Academic Misconduct: Home

There is a significant difference between collaboration (group work) and collusion. Collaboration is working jointly with others and is often encouraged or even required by course instructors. Collusion occurs when two or more students, or a student and any other person(s), act together to cheat, plagiarize or engage in academic misconduct or incite others to do so or attempt to do any of the foregoing. Collusion can also occur when students collaborate after being told to work independently. 

Each instructor will have expectations regarding how assignments are to be completed. It is very important to understand the expectations regarding collaboration, as there are many different degrees of collaboration. For example, you may be:

• expected to complete an assignment independently, or,
• asked to complete an experiment (lab) with a partner but write individual reports on the results, or,
• part of a group submitting one assignment with the same mark assigned to all members of the group, or,
• required to participate in some other form of group work outlined by the instructor.

The instructor has the responsibility of making it clear to students what the expectations are for each assignment. Within the same course, different assignments may have different expectations regarding collaboration. Instructors for different classes may also have different expectations for similar assignments. If you have any questions, you should clarify the expectations with your instructor before you begin the assignment.

Other illustrations of academic misconduct include, but are not limited to:

1. Taping, recording or videotaping lectures, labs or tutorials without the instructor’s prior permission and without having signed the appropriate consent form as provided either by the instructor or, in the case of a student with a documented disability, by Accessibility Services.
2. Altering group assessment work that has been agreed to as final by all participating students prior to submission, without the collaborating students’ consents.
3. Falsifying or fabricating clinical, practical or laboratory reports.
4. Impersonating another student, or arranging for anyone to impersonate a student, in an examination or other evaluative task.
5. Intentionally or deliberately acquiring or attempting to acquire, possessing or distributing examination or evaluation materials or information without the instructor’s prior approval.
6. Tampering or attempting to tamper with examinations, class work, grades or class records.
7. Removing, defacing, or deliberately keeping from other students library or reference materials.
8. Selling, distributing, or publishing course lecture notes, handouts, recordings or other information provided by an instructor, or using them for any other commercial purpose, without the instructor’s express permission.
9. Furnishing false information in the context of an assignment or evaluative task.
10. Providing false or misleading academic or evaluation related information to an employee or other.
11. Unauthorized access to or unauthorized electronic or other interference with the academic records, data and documents of SAIT, an instructor, another student or a third party.
12. Putting the student’s name on another person’s exam or assignment.
13. Altering a previously graded examination or assignment or otherwise altering a grade without the instructor’s prior consent.
14. Interfering with instruction in any manner or by any means, whether or not to the detriment of other students.
15. Disrupting classes or other academic activities in an attempt to affect or having the result of affecting academic freedom of speech, expression or inquiry.
16. Failing to comply with an instructor’s reasonable instructions or directions, or acting in a manner that is disrespectful to the rights of an instructor.
17. Intentionally damaging or destroying the academic work of others.
18. Acting in a manner that damages the learning environment for other students.

Note: A student who assists another student in an act or attempted act of academic misconduct will be considered to have committed an act of academic misconduct.