Academic Misconduct Process

The College of Business takes academic misconduct very seriously. Student who are found responsible for two instances of academic misconduct may be asked to leave the college. The penalties for academic misconduct can be significant, so we therefore encourage all instructional faculty to: 

  • Discuss with your class your expectations for academic integrity.
  • Review with your class the COB policies with regard to academic integrity.
  • Design your course to help prevent and avoid academic misconduct:
    • Actively proctor your exams.
    • Include clear instructions on all assignments for what type of assistance, collaboration, etc. is appropriate and what is not. Sample syllabus language can be found here Links to an external site..
    • Revise and update quiz and test questions frequently.
    • Do not rely on publisher-produced materials (which are readily available to students online) for significant assessments.
    • Avoid having only one or two high-stakes assessments; increase the variety and number of ways for students to demonstrate learning.

If you believe a student may have committed academic misconduct in your class (cheating, plagiarism, etc.) please do the following:

  1. Read: OSU Guide to Academic Misconduct Process
  2. Consider: what exactly do you believe they did? Review the OSU Code of Student Conduct for definitions of violations. What evidence do you have to back up your conclusion?
  3. Reflect: Did you give clear instructions on the assignment?
  4. Discuss: Where appropriate, discuss the incident with the student. This conversation may help you understand the context, where the assignment may have been unclear, or other specific circumstances.
  5. Confer with College Hearing Office (Andy Olstad, DTLE).
  6. Gather your evidence (screen shots, assignment instructions, syllabus).
  7. Report via OSU Student Conduct website.

After the faculty member files a report, the process is handled by the College Hearing Officer. They will schedule a hearing with the student, consider the evidence, and make a determination as to whether to find the student responsible for academic misconduct. After conferring with the University Office of Student Conduct, and taking into consideration recommendations from the faculty member, the College Hearing Officer determines the appropriate consequences. The student and faculty member will receive official notice of the findings, and the faculty member at that time can administer the consequences. 

Note: Faculty may not issue any kind of penalty for academic misconduct unless directed to do so at the end of the academic misconduct process. The process provides students with a standard, transparent process for notice, hearing, and appeal, and it is essential that it is followed before any penalties or consequences are assessed.