Higher education standards framework threshold standards cth

PL_AC_001 Academic Integrity Policy

Academic integrity: the embodiment of the values of honesty, trust, fairness, respect and responsibility in achieving academic outcomes.

Exclusion: the cancellation of a student’s enrolment in their course and the termination of their rights and privileges as a student of the University including the right to re-enrol in their course or be admitted to another course, for a defined period (two years). An excluded student may apply for re-admission to any Torrens University Australia courses according to the at the expiration of the exclusion period.

3.Scope

This policy applies to all students enrolled in one or more courses at the University.

4.Principles

• Academic honesty and integrity in assessment practices are fundamental to the nature of learning and quality at the higher education level.

for students to gain an unfair advantage through academic misconduct.

5.Academic integrity strategy

The University’s academic integrity strategy consists of:
• Educate: Promoting a robust culture of academic integrity across the University that takes an educative approach towards internalising policies and procedures and promotes good practice as the standard for academic conduct.

6.Academic misconduct

Academic misconduct takes place when students act dishonestly in an assessment task or examination in order to gain an unfair advantage for themselves or other students. Acts of academic misconduct are considered to be misconduct as defined under the

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•have access to unauthorised material during the examination,
•sit an examination on behalf of another student or permit another student to sit an examination on their behalf,
•read, copy from or otherwise use another student’s work, or knowingly allow another student to read, copy or otherwise use their work in an examination,
•assist any other student in completing their examination, either directly or indirectly,
•accept assistance from any person during an examination other than authorised staff,
•inappropriately obtain prior knowledge of an exam’s contents and/or expected answers.

The University’s Examination Procedures includes information about the conduct expected of students in examinations.

Contract cheating ‘occurs when a student submits work that has been completed for them by a third party, irrespective of the third party’s relationship with the student, and whether they are paid or unpaid’ (Harper, Bretag, Ellis, Newton, Rozenberg, Saddiqui & van Haeringen., 2019, p. 1857). The student does not have to have remunerated the third-party for contract cheating to have occurred.

6.5Other forms of academic misconduct

7.Responsibilities of students and staff

The Vertical Learning & Teaching Committees review and monitor the implementation of the policies and procedures, ensuring a consistent approach across courses.

Program Directors must ensure that assessments are designed according to the principles outlined in this policy, the and They (or their delegate) must investigate allegations of academic misconduct and determine appropriate educative interventions and penalties.

•type of academic misconduct
•the extent of academic misconduct
•the experience of the student
•prior offences, if any (this will include prior offenses in other courses at the University) •student’s stage or level in the course.

Academic misconduct may be deemed minor or significant:

Contract cheating is considered a significant academic integrity breach.

•Minor – based on available evidence, any academic misconduct that is not deemed significant will be deemed minor.

In describing the outcome of a substantiated case of academic misconduct, the student will be provided with a notification that a subsequent finding of academic misconduct, depending on the severity of the breach, may result in a penalty ranging from a downgrade in the mark or an Unsatisfactory outcome for the relevant assessment item or task to expulsion.

8.2Initial and significant academic misconduct

A second substantiated breach of this policy will be recorded on the student’s file and will result in the provision of academic counselling to ensure the process is an educative one for the student.

Given the repeated nature of the breach, a penalty will also apply. Penalties may range from the student receiving a downgrade of mark or unsatisfactory outcome for the relevant assessment item or task to a downgrade on the student’s final grade for the subject.

8.4Second and significant academic misconduct, or subsequent breaches

The University:
•will establish and maintain a records management system to ensure the security and confidentiality of records of alleged academic integrity breaches as well as investigation findings, and
•records all academic integrity breaches, including documentation for at least five years, and allows relevant parties appropriate access to these records consistent with the provisions of the

10.Complaints and appeals

Harper, R., Bretag, T. Ellis, C., Newton, P., Rozenberg, P., Saddiqui, S., & van Haeringen, K. (2019). Contract cheating: a survey of Australian university staff. Studies in Higher Education, 44 (11), 1857-1873.

Higher Education Standards Framework (Threshold Standards) 2015 (Cth). Retrieved from