Department of Design Academic Misconduct Procedures

If the instructor of any course offered by the Department of Design believes that one of their students is guilty of academic misconduct in their course as defined in USRR 2.6.1, the Academic Misconduct policy of the School of Architecture & Design, and Appendix A to this procedure, they should note the policies of the Department of Design (listed here), the School of Architecture & Design, and the University of Kansas, then follow this procedure:

 

STEP 1:

The instructor will contact the Chair of the Department of Design immediately to inform them of the allegation, initially verify its legitimacy, and determine appropriate sanction(s). Available sanctions are listed in USRR 2.6.2 and in the Academic Misconduct policy of the School of Architecture & Design. Per USRR 2.6.2, any instructor who intends to pursue sanction beyond those listed in USRR 2.6.2 must consult the Associate Dean of the School of Architecture & Design before proceeding to communicate the sanction to the student (outlined in Step 2).

All communication thereafter between the student, instructor, and/or chair regarding the case should be recorded in writing and copied to the Chair and the Coordinator of Design Student Services & Advising for official and confidential documentation.

 

STEP 2:

If the allegation is deemed initial legitimate in consultation with the Chair, the instructor will contact the student via email to delineate the exact nature of the allegation, the associated sanction(s), and inform them of the Academic Misconduct policies of the Department of Design (outlined here), School of Architecture & Design, and University of Kansas.

 

STEP 3:

Once the student has been informed of the allegation(s) against them, they will have seven calendar days to refute or concede the allegation(s) against them in writing. Students how note the guidelines in Appendix B regarding their official statement. 

STEP 3.1: If the student refutes the allegation(s) against them and wishes to contest the allegation(s) in a formal review by the Associate Dean of the School of Architecture & Design, the student and the Department of Design will proceed to Step 4.1. If the student refutes the allegation(s) against them but explicitly indicates that they do not wish to challenge the allegation(s) in a formal review by the Associate Dean, the student and the Department of Design will proceed to Step 4.2.

STEP 3.2: If the student concedes the allegation(s) or if the student has not refuted or conceded the allegation(s) by the end of the seven-calendar-day period in this step, the Department of Design will make a note for the record that the student either conceded to the allegation or submitted no contest to the allegation and proceed with the sanction(s) initially agreed to by the instructor and the Chair.

 

STEP 4: 

Procedures for Refuting Allegations

STEP 4.1: If the student refutes the allegation(s) against them for the record and indicates their intent to contest these allegation(s) in a formal review by the Associate Dean, the instructor and the Chair will have seven calendar days to review the student's argument and determine whether or not to maintain their allegation(s). The instructor will notify the student of their decision via email before the expiration of the seven-calendar-day evaluation period. This email will include information about the next steps of the process (i.e. that the allegation(s) will be dropped or that the case will be forwarded to the Associate Dean).

If the instructor decides to withdraw their allegation(s), the case will be dropped. If the instructor decides to maintain their allegation(s), the case will be forwarded to the Associate Dean of the School of Architecture & Design. The case will then follow the Grievance Procedures of the School of Architecture & Design.

STEP 4.2: If the student refutes the allegation(s) against them but explicitly indicates that they do not wish to challenge those allegations in a formal review by the Associate Dean, the instructor will have seven calendar days to review the student's argument and determine whether or not to maintain their allegation(s). The instructor will notify the student of their decision via email before the expiration of the seven-calendar-day evaluation period. The instructor's email will include information about the next steps of the process (i.e. that the allegation(s) will be dropped or that the sanctions laid out in their initial email from Step 2 will be applied). 

If the instructor decides to withdraw their allegation(s), the case will be dropped. If the instructor decides to maintain their allegation(s), the Department of Design will proceed with the sanction(s) initially agreed to in Steps 1 and 2 by the instructor and the Chair. 

 

STEP 5:

If the student wishes to further challenge the allegation(s) against them after the Associate Dean has reviewed the case and made a determination, their case may be further reviewed in accordance with USRR 2.6.3.

 

Appendix A: Defining Academic Misconduct

Academic misconduct is defined in USRR 2.6.1. and includes both behavioral and scholastic misconduct. For the sake of clarity regarding plagiarism in studio-based work in Design and the visual arts, students should note that the following examples constitute plagiarism (this is not a comprehensive list):

  1. Outright and complete replication of another person's entire work, whether viewed online or in-person ('work' defined here as an individual design or visual art project).

  2. Attempted submission of work completed for a grade in another course under the guise, whether explicit or implied, that the work is original for said course and not recycled from a previous course.

  3. Misrepresentation of another person's original work as your own (using their original work, not a copy of the work as described in Point 1).

 

Appendix B: Guidelines for Students

Any student accused of Academic Misconduct in a course offered by the Department of Design should note the following guidelines regarding their responsibility in the Academic Misconduct procedure:

  1. Carefully read and understand the allegation(s) against them as outlined in the email from their instructor.

  2. Either refute or concede the allegation(s) against them in writing (email is usually best) within seven calendar days of the communication from their instructor outlined in Step 2 of this procedure.

    • A refutation of allegations of academic misconduct should include the following:

      • In cases of alleged plagiarism, step-by-step documentation of the process of creation of the work in question with emphasis on the originality of the work done.

      • In cases of alleged behavioral academic misconduct, a point-by-point explanation of the circumstances described as academic misconduct.

      • A statement as to whether or not they wish to contest the allegation in a formal review of the Associate Dean (not contesting the allegation(s) to the Associate Dean may result in the application of the sanction(s) outlined in the instructor's email referenced in the first bullet point.

  3. Keep a record of communication throughout the proceeding with all involved parties. There will also be a record of these communications kept by the Department of Design.

  4. At any point, the student is welcome to consult their instructor, the Chair of the Department, the Coordinator of Design Student Services & Advising, the Associate Dean of the School of Architecture & Design, or University General Counsel with questions regarding the allegation(s) against them and/or the Academic Misconduct review procedure and/or the Academic Misconduct policies of the Department of Design, the School of Architecture & Design, and the University of Kansas.

 

Approved by faculty on 5/11/2018. Effective 8/20/2018.