Policy on Academic Dishonesty for Online/Distant Learning

Academic dishonesty is any act of deception done with the intent to misrepresent one’s learning achievement for evaluation purposes (Singh & Thambusamy, 2016). Given that online students and faculty are often separated both in terms of space as well as time, perhaps it is not surprising that questions about academic dishonesty in online learning have existed since the inception of the delivery format (Watson & Sottile, 2010).

There are three concerns expressed most often with respect to online learning. These are plagiarism, cheating and identity misrepresentation and how students do about it while undergoing online learning.

Plagiarism is not a new phenomenon, but we seem to go through cycles of greater and less concern about it (Buranen & Roy, 1999). Recent research indicates that anywhere from 30 to 60 percent of undergraduate students engage in some form of plagiarism at some point during their time in college, with violations ranging from inserting a few unattributed sentences into a paper to purchasing an entire essay to represent as one’s own work (Szabo & Underwood, 2004). Over the last several years, any distinction that may have existed between online and face-to-face courses with respect to plagiarism has blurred with the ubiquity of digitized materials and Internet-enabled devices that provide easy “copy and paste” functionality and instant access to “paper mills” for all learners regardless of instructional delivery method (Gabriel, 2010; Watson & Sottile, 2010).

Another thing, academic integrity is questioned by the idea that students cheat at some point during their academic career—using crib notes, copying answers from another’s paper, and/or helping someone else with answers. As is the case for plagiarism, the increasing use of internet-enabled electronic devices and web-based assessments in the classroom has muddied the distinction between online and face-to-face courses with respect to cheating.

In fact, the recent research on cheating on web-based assessments—regardless of course delivery type– has been mixed, with some studies finding no significant difference between web-based and paper-based assessments (Black, Greasers, & Dawson, 2014; Grijalva, Nowell, & Kerkvliet, 2006), others finding that student cheating on web-based assessments is significantly higher (Lanier, 2006), and still others finding that students actually cheat less on web-based assessments (Stuber-McEwen, Wiseley, & Hoggatt, 2009).

In addition, identity misrepresentation, where a student hires someone else to complete academic work for his/her own credit, is another plausible form of academic dishonesty in online learning. Identity misrepresentation can range from hiring someone to write a paper or taking a test to hiring someone to complete an entire academic degree program. While there is a paucity of research on how prevalent a problem this might be, some argue that rigorous identity authentication is critical for protecting the reputations of online programs (Bailie & Jortberg, 2009; Smith & Noviello, 2012). Additionally, identity authentication recently made its way into the Higher Education Opportunity Act (2008), which requires accreditation agencies assure that institutions with distance courses or programs have processes in place that establish “that the student who registers in a distance education or correspondence education course or program is the same student who participates in and completes the program and receives the academic credit.”

Academic dishonesty is certainly a concern in higher education and other departments, but the underlying issues leading to such dishonesty appear to be less about instructional delivery method and more about the ease with which students can find ways to circumvent academic work.

The school believes that it is intolerable for any student to be engaged in academic dishonesty - in all its forms and consequences. Thus, a student is considered to have violated a major offense if proven to have engaged in any form of academic dishonesty. He/she with his/her parents will then be called and be subjected to academic and disciplinary proceedings as stipulated in the school’s Student Handbook Revised 2019. Policies on academic discipline in this latest handbook will still be applicable in this new normal, however, some considerations are to be taken into the account depending on the severity of the student’s case.

Policy on Checking of Attendance

The subject teacher will check the attendance of the students in all the possible means. The connection between the student and teacher should be constant and that consideration in some of the tasks will be made possible if unfortunate event happens.

Students can only be considered absent if they are unable to comply the requirement set of them.

Rules and Regulations for Online/Distant Learning

Online learning is the newest and the most popular form of distance education today. It is education that takes place over the internet. Also known as e-learning, online learning is just a one type of “distance learning”. With online learning, courses and lessons that are internet-based are offered synchronously and/or asynchronously. It is catalyzing a pedagogical shift in how we teach and learn.

With the sudden change in the educational system through online learning, St. Rita’s College of Balingasag set this terms and conditions to all students and parents/guardians who are part of the new normal system of education. Thus, it is agreed upon that whoever is proven to have violated any of this condition shall be dealt well with procedures that may lead to suspension, and expulsion from the present classes.

Definition of the Disciplinary Sanctions

The following shall be the disciplinary sanctions by the school:

1. Censure – an oral or written reprimand for violation of any specific rule or regulation.

2. Warnings:

First Warning – for offenses minor in nature, the pupil/student is given an oral/written warning for his/her to amend his/her behaviour.

Second Warning - a written notice to parent/guardian informing them of the pupil’s/student’s misconduct and its consequences. The pupil/student, parent/guardian and school authorities should sign the warning sheet.

Third Warning – the pupils’/students’ parents/guardian are invited to visit the school informing them of the habitual/repeated offenses. The pupil/student is subjected to suspension depending on the severity of the misconduct.

3. Research and Community Service – doing research and extra work will be given to pupil/student who repeatedly commits minor offenses.

4. Disciplinary Probation – an erring pupil/student may be placed under disciplinary probation for frequent disregard and violation of short rules and regulations and found to have incorrigible attitude. This disciplinary probation may last for a quarter to a semester as the case may be. Failure to amend her/his behaviour will mean being dropped from the roll. Lifting of the said probation status may be given to the erring pupil/student who has shown remarkable improvement in words and in actions as testified by the subject teachers, adviser and Prefect of Discipline. His/her grade conduct should not be lower than 80% for the quarter.

5. Suspension – a penalty for serious or habitual violation of school rules and regulations. The parent/guardian will be notified accordingly. The suspended student is not allowed to attend all his/her classes but will do his/her work in school, at his/her own pace, to cover up the lessons supposedly for the said period or the student will do community services. Suspension from five days to not more than 70% of the total school days is given to the pupil/student who is proven to have committed a major offense.

6. Dismissal – a pupil/student is terminated from the roll and his/her transfer credentials are issued to him/her. After due investigation, an erring pupil/student who is found to have seriously violated rules and regulations of the school even for this time, or due to incorrigible attitude, is dropped from the roll even if s/he has been placed under Probation or given a Final Warning Status.

a. Dismissal is a spoken or written discharge or exclusion of a pupil/student from the school enrolment. This is imposed to a pupil/student after a summary investigation of his/her case and even without prior approval by the CHEd.

b. Dismissal shall take effect anytime within the year and one day after the transfer credential has been issued to the pupil/student.

c. Pupil/Student who is DISMISSED from the school will not be accepted / allowed to enroll again in the school.

d. A pupil/student can be dismissed by the school on the following grounds.

1. S/He commit an offense punishable by dismissal once.

2. S/He commits an offense punishable by suspension during his/her probation period.

3. S/He have been suspended two or more times due to repeated commission of minor offenses.

Rules and Regulations while on Online Learning

Though the rules and regulations in the new normal system of education are flexible and student-friendly, the school still take the full responsibility of not tolerating any act that violates the conditions below.

a. As the student is officially enrolled to the school, he/she must be aware of the online/distant education offered by the school. Thus, he/she must update oneself for all the latest information provided through various media platforms.

b. After identifying what specific learning approach to avail, a student must attend to all classes and perform tasks set to them.

c. Parents/guardians are not allowed to intervene while the student is on ongoing online class. Thus, parents/guardians, if available during the time of class, will only assist the student in their technical need.

d. Students must practice academic honesty at all times.

e. Students must observe proper netiquette while on online class.

(a) No Yelling. - There’s a time and a place for everything—BUT IN MOST SITUATIONS TYPING IN ALL CAPS IS INAPPROPRIATE. Most readers tend to perceive it as shouting and will have a hard time taking what you say seriously, no matter how intelligent your response may be. If you have vision issues, there are ways to adjust how text displays so you can still see without coming across as angry.

(b) Avoid sarcasm. - Sarcasm has been the source of plenty of misguided arguments online, as it can be incredibly difficult to understand the commenter’s intent. What may seem like an obvious joke to you could come across as off-putting or rude to those who don’t know you personally. As a rule of thumb, it’s best to avoid sarcasm altogether in an online classroom. Instead, lean toward being polite and direct in the way you communicate to avoid these issues.

(c) Don’t abuse the chat box. - Chat boxes are incorporated into many online classes as a place for students to share ideas and ask questions related to the lesson. It can be a helpful resource or a major distraction—it all depends on how well students know their classroom netiquette. The class chat box isn’t an instant messenger like you’d use with friends. Treat it like the learning tool it’s meant to be, and try not to distract your classmates with off-topic discussions.

(d) Attempt to find your own answer. - If you’re confused or stuck on an assignment, your first instinct may be to immediately ask a question. But before you ask, take the time to try to figure it out on your own. For questions related to class structure, such as due dates or policies, refer to your syllabus and course FAQ. Attempt to find the answers to any other questions on your own using a search engine. If your questions remain unanswered after a bit of effort, feel free to bring them up with your teacher.

(e) Observe proper grammar. - Always make an effort to use proper punctuation, spelling and grammar. Trying to decipher a string of misspelled words with erratic punctuation frustrates the reader and distracts from the point of your message. On the other hand, it’s important to be reasonable about others’ grammar mistakes.

(f) Set a respectful tone. - Every day may feel like casual Friday in an online classroom where you don’t see anyone in person, but a certain level of formality is still expected in your communication with the teachers. In addition to proper punctuation and spelling, it’s good netiquette to use respectful greetings and signatures, full sentences and even the same old “please” and “thank you” you use in real life.

(g) Submit files the right way. - You will not be printing assignments and handing to them to your teacher in person, so knowing how to properly submit your work online is key to your success as an online student. Online course instructors often establish ground rules for file assignment submissions, like naming conventions that help them keep things organized or acceptable file formats. Ignoring these instructions is a common example of bad netiquette.

(h) Read first. - Take some time to read through each of the previous discussion post responses before writing your own response. If the original post asked a specific question, there’s a good chance someone has already answered it. Submitting an answer that is eerily similar to a classmate’s indicates to the teacher that you haven’t paid attention to the conversation thus far.

(i) Think before you type. - A passing comment spoken in class can be forgotten a few minutes later, but what you share in an online classroom is part of a permanent digital record. “Whether or not privacy settings are in place, the internet has a tendency to house things forever, and what you say privately can easily become public,” advises etiquette expert Devoreaux Walton.

(j) Be kind and professional.- Online communication comes with a level of anonymity that doesn’t exist when you’re talking to someone face-to-face. Sometimes this leads people to behave rudely when they disagree with one another. Online students probably don’t have the complete anonymity that comes with using a screen name, but you could still fall prey to treating someone poorly because of the distance between screens. Make a point to be kind and respectful in your comments—even if you disagree with someone.

f. Students must observe all Intellectual Property Rights in the Course Materials, Online Courses and the speeches made by teachers at the online class.

g. Students are not authorized to:-

(a) copy, modify, reproduce, re-publish, sub-licence, sell, upload, broadcast, post, transmit or distribute any of the Course Materials without prior written permission;

(b) record on video or audio tape, relay by videophone or other means the Online Course or Taught Course given

(c) use the Course Materials in the provision of any other course or training or any other purposes set by the teachers and the school

(d) modify, adapt, merge, translate, disassemble, decompile, reverse engineer (save to the extent permitted by law) any software forming part of the Online Courses.

h. Students must observe confidentiality on all the documents received while on online class.

i. The school shall be entitled to subject the students to academic and behavioral probations once observed with the following:

(a) act in an aggressive, bullying, offensive, threatening or harassing manner towards any teacher or lecturer who provides the lessons or any student who attends the online class;

(b) cheat, plagiarize, or misrepresented any work which you are required to prepare or submit in connection with the services or during any examination taken in connection with the services;

(c) steal or act in fraudulent or deceitful manner towards the school or the teachers or any other students in the online class.

(d) intentionally or recklessly damage our property or the property of our teachers or other students attending our premises;

(e) intentionally damaging the school or the teachers’ image ; gathering proofs or possible lapses, misguidance, and/or negligence by the school and teachers for the purpose of public defamation

(f) posting screened shots and details of the online class in their social media accounts during class time and or beyond

(g) caught avoiding classes for leisure and online games

(h) making excuses most often just to be exempted in the tasks set

(i) engage in online chaos and scandalous acts

(j) intoxicated through alcohol or illegal drugs while on class or doing the tasks;

(k) commit any criminal offense in the school premises or where the victim is our employee or student;

j. Students must immediately address learning needs and concerns to the school administration.

k. All online classes and transactions to school’s documents must be done at home. Any untoward event in a student’s life during class time that happen at the Internet cafés or any residence, the school shall not be held liable.

l. Students must communicate with their teachers most often for monitoring of one’s progress.

m. Students must always wear the school’s identity while having the online learning. For freshmen and transferees, they are advised to start wearing their school uniform on the second term of the first semester.