Stage One

Overview

Most disciplinary cases are anticipated to be resolved by the reviewers at Stage One of the process, obviating the need for escalation to a Student Disciplinary Panel at Stage Two. However, cases will be forwarded to Stage Two if the reviewers ascertain that the infraction is significant and/or if it is not the student’s initial offense.

Inquiries

Allegations of misconduct will typically be addressed with the Program Team initially. An initial assessment will be conducted to determine whether formal inquiries should be initiated. The information gathered during this assessment will be incorporated into the formal inquiries, as appropriate.

The Institution possesses the discretion to assign a case manager, usually from the Program Team, to conduct the necessary inquiries. The case manager will serve as the main point of contact for students and other stakeholders, assuming responsibility for overseeing the formal inquiries stage.

The case manager will correspond with the student (or students, in the case of a group) and perform the following steps:

Notify them of the allegations and share any available evidence, along with a copy of the relevant regulations.
Explain how the allegations, if proven, would constitute a breach of the regulations.
Provide a copy of the Student Disciplinary Policy.
Offer a meeting to discuss the matter further.

The student must provide a written statement in response to the allegations. The statement must be prepared by the student themselves, ensuring it is completely truthful and not misleading. Pertinent evidence directly related to the matter under consideration may be presented for review, if applicable.

In cases where misconduct is alleged among a group, each student within the group must provide a statement. Typically, other students in the group will have the opportunity to hear and respond to each individual student’s statement, unless the Institution determines that there are valid reasons for withholding some or all of the information.

Upon completion of all inquiries, the case manager will compile a summary report. A copy of the report will be shared with the reviewer(s) for formal consideration and provided to the student for their information.

Consideration

The reviewers will aim to consider the case upon receiving the file. The reviewers will be a senior faculty member and a senior administrator.

Decision	Next Steps
Not Proven	Misconduct is not proven and the case is dismissed
Proven + Sanction	Misconduct is proven and an appropriate sanction(s) will be applied by the reviewers at Stage One
Proven + Referred	Misconduct is proven and the case is referred to Stage Two for the Student Disciplinary Panel to decide on appropriate sanction(s)
No Decision + Referred	No decision has been made at Stage One and the case is referred to Stage Two for the Student Disciplinary Panel to consider the case in its entirety and decide an appropriate sanction(s)

Sanctions

For cases that have been proven and a sanction(s) is to be applied at Stage One, the reviewers may, at their discretion, consider the following when determining the most appropriate sanction(s):

The severity of the misconduct and if the misconduct was premeditated.
The weighting of the assessment, where applicable.
In group work, the principles of equal contribution and collective responsibility for the quality and integrity of the assessment. All students in the group will normally share the penalty, unless the Institution believes there are justified grounds for awarding different penalties to individual students in the group.

A non-exhaustive list of possible sanctions for academic misconduct is included below:

ACADEMIC MISCONDUCT
Levels	Example	Sanction
Minor Offense	Includes but not limited to: – Poor referencing. – Very minor plagiarism. – The assessment contributes to a small percentage of the course.	Includes but not limited to: – Formal written warning – Assessment graded excluding the affected sections – Or, a combination of the above
Major to medium first offense or Major to minor second offense	Includes but not limited to: – A significant percentage of the assessment is plagiarized. – Submitting another student’s work – Purchasing an essay or assessment answer – Breaching Exam Regulations. -The assessment contributes to a significant percentage of the course	Includes but not limited to: – Assessment awarded 0%, no option to retrieve. – Assessment awarded 0%, with retrieval mark capped. – Assessment graded excluding the affected sections. – Formal written warning – Or a combination of the above

In instances of general misconduct, the Institution will endeavor to impose a sanction that aligns with the severity of the offense whenever feasible.

Nevertheless, if the reviewers consider a sanction to be impractical or inadequate, they may, at their absolute discretion, opt for an alternative penalty or a combination of penalties.

Potential sanctions for general misconduct may encompass, but are not restricted to, the following: