For the full POLPRO 1 Academic Misconduct Policy and Procedure click here

V2.1 April 2022/Review Dec 2023

Policy / Procedure

Academic Misconduct Policy and Procedure

Policy

This policy and procedure ensures that the Community Media Training Organisation (CMTO) can detect and react appropriately to any form of plagiarism or cheating by enrolled students.

The following procedure provides guidelines for staff within the RTO to assist them in uncovering such student misconduct, as well as outlining the appropriate actions and processes to be followed.

It is the CMTO’s intention to manage plagiarism appropriately for the protection of the RTO’s reputation and the standards of current and future students.

Definitions:

Plagiarism:

The act of presenting another person’s work as your own, and failing to acknowledge that the thoughts, ideas or writings are by another person.

Specifically, it occurs when:

• other people’s work and/or ideas are paraphrased and presented without a reference
• other students’ work is copied or partly copied
• phrases and passages are used verbatim without quotation marks and/or without a reference to the author or a web page.

Plagiarism is considered academic dishonestly and is a form of cheating.

Cheating:

To act dishonestly or unfairly in connection with an assessment conducted by the RTO.

Procedure

• • Actions to prevent plagiarism

Students are made aware of the CMTO’s policy on plagiarism and cheating through the student enrolment process and Student Information Handbook (FORM 22) provided to each student.

Trainers and assessors are reminded to regularly reinforce the consequences of plagiarism and cheating, and should provide clear guidance to students about assessment conditions. This is achieved through professional development sessions with trainers and trainer updates.

• Monitoring and Identification of Plagiarism and/or Cheating

Trainers and assessors are required to undertake checks of student work for any plagiarised content or cheating that has occurred.

The RTO will check samples of students work for cheating and plagiarism during the regular assessment moderation process.

Such forms of identifying plagiarism and cheating may include but are not limited to tasks such as:

• Researching quotes and references listed in the body of work
• Conducting a general internet search on the topic of the assessment
• Checking the students work against the online encyclopaedia ‘Wikipedia’
• Using various plagiarism websites (com)
• Cross referencing the work with other students’ assessments for the same unit

Action

Where possible plagiarism or cheating is identified through the sampling process, the trainer and/or assessor is required to put the matter to the student. The trainer/assessor is required to clearly identify the passages or content allegedly plagiarised, along with the source. Where cheating is suspected, the matter must be reported directly to the Training Manager. It is imperative that any trainer or assessor who suspects plagiarism or cheating must produce evidence (through identifying the source) to support their allegation.

This evidence is to be taken to the Training Manager and a written report of the matter is to be provided. To decide if the occurrence was intentional or unintentional, the Training Manager will give the student(s) an opportunity to respond by scheduling a meeting to discuss the matter.  The student is to be informed of the penalties that may be applied if plagiarism and/or cheating is found to have occurred.

If the Training Manager deems plagiarism and/or cheating to have occurred, then the following may occur:

• The student may be suspended from undertaking the course for period of time appropriate to the offence
• The student may be permanently removed from undertaking the course and their enrolment cancelled
• The student may be counselled on plagiarism/cheating

The Training Manager is to use their discretion in imposing a sanction for any confirmed cheating or plagiarism act that is appropriate to the offence.

Students are to receive written notification of the decision within 10 days of the Training Manager being made aware of a suspected plagiarism/ cheating matter.

If the student does not agree with the RTO’s decision, then they are able to access the Complaints and Appeals Policy and Procedure to have the matter reviewed. This is to be submitted within 10 working days of the decision.