Information for Faculty
Overview
Faculty have a unique opportunity and responsibility to educate students when it comes to the content of their academic discipline and the College’s expectations for behavior. The following resources were designed to help faculty positively influence student behavior with the hope that it is addressed before it rises to a level of a student conduct violation, and equip them with the knowledge and tools to report suspect misconduct.
How to Submit an Academic Misconduct Report
- Faculty are encouraged to consult their department chair/director to discuss the suspected academic misconduct.
- Per the Student Conduct Code, faculty must report suspected Academic Misconduct within seven instructional days of determining the misconduct occurred.
- If you believe a student committed academic misconduct, please file an Academic Misconduct Report. Please contact the Associate Vice President for Student Affairs with any questions or concerns.
- You are encouraged to speak with the student about the misconduct and the classroom sanctions you have selected, but this is not required.
How to Submit a General Misconduct Report
- If you believe a student violated the student conduct code for behavior outside of academic misconduct, please file a general Student Conduct Report Form. Please contact the Associate Vice President for Student Affairs with any questions or concerns.
- Many situations can be managed through classroom management techniques, which is preferable since it enables you to give the student timely feedback about their behavior, and reinforces the standards you have already provided. If you address a low-level incident and you just want it documented somewhere in case the behavior continues, you can always report that as an informational incident so that the Student Conduct Officer is aware of it. This report should be submitted using the general Student Conduct Report form – be sure to indicate in the narrative that the submission is intended to be "Information Only."
- If the situation involves a threat to physical safety or significant disruption that
cannot be managed within the classroom, consider one of the following:
- If the incident requires an immediate response, contact the Santa Fe College Police Department at 352-395-5555.
- Use the online "Say Something" form to submit a general concern. It will be reviewed be the college's Behavioral Intervention Team and the appropriate member will respond.
- If the complaint pertains to sexual or gender-based harassment or misconduct, you are encouraged to review the College's Title IX/Sexual Misconduct information. Inquiries regarding non-discrimination policies or concerns about discrimination or harassment, including concerns about sexual harassment or sexual violence under Title IX, should be directed to SF’s Equal Opportunity Officer and Title IX Coordinator, 3000 NW 83rd Street, R-Annex, Room 113, Gainesville, Florida 32606, 352-395-5950, equity.officer@sfcollege.edu.
Understanding Plagiarism
FAQs for Faculty
The Student Conduct Code (College Rule 7.23) defines academic misconduct and provides the due process afforded to faculty and students as related to academic misconduct. There is also a class in the Canvas Commons called Academic Misconduct that was created for faculty to use to help their students learn the college’s policies and to learn how to avoid having any allegations of academic misconduct.
As defined in Article I, O, academic misconduct includes cheating, plagiarism, bribery, misrepresentation, conspiracy, fabrication, and failure to cooperate. Each of these is explained in detail in this section of the Code.
SF’s definition of plagiarism includes, “the attempt to represent the work of another as the product of one’s own thought, whether the work is published or unpublished.” (Emphasis added). Self-plagiarism (i.e. a student submitting work in a class s/he previously wrote and submitted in a different class) has been discussed at length by the College Senate, and they decided not to pursue changing the definition of plagiarism. If a faculty member expects original work to be done for his/her class, this should be written into the syllabus so that the student may be held accountable within the course.
Two good resource to consider are the Student Conduct Office and the department chair/director. The Student Conduct Office sees roughly 130 academic misconduct cases per year. The staff there can provide a phone or in-person consultation, reviewing the concern and comparing it to other submissions from the recent past. Department chairs/directors are experiences faculty and academic administrators who may serve as a sounding board for faculty and help them determine the best path forward.
Test proctors at the Testing Center, Disabilities Resource Center (DRC), or Education Centers have been trained on academic misconduct procedures and have tools at their disposal to capture the student’s behaviors and share them with faculty and the Student Conduct Office. Typically, student cheating at testing centers includes student looking up answers (via Google or in Canvas) while taking tests, or by looking at cell phones or “cheat sheets” during exams. For the former, every website the student visits while at the testing facility is captured and recorded. Screen shots might be used to remotely record what is happening on the student’s screen, and a log is created that shows every page this visit in a browser. Proctors circulate regularly to watch for students who may be cheating and capture that information in a timely fashion. The DRC and some Educational centers have cameras in their testing rooms to capture student behavior. When there is a concern that a student is cheating, the proctor will email the faculty member and the Student Conduct Office, including evidence that supports the allegation.
Faculty should report alleged academic misconduct using the Student Conduct Report Form: Academic Misconduct. This online report is available 24/7/365, and only takes a few minutes to complete. This form requires faculty to assign a classroom sanction, using the options as outlined in the Student Conduct Code, Article V, B, #2(q). Faculty may also ask for a consult with a conduct officer to talk through sanctioning options.
Certainly! This is an excellent idea, especially if your “standard” classroom sanction is an F in the course. Should the student contest the classroom sanction, it is easier for a Student Conduct Board to support the faculty’s decision when it is included in the syllabus.
The Academic Misconduct Form allows faculty to submit multiple names on one form. Faculty report up to 99 names on one submission, although the Conduct Office hopes to avoid any such case!
If a student is considering contesting the alleged academic misconduct, evidence helps the student understand the reason for the allegation, and often leads the student to accept responsibility for the academic misconduct. Evidence may include a similarity report from Turnitin.com, a report from the Testing Center showing the student’s actions while taking a test, or a video and alert report from an online proctoring service. Correspondence with the student (captured from Canvas or Outlook) and class syllabi are useful, too. Note that evidence is not needed to report academic misconduct, but should be included whenever feasible.
Yes! Article IV, A, of the Student Conduct Code states that faculty members must report the academic misconduct within seven instructional days of determining there was academic misconduct. Please note this does not mean the academic misconduct report must be submitted within seven instructional days of the misconduct occurring – the “clock” starts when the faculty determines there is academic misconduct. Saturdays are included as instructional days.
The Student Conduct Office will receive and process the online submission and, as required in Article IV, C, of the Student Conduct Code, send the alleged a letter via secure SF email to inform the student of the alleged academic misconduct, of the classroom sanction assigned by the faculty, of their options for resolution, and an invite the student to meet with a conduct officer to discuss all of the above. The turn-around time from report submission to sending out this letter is about one day. Faculty will receive an update from the Student Conduct Office after the report is processed and the letter sent.
Most likely. From 2016- 2019, when considering 390 adjudicated academic misconduct cases, 87.7% of students charged with academic misconduct chose an informal resolution, meaning the student accepted responsibility for the alleged misconduct and accepted the classroom sanction as assigned. In these cases, the conduct officer works with the student, and the faculty member is sent an update after the case is resolved. Academic misconduct cases with informal resolutions are typically resolved within one week of the initial report.
Over the past three years, there have been 48 times when the alleged student has chosen to contest either the charge of misconduct and/or the classroom sanction as assigned by the faculty. In these cases, a Student Conduct Board (SCB) hearing is held to determine responsibility for the alleged academic misconduct, or to determine sanctions in the case of a sanctions-only hearing. Faculty are asked to participate in these hearings as witnesses to tell the SCB what they observed, they reason for charging the student with academic misconduct, and the rationale for selecting the assigned classroom sanction. Prior to a hearing, there is an opportunity for faculty to meet with the conduct officer to discuss the academic misconduct, review questions, and to determine what other evidence and/or witnesses might be appropriate. The hearing is scheduled around the faculty member’s other commitments, and the faculty’s participation in the hearing is usually less than 30 minutes. After the hearing is concluded, the conduct officer will inform the faculty of the outcome. A conduct process with an SCB hearing typically takes about one month from report to adjudication.
Over the past three years, students who choose an SCB were found responsible of academic misconduct 70% of the time (34 responsible findings from 48 hearings). Of those 34 responsible findings, the classroom sanctions assigned by the faculty were upheld 31 times (91% of the time).
No. Per Section E of the Student Conduct Code, the respondent (the student in a academic misconduct case) has the right to appeal the outcome of an SCB hearing. The only times a complainant may appeal the outcome of an SCB hearing is when the case involves sexual harassment under College Rule 2.8, sexual assault, domestic violence, dating violence, or stalking.
SCB members are a mix of students, faculty, and staff who volunteer to serve on the SCB and to help make these important decisions. SCB members are typically selected by the shared governance bodies and approved by the Vice President for Student Affairs. Prior to serving, SCB members receive training on the Student Conduct Code and the hearing process.
A diverse pool of members is crucial to our system’s success. Tell the College Senate President or Presiding Officer about your interest in serving on the SCB, or contact dan.rodkin@sfcollege.edu to learn more about joining the SCB.
Online professor ratings generally consist of the average of all submissions about a given faculty member. Given the number of students whom a faculty member could potentially teach in a given semester, one could imagine that a few “bad reviews” left by a couple students who are held accountable for their actions might have a slight impact on online ratings, but this effect should be minimal. Likewise, if many students in a section complete the students’ evaluation of faculty, the comments from any 1 or 2 students are unlikely to move the needle in a significant way.
Tips to Help Prevent Academic Misconduct
- Get to know your students. Use first names. When students feel like you acknowledge them as individuals, they will want to succeed in your course and are less likely to violate your expectations.
- Provide clear definitions and expectations in your syllabus, along with clear examples of behaviors that violate classroom and conduct standards.
- Spend time discussing citation and plagiarism; this may help students understand paraphrasing and properly using quotes.
- Remind students to cite all their sources, even in rough drafts, to avoid any allegation of plagiarism.
- Remind students to put away cell phones and other technology.
- During tests try to switch up seating in the classroom. Walk around the classroom, be visible, and be sure to pay attention to what students are doing.
- Create a new test each term and use multiple varieties of tests so students will less likely sit next to someone who has the same test as them.
- Obtain a writing sample at the start of the semester to use as a baseline for each student's writing ability.
- Give assignments with a personalized topic, or select different topics each semester so students can not purchase old papers.
Classroom Management Tips
- Classroom management is a crucial but not always enjoyable aspect of the responsibilities
of college faculty members. There are a variety of proactive steps that can be taken
to minimize the risk of disruption to the learning environment, including:
- Getting to know your students and developing positive relationships with them.
- Providing and explaining your expectations for behavior and academic performance.
- Being reasonable with your expectations and treating students like adults.
- Applying standards consistently - for both academics and behavior.
- Respecting college procedures and balancing each student’s individual rights with the goals and mission of the college.
Understanding Students' Rights
- Once students are admitted to Santa Fe College, they are entitled to pursue all available
educational opportunities , including your class! They are also entitled to the procedural
protections that Santa Fe College provides to students. Some of those protections
include:
- Students that meet the pre-requirements and enrolling in a course pursuant to college procedures, may attend the course until they act in a way that might cause them to forfeit that right.
- When charged with violating the Student Conduct Code, students have the right to know about the alleged violation and have the opportunity to respond to the allegation.
- Students are entitled to due process as outlined in the Student Conduct Code for all allegations of misconduct.
- Students may review information contained in their education and conduct record, as described in the campus FERPA policy.
- It is important that you educate yourself on the procedures of the College so that,
you do not act outside of them. Your department chair/director, your AVP for Academic
Affairs, SF Fe College Police Department, the Student Conduct Officer, and the Vice
President of Student Affairs may assist you if you have questions about college procedures
pertaining to student behavior. Some key points include:
- If you need to ask a student to leave class due to disruptive behavior, it should only be for that specific class period and there shouldn't be an academic penalty imposed. If there is work or a quiz missed, you should consult with your department chair/director as to whether or not you should allow the student to make it up.
- If you have filed an academic misconduct referral, it is important to remember that the student has the right to contest the charge and/or classroom sanction you select.
- Students may not be removed from class permanently without completing the student conduct process
- Students may be place on interim suspension pending the conclusion of the student conduct process, when such actions are necessary to ensure the safety and well-being of the college community. The Student Conduct Officer and the SF Police Department can offer you suggestions for managing the situation if it does not appear to rise to the level of needing to remove the student from class.
Having the Tough Conversations with Students About their Behavior
- As long as there is no threat to physical safety, we encourage you to speak to students
about behaviors that may be concerning or disruptive. This allows you to maximize
the opportunity for the student to learn. If you decide not to confront a student
about his/her behavior, one of the following situations may occur:
- You will continue to be frustrated and the student may never know why; therefore, the student will not likely to stop the behavior
- The student will engage in more egregious behaviors if he/she thinks your boundaries can continue to be pushed
- Other students may withdraw from your course if they perceive you aren't addressing the behavior
- You determine later that you wish you had done something about it, but then feel like it is too late to do anything.
- The student drops the course but then enrolls in a future course of yours and presumes the previous disruptive behavior is acceptable
- The following outline can be helpful as you determine how to discuss behaviors of
concern with students:
- Build rapport and explain why you want to talk to the student. Remember that you both have the same goal - for him/her to pass your class and be successful at Santa Fe College.
- Describe, in specific detail, the behavior that occurred.
- Describe the effects of the behavior, how it affected other students in the class, and how it could negatively impact the student’s outcome in the course.
- Ask the student for reasons this behavior may have occurred, and then listen to the student's perspective. Do not interrupt them, and do not get defensive.
- Inform the student what your expectations are for the future. Ideally, this will just be reiterating what is already on your syllabus or in the Student Conduct Code.
- Offer ways you can help the student to be successful in changing the behavior. An example might include that if the student attempts to interrupt, you will motion discretely with your hand for the student to stop talking. It is also helpful to ask if the student is connected to any campus resources (such as the Counseling and Wellness Center, the Disabilities Resource Center, My Brother’s Keeper, Pathways to Persistence, etc.). If not, offer to provide the student with contact information for these offices.
- Describe what will happen if the student continues with the same behavior. Examples might include meeting with the department chair/director or being asked to step outside until he/she can control the behavior.
- Inform the student how you plan to follow up on the situation. Please communicate this clearly, so you and the student are both on the same page. An Email summary of the conversation is convenient because you can summarize the conversation and offer the student information about campus resources, such as the writing or math lab. This also ensures that you have documented the situation in case it happens again.
- While these steps may seem simple, they do work when it comes to approaching a tough or frustrating situation with students. These conversations allow you to focus on your teaching and other students as well as provide feedback to students so they can fulfill all expectations.