Academic Misconduct Procedures

There is a formal process for investigating cases of academic misconduct. This process is outlined in the Student Code of Conduct: Academic Misconduct.

If your instructor has a reasonable suspicion that you may have engaged in academic misconduct, here’s a summary of what you can expect if this is your first offence. (For the full policy and procedures and information about the process for second offences, please consult the policy and procedures).

Summary of Academic Misconduct Procedures

• The instructor will send you a form describing their concerns and inviting you to respond. Either you or the instructor can request a meeting to discuss the incident, or you can choose to respond in writing. In a meeting or your written response, you can ask questions, request clarification, and present your case. You may bring a support person to the meeting for assistance. You will have five working days (8:30 a.m. – 4:30 p.m., Mon – Fri) to request a meeting or respond in writing if you choose. Note that you are not required to request a meeting or provide a written response.
• After the five-day response period, the instructor will decide whether to proceed with an official allegation. If they elect to proceed, they will complete a formal allegation form explaining the details of their concerns and how you responded to the notification. The instructor will send the allegation to the relevant administrator (department chair or the associate dean, depending on your program) and will include you in the email. You then have five working days to request a meeting with or provide a written response to the relevant administrator if you choose to do so. The relevant administrator will confirm if you have any prior incidents of academic misconduct, will assess the allegation, and if they determine that academic misconduct has occurred, they will determine the penalty.
• If the relevant administrator determines that academic misconduct occurred, they will send you a document explaining the penalty.

First offences can be appealed by filing a petition by the deadline outlined in the procedures.

Penalties for Academic Misconduct

The severity of the penalty will depend on the type of misconduct and whether you have been disciplined for academic misconduct before. Penalties may include:

• an official warning
• loss of grades
• zero on the assignment
• zero in the course
• a note on your transcript
• suspension
• expulsion