Regulation

According to Academic Regulation A-4, two approaches for dealing with academic misconduct cases are now in place at the University of Ottawa: the pedagogical approach (for undergraduate studies only), and the disciplinary approach, with an accelerated or a regular process. Regardless of the approach, the main idea is to put the academic misconduct on record, so that if a student commits fraud again, they will be dealt with more severely.

The pedagogical approach (available only to undergraduate students)

In short, the pedagogical approach gives professors the opportunity to impose sanctions centered on learning methods and strategies to prevent further academic misconduct. The pedagogical approach can only be used when a reasonable sanction for the misconduct represents at most 10% of the course grade (e.g. at most 10 points out of possible 100 for the whole course). The procedure for handling an academic misconduct allegation using the pedagogical approach involves the following steps:

Step 1. A professor who suspects a student of having committed academic misconduct that he or she deems minor decides to follow the pedagogical approach. In case of doubt regarding the nature of the case, the professor may consult the Vice-Dean Student Affairs.

Step 2. The professor confirms that the student is eligible for the pedagogical approach, by contacting the Vice-Dean Student Affairs to confirm that this is the student’s first academic misconduct allegation. If this is not the case, the allegation must be handled using the disciplinary approach.

Step 3. The professor informs the student in writing of the allegation.

Template – Letter informing the student of the allegation

Step 4. The professor discusses the allegation with the student. He or she contacts the student to discuss the allegation to better understand the reasons that led to misconduct and determine the most appropriate sanction.

Step 5. The professor informs the student of the sanction(s) as well as of the right to appeal. The professor also informs the Vice-Dean Student Affairs. The sanction is also recorded on the student’s working transcript, which is different than the official transcript.

As part of the pedagogical approach, the professor may impose one or more of the following sanctions:
a) Give a written warning.
b) Ask the student to participate in an Academic Writing Help Centre workshop or another workshop on academic integrity. In this case, the student must provide proof of participation in the workshop.
c) Redo the assignment correctly.
d) Lower a work’s grade up to a maximum of 10% of the final course grade.
e) Any other measure considered appropriate for the circumstances.

See below a template for the letter that the professor can send the student at this step.

Template -Letter from the professor communicating the sanction(s) to the student

Step 6. The student accepts or appeals the sanction(s).

The disciplinary approach

In the disciplinary approach, the professor does not get to decide on the sanction for the student. Whether the accelerated or regular process is used in the disciplinary approach is decided by the Vice-Dean Student Affairs of the faculty that offers the course. Either way, below is the procedure for reporting an allegation of academic misconduct to be processed following the disciplinary approach.

Step 1. On the student’s assignment or exam, underline the plagiarized sections and assign a letter to each one in the margin.

Step 2. In the reference document (the original source of the work), underline the sections that were plagiarized and indicate the letter in the margin that corresponds with the passage found in the student’s work.

Step 3. Send these documents in a letter to the Vice-Dean Student Affairs of the faculty that offers the course. In the letter, focus on the incident and avoid expressing an opinion on any potential sanctions. The letter must include:

• the name and student number of the student(s) involved

• the course code and name and the course outline for the term in which the student was enrolled in the course

• the percentage of the grade that the work or exam in question is worth and the student’s grades in the course up to the date of the alleged incident of plagiarism

• details about events surrounding the incident

Please note that the investigation is based solely on the documents provided, so a complete and clearly presented file greatly facilitates the work of the people who will study the case. As a general rule, professors should gather as much evidence as possible and obtain reports from witnesses (teaching assistants, other students). They should carefully keep students’ emails, copies of homework, etc. when they suspect a problem. Professors must keep in mind that they must document the allegation because the Vice-Dean Student Affairs or the Faculty Inquiry Committee are not in a position to do the detective work for them.