Question 2 : Disciplinary Process

All violations are reported by the Office of Academic Affairs to the

Office of Student Services. Breaches of the Code of Academic
Integrity and the General Code of Conduct are grounds for
disciplinary action and are permanently noted in a student’s
academic record. All violations are cumulative and may accumulate
throughout a student’s studies at University of the People, regardless
of which course the violations take place in. All Code of Conduct
violations will be defined as severe violations (see below), unless the
Office of Academic Affairs decides otherwise. Therefore, the
process for a student’s first three violations as described below will
typically apply only to Code of Academic Integrity violations.
Violations are normally subject to the following sanctions by the
University:
First violation: Warning is issued by the course instructor, the
student is issued a zero by the Office of Academic Affairs on the
assignment, and a permanent note is added to the student’s record.
Second violation: Student is issued a zero on the assignment or exam
in question. The student may also receive a failing grade in the
course as determined by the Office of Academic Affairs.
Third violation: Student is issued a failing grade in the course.
Fourth violation and up will be treated as severe violations (see
below).
Sanctions, however, may vary based on past disciplinary records,
and the University retains the absolute discretion to determine the
appropriate sanction to be imposed for any infraction, depending on
the severity of the violation. Sanctions may also be cumulative; no
sanction must necessarily be exhausted before another sanction is
imposed.
In cases where an act of academic misconduct remains undiscovered
until after credits have been issued or a degree is awarded,
University of the People reserves the right to revoke any credits or
degree based on new revelations about academic issues including,
but not restricted to, admission credentials, coursework, research,
theses, or other final projects.
Once a student has accumulated more than three violations, or when
a violation was defined as severe at the discretion of the Office of
Academic Affairs, the following violations will all constitute severe
violations.
In cases where a student is determined to have committed a severe
violation:
The Office of Academic Affairs may decide to suspend the student’s
access to University services such as Moodle and Viva Engage, even
if such suspension affects the student’s ability to complete his or her
courses.
The student will be contacted by a University official to advise the
student of his or her alleged violation and to describe the
investigation and disciplinary process, including the possible
sanctions that may be imposed. The student will be given seven
calendar days within which to submit a written response to the
Office of Student Services at student.services@uopeople.edu.
If a student does not respond to the allegations found against them
the student forfeits the right to a decision by the Student Affairs
Committee and may receive a failing grade in the course and be
subject to dismissal from the University, depending on the severity
of the violation as recommended by the Office of Academic Affairs.
However, if a response is submitted, his or her case is referred to the
Student Affairs Committee. Following receipt of the student’s
written response, the Student Affairs Committee will conclude
whether the student violated the General Code of Conduct or Code
of Academic Integrity and, if so, will determine what disciplinary
sanctions will be imposed on the student in respect to such violation.
Such sanctions may include censure and a warning to avoid future
violations, immediate removal of the student from his or her
course(s) that term, suspension from the University, or permanent
dismissal from the University. The Office of Student Services will
communicate with the student regarding the investigation and
determinations of the Student Affairs Committee.
Please note that students may appeal the decisions to the Appeals
Committee, who will decide only on whether the original procedure
of the decision correctly adhered to University policies and
procedures, not the outcome of the decision. Any appeal must be
sent to the student’s program advisor within 30 days of receiving the
decision.

Consequences of plagiarism

You may receive a zero for the

writing assignment.
The instructor may give you an
opportunity to write the
assignment again. However,
not all instructors will allow for
second chances.
You may receive a failing
grade in the course
You may be expelled (forced to
leave) your college or
university
The information may be noted
on your transcript.
Why students engage in plagiarism

 Sometimes, they are just dishonest.

 Sometimes, they don’t plan for enough time to do their own writing.
 Sometimes, they don’t know how to cite their sources correctly.
 Sometimes, they don’t know how to paraphrase or summarize.

QUESTION 3: HOW TO AVOID PLAGIARISM

Cite Sources

Experience is the name everyone gives to their mistakes.” (Wilde, 1892. p.31).

Common Knowledge & Plagiarism

If information is very well known to most people, it may be considered “common

knowledge,” and it does not need to be cited
Paraphrasing & Plagiarism

Summarizing & Plagiarism