Academic Policy

Each university has its own academic integrity policy but all are similar in intent to that of McMaster University, as per the following:

POLICY REMINDERS :

Academic dishonesty consists of misrepresentation by deception or by other fraudulent means and can result in serious consequences, e.g. the grade of zero on an assignment, loss of credit with a notation on the transcript (notation reads: "Grade of F assigned for academic dishonesty"), and/or suspension or expulsion from the university.

It is your responsibility to understand what constitutes academic dishonesty. For information on the various kinds of academic dishonesty please refer to the Academic Integrity Policy, specifically Appendix 3, located at http://www.mcmaster.ca/univsec/policy/AcademicIntegrity.pdf.

The following illustrates only three forms of academic dishonesty:
1. Plagiarism, e.g. the submission of work that is not one's own or for which other credit has been obtained.
2. Improper collaboration in group work.
3. Copying or using unauthorized aids in tests and examinations.

The Faculty of Engineering is concerned with ensuring an environment that is free of all adverse discrimination. If there is a problem that cannot be resolved by discussion among the persons concerned, individuals are reminded that they should contact their Department Chair, the Sexual Harassment Officer or the Human Rights Consultant, as soon as possible.

COMMENTARY:

UNENE and course instructors, on behalf of the universities, have the responsibility to ensure that natural justice is done. This implies fairness to the student but also implies responsibilities to

• society (which empowers the university as an institute of higher learning)
• the university (with its standards of excellence and ethics) and its officers (with rights of decision commensurate with their responsibilities)
• the engineering program (which is accredited by a national board)
• the profession (engineers are licensed professionals who are duty bound to protect their employers and the public from harm)
• fellow students (whose honest efforts should not be undermined).

Due diligence requires that UNENE officers and course instructors act to ensure that academic integrity is maintained.