; excessive quotation; using one’s own previous work without acknowledgement; and using words or ideas generated by artificial intelligence without proper acknowledgement.

b) CHEATING: Cheating occurs when one tries to gain an unfair advantage over others by using unauthorised means such as providing or receiving information during tests and examinations; engaging another person to sit an examination, or do other assessable work on one’s behalf, either as a favour, or for a reward (i.e., ‘contract cheating’); or, using artificial intelligence in a manner inconsistent with authentic learning in a learning task or to write the text of an assignment. Cheating would not usually include consultation with others or discussion amongst students about the preparation of assignments unless that was specifically forbidden. It includes unauthorised collusion.

c) FRAUD: Academic fraud is the falsification and fabrication of, or dishonesty in reporting, research results.

d) IMPROPER BEHAVIOUR: Improper behaviour is behaviour that interferes with students or staff in the pursuit of their academic endeavours. It includes disruptive behaviour in class or institutional facilities such as libraries and any use of social media or artificial intelligence that compromises academic integrity.

e) MISREPRESENTATION: Misrepresentation is the giving of false or misleading information in academic matters. It includes falsely claiming credit for past study and falsely stating that thesis material has not been used in another thesis.

f) UNETHICAL BEHAVIOUR: Unethical behaviour is behaviour that breaches accepted ethical standards. It includes failing to observe the terms of an ethical approval to conduct research; misuse of confidential information obtained in field education; and preferential treatment of some students or colleagues over others.

g) INAPPROPRIATE USE OF ARTIFICIAL INTELLIGENCE: This occurs when students use generative (content production) artificial intelligence (AI), paraphrasing and translation tools in a manner inconsistent with authentic learning or genuine achievement of learning outcomes, and/or without clear citation. Examples include: i. using words or ideas generated by artificial intelligence without proper reflection and integration into their learning experience, and/or without proper acknowledgement; ii. using AI to write any part of the text of an assignment; iii. And, using AI to find resources, brainstorm ideas, answer queries about assignment topics, proofread work or other permitted uses without acknowledgement of such in an assignment declaration or a publication.

2. Penalties for Academic Misconduct

i. Minor Breaches

An incident of academic misconduct may be considered “minor” if it can be regarded as an aberration that does not have a significant impact on the overall quality and integrity of the work being produced. Minor breaches will tend to be found in instances of plagiarism, or possibly misrepresentation, where this is due to an inadequate understanding of academic requirements, rather than intentional deception. Examples of minor breaches include

a. inadvertent omission of bibliography, citation, or reference to the information source

b. faulty or inadequate referencing through lack of knowledge or understanding of correct academic discipline

c. failure to properly identify quotations

d. omission of an acknowledgement of co-authors or contributors where this is an oversight, rather than a deliberate act on the part of the author.

Penalties for minor breaches might include

a. warning and guidance, including recourse to this policy

b. requirement to correct omissions before final acceptance

c. requirement to rewrite affected sections of the work

d. reduction of marks if the work is being assessed.

ii. Substantial Breaches

An incident of academic misconduct may be considered “substantial” when it hinders the authenticity of the learning experience and affects the overall quality and integrity of the work being produced. Substantial breaches will tend to be found in more serious instances of plagiarism, where there is a level of intent involved, and possibly in some kinds of cheating and misrepresentation. Examples of substantial breaches include

a. excessive quotation, even if referenced

b. extensive use of quotation without references

c. copying and pasting chunks of information, or text generated by artificial intelligence

d. presenting research data that is unverified

e. basing work on another’s ideas, without due acknowledgement

f. having an unauthorised electronic device available in an exam

(whether used or not)

g. talking during an exam

h. utilising online study support services other than those of Studiosity (contrary to the mandate of Academic Board).

A person will also be considered to have committed a substantial breach, for continuing to commit a breach considered minor in the first instance, despite previous warnings or penalties. Penalties for substantial breaches might include

a. failure in an assessment component if the work is being assessed b. requirement to rewrite and resubmit the work before acceptance

c. rejection of a work for publication

d. requirement to undertake training in academic discipline

e. warning and expectation to correct problems before proceeding with further work.

iii. Serious Breaches

An incident of academic misconduct may be considered “serious” when it calls into question both the integrity, authenticity, and credibility of a person’s academic work, and the integrity of the individual producing that work. Serious breaches will tend to occur when there is an intention on the part of the individual to commit misconduct. Serious breaches will typically be found in major plagiarism, forms of cheating, fraud, misrepresentation, improper and unethical behaviour. Examples of serious breaches include

a. presentation of another’s work as one’s own

b. falsification of research information

c. cheating in exams

d. repeated offences despite previous warnings or penalties

e. making false declarations about a piece of work

f. refusing to acknowledge those who have co-authored or assisted in the production of a piece of work

g. engaging the services provided by a commercial service which can be regarded as ‘contract cheating’.

Penalties for serious breaches might include

a. failure of a unit

b. exclusion from a unit or course

c. disqualification from an award

d. withdrawal of research funding or support

e. suspension or termination of enrolment

f. suspension or termination of employment or contract

g. legal action if the misconduct constitutes a breach of law, e.g. use

of contract cheating internet sites.

D. Procedures for a Formal Complaint of Academic Misconduct

1. For all complaints relating to coursework at the College, the complaint should be made to the Sub-Dean (and advise the Dean), who will undertake a preliminary inquiry into the matter. Both the person complaining and the person against whom the complaint is brought will be invited to speak with the Sub-Dean separately.

2. The person against whom the complaint is brought may at this or any stage be assisted by another person acting as advocate.

3. If the matter is not resolved at this stage to the satisfaction of all concerned, the Sub-Dean will convene a panel of three people to consider the matter including the Sub-Dean and two other persons of appropriate seniority and experience, one or both of whom may be SCD faculty members from other Member Institutions or external academics. The panel will make a recommendation to the Dean as to the occurrence or otherwise of academic misconduct, the seriousness of the breach and any penalties to be imposed.

4. Pursuant to academic misconduct being established, any penalty imposed on an assessment item, or an entire unit of study, will be recorded together with any other exceptional grades as part of the monitoring process for that semester. The Director of Academic Strategy of the SCD will report occurrences of academic misconduct and the penalties imposed to the Academic Board of the SCD.

E. Appeals

Any decision to impose a penalty for academic misconduct may be appealed by following the College’s Student Grievance Policy and Procedures and the SCD Complaints and Grievances Policy.