Resources for Faculty and Staff
The Office of Student Conduct and Community Standards (OSCCS) is available to provide guidance, whether you are reporting an incident or supporting a student in the Committee on Discipline process.
Types of Student Misconduct
Academic Misconduct
The Institute encourages faculty to take responses to academic dishonesty seriously, while also evaluating each case individually for the most appropriate response. In all cases, documenting the outcome with the Office of Student Conduct and Community Standards (OSCCS) ensures that records of student misconduct are maintained centrally at the Institute, preventing an individual student from committing several instances of academic dishonesty without accountability.
OSCCS is available to present to academic departments, classes, student organizations, and other groups on issues related to academic integrity. For more information on the Institute’s academic integrity policies, please consult the Handbook for Academic Integrity and Institute Policy 10.2: Procedures for Dealing with Student Academic Dishonesty.
OSCCS staff are available to consult with faculty on potential violations of academic integrity policy. We recommend contacting us if you are unsure how to proceed, need a refresher on the process and options, want to discuss how to meet with the student, or need a thought partner about the situation.
Preventing Academic Misconduct
- How can you structure course assignments so that they ensure students will submit original work?
- What quiz or exam security measures make sense in your department? For example, you might choose not to reuse the same questions from past years on large common exams.
- Consider a “drop the lowest grade” policy to lower the stakes of each individual assignment.
- Is there value in using turnitin.com or other similar software to detect plagiarism on assignments?
- Include a description of your Academic Integrity policies in your syllabus and address them on the first day of class.
- Be explicit about expectations – particularly around collaboration and completing original work.
- When quizzes, exams, or large projects are looming, or it is a known busy time of the semester, reinforce that you are available to answer questions students may have about collaboration, citing sources, producing original work, etc.
This example can be a helpful starting point for faculty members seeking to add a statement to their syllabi:
MIT’s Academic Integrity policy reads, in part: “MIT anticipates that you will pursue your studies with purpose and integrity. The cornerstone of scholarship in all academic disciplines is honesty. MIT expects that you will approach everything you do here honestly – whether solving a math problem, writing a research or critical paper, or writing an exam” (see complete policy at integrity.mit.edu). In this course, I will hold you to the high standard of academic integrity expected of all students at the Institute. I do this for two reasons. First, it is essential to the learning process that you are the one doing the work. I have structured the assignments in this course to enable you to gain a mastery of the course material. Failing to do the work yourself will result in a lesser understanding of the content, and therefore a less meaningful education for you. Second, it is important that there be a level playing field for all students in this course and at the Institute so that the rigor and integrity of the Institute’s educational program is maintained. If society is to view a degree from MIT as meaningful, we must ensure that the work done toward the degrees awarded is honest.
Violating the Academic Integrity policy in any way (e.g., plagiarism, unauthorized collaboration, cheating, etc.) will result in official Institute sanction. Possible sanctions include receiving a failing grade on the assignment or exam, being assigned a failing grade in the course, having a formal notation of disciplinary action placed on your MIT record, suspension from the Institute, and expulsion from the Institute for very serious cases. Please review the Academic Integrity policy and related resources (e.g., working under pressure; how to paraphrase, summarize, and quote; etc.) and contact me if you have any questions about appropriate citation methods, the degree of collaboration that is permitted, or anything else related to the Academic Integrity of this course.
- The OSCCS can work with faculty members to ensure appropriate sanctions for students who commit policy violations and deter further violations.
- The OSCCS can also consult with faculty members who want to discuss issues they are facing or who want to learn about a student’s prior history (if one is present).
Students suspected of a possible violation should be contacted individually and asked to meet in person. Students should be informed of the potential violation and that they have a right to be accompanied by any other member of the MIT community in the meeting if they wish. Instructors may wish to use our template for informing students of potential violations as a guide – feel free to adjust the language to meet individual styles and voices.
In general, meetings are more productive when they occur shortly after the incident. Further, notifying a student early on can act as an intervention for future behaviors. We do not recommend waiting until the end of the semester as this can cause difficulties for the students, delay grading, impact finals, etc.
In general, information students may interpret as bad news (like notification of a potential policy violation) should be sent during business hours. In the event that students become emotionally distraught after receiving bad news, it is much easier to connect them with support services on campus during weekdays and during business hours. Sending notices on weekends or after hours should be avoided if possible. If you find you must send a notice after business hours, include information on how the student can access the Dean on Call for support.
If more than one student is involved in a situation, each individual student should receive separate communications, letters to file, etc. to avoid potential breaches of student privacy. Additionally, communications should be consistent and equitable for each student involved in a situation.
After explaining the reasons for suspicion of policy violation, students should be able to respond fully to all allegations. Take care to ensure that students do not feel like they are not being heard – the conversation should be framed as a time to explain the potential violations and to gather facts.
Allow the student to explain their side of the situation before you determine whether or not there has been a policy violation. Consider whether course expectations were made clear and if there has been an error of miscommunication rather than a policy violation. Ask open-ended questions that allow for discussion rather than accusatory or leading questions that may make students resistant to talking.
At the end of a conversation, if the faculty member has determined that a policy violation has occurred and decides to take direct action, the student should be informed of that decision and said action, as well as what they can do if they disagree with the decision. If the faculty member decides to consult with OSCCS for further advice and support, students should be given a sense of when they can expect to hear what the next steps look like.
Advisor Program
The OCSSC Advisor program recruits and trains MIT community members to become volunteer advisors for students referred to the COD. Advisors attend a half-day training to learn about the COD process, how to support students, and how to deal with potential challenges and issues advisees may face throughout the process.
Students who request help from OSCCS with finding an advisor will be connected to a trained member of the program that is available to provide personal and logistical support throughout the process.
A student may choose an advisor for a variety of reasons. Sometimes a friend suggests someone; sometimes parties select someone they know and trust; sometimes parties choose someone they believe will bring specific knowledge and experience to the matter.
If someone asks you to serve as an advisor, consider:
- To what degree are they seeking moral support versus planning support? Are you comfortable with that balance?
- Do you have a conflict of interest? If so, consider sharing that with the person and offering to assist them in finding another advisor.
- Time commitments: Consider how flexible your schedule is and how much time you can offer to accompany a student to meetings or a Panel. The COD generally schedules hearing and sanctioning panels based on the student’s schedule alone.
- Participating in the discipline process can be emotional for the student. In planning, you may need to repeat information as you talk with your advisee.
- Encourage your advisee to consider their support system and how to share information with that group. That might include academic advisors, coaches, family, friends, GRT, living group members, etc.
- Not all cases are resolved via a hearing panel. Help your advisee understand that the Institute may provide a less formal administrative response.
- Your advisee may share personal information that does not directly pertain to the case. This sharing is normal and, as an advisor, you can help refer them to important resources for managing these complexities.
- Remember that your role is to help the student prepare and provide them support. It’s not your role to try to strategize or influence the process, or to try to predict the outcome for them.
- Ask your advisee to read all the documents the student has regarding the case.
- Assist your advisee in considering who might appear as witnesses or submit statements and what evidence they could submit.
- Assist your advisee in considering what to include in opening and closing statements.
- Help your advisee with deadlines.
- Help your advisee understand “preponderance of the evidence” as MIT’s standard for determining responsibility.
- Help them look to Institute policy, which the COD will evaluate, rather than what they perceive to be community norms.
- Help your advisee consider what questions they are comfortable answering and how, if at all, they will decline to answer questions.
- A hearing or sanctioning panel may be the first formal presentation for your advisee. Help them consider how to speak, dress, and present themselves in this context.
- When your advisee has meetings with OSCCS or others, offer to attend.
- Sometimes respondents are not permitted on campus pending the result of the process. If your advisee is not currently on campus, consider by what means you can communicate with them. Contact OSCCS if you believe technical support or permission to visit campus is appropriate.
- Plan for what they will do the day of the panel meeting (before and after). This can be helpful with coping and stress.
- Try to be available to the advisee to process and talk about how they feel it went.
- Offer to be available for the outcome meeting, if applicable.
Mentor Program
The OSCCS Mentor program recruits and trains MIT community members to serve as mentors and support students who are required to complete a mentoring program as a part of their COD case resolution. OSCCS Mentors attend a half-day training to learn about the COD process, OSCCS’s mentoring program, how to best support MIT student participants, and how to troubleshoot issues that their student mentees may encounter. If you are interested in becoming a mentor, email osccs@mit.edu.
Please note that all participants in the COD process, including respondents, complainants, advisors, and witnesses are expected to follow the “Expectations for Decorum” as outlined on the IDHR website. If you have any questions about this expectations, please contact OSCCS.