Upholding Professional and Ethical Standards. Academic integrity is the foundation of all learning and professional practice. At Scope Institute, we are committed to fostering a culture of honesty, trust, and ethical conduct. This policy defines academic integrity, outlines forms of misconduct, and details the procedures for managing breaches. By enrolling with us, you agree to uphold these standards in all your academic work.
1. What is Academic Integrity?
Academic integrity means acting with honesty, fairness, and responsibility in all your learning and assessment activities. It involves:
- Submitting work that is entirely your own.
- Properly acknowledging the words, ideas, and work of others through correct referencing.
- Following all instructions for assessments and examinations.
- Acting ethically and professionally during all training and placement activities.
- Reporting any instances of misconduct you may witness.
2. Forms of Academic Misconduct
Academic misconduct is any action or attempt to gain an unfair academic advantage for yourself or another person. It is a serious offence that undermines the value of your qualification. Forms of misconduct include:
2.1 Plagiarism
Plagiarism is presenting someone else's work or ideas as your own without proper acknowledgement. This includes:
- Copying text, images, or data from a website, book, or article without citing the source.
- Submitting an assessment written by someone else (e.g., a friend, family member, or paid service).
- Paraphrasing someone else's ideas too closely without attribution.
- Using artificial intelligence (AI) tools to generate assessment answers and submitting them as your own work.
2.2 Cheating
Cheating involves acting dishonestly to gain an advantage in an assessment. This includes:
- Colluding with another student on an individual assessment task.
- Using unauthorised notes, devices, or materials during an examination or assessment.
- Falsifying data, records, or signatures (e.g., on a work placement logbook).
- Impersonating another student or having someone impersonate you.
2.3 General Misconduct
This includes behaviour that disrupts the learning environment or compromises the safety and wellbeing of others. Examples include:
- Harassment, bullying, or intimidation of other students or staff.
- Theft or damage to Scope Institute property or the property of a placement host.
- Attending training or placement under the influence of alcohol or illicit drugs.
- Failure to follow safety procedures or the policies of a work placement host.
3. Managing and Investigating Misconduct
Scope Institute has a formal process for investigating alleged misconduct to ensure fairness and consistency.
- Detection & Reporting: An assessor, trainer, or staff member may detect a potential breach. This could be through assessment marking, observation, or software tools designed to detect plagiarism.
- Initial Investigation: The staff member will gather evidence and report the matter to the Administration Manager. The Manager will conduct a preliminary review to determine if there is a case to answer.
- Notification to Student: If a case is identified, you will be formally notified in writing. The notification will detail the specific allegation and provide you with all the evidence that has been gathered.
- Student Response: You will be given an opportunity to respond to the allegation, either in writing or in a meeting. You have the right to be accompanied by a support person at this meeting. You will have 10 business days to provide your response.
- Decision & Outcome: The Administration Manager will consider all evidence and your response before making a final decision. The decision and the reasons for it will be provided to you in writing.
4. Consequences of Misconduct
The penalty for academic misconduct will depend on the severity and nature of the breach, and whether it is a first or repeated offence. Consequences are applied to be educational and corrective, but also protective of our academic standards.
Minor / First Offence
For less serious, first-time breaches (e.g., poor referencing due to misunderstanding), the likely outcome is:
- A formal written warning.
- A requirement to resubmit the assessment with a mark penalty applied.
- A requirement to complete additional training on academic integrity.
Moderate / Repeated Offence
For more serious breaches or a second offence, the consequences may include:
- A "Not Yet Competent" result for the unit of competency, with a requirement to re-enrol and pay for the unit again.
- Suspension from the course for a specified period.
Major / Serious Offence
For serious breaches such as contract cheating (paying someone to do your work), systemic plagiarism, or behaviour that endangers others, the outcome will be:
- Immediate cancellation of your enrolment with no refund of fees paid.
- The incident being noted on your permanent student record.
5. Revocation of a Qualification
Scope Institute reserves the right to revoke a qualification or Statement of Attainment at any time if it is discovered that it was awarded as a result of serious academic misconduct. This action ensures the integrity of the qualifications we issue and protects the public and the profession.
6. Appeals
If you disagree with a decision made regarding academic misconduct, you have the right to lodge an appeal. The appeal will be handled in accordance with our comprehensive Complaints and Appeals Policy, which ensures an independent review of the decision.
If you are unsure about any aspect of academic integrity, please speak with your trainer before you submit your work.
We are here to help you succeed with integrity.
