At Griffith University, academic integrity means acting with the values of honesty, trust, fairness, respect and responsibility in learning. It is important for students to act in an honest way, be responsible for their actions, and show fairness in every part of their work.
The International Centre for Academic Integrity defines academic integrity as "a commitment, even in the face of adversity, to six fundamental values: honesty, trust, fairness, respect, responsibility, and courage. From these values flow principles of behaviour that enable academic communities to translate ideals into action" (ICAI 2021).
Why does academic integrity matter?
Academic integrity is an extension of your own personal integrity. Producing your own work to the best of your ability means you have earned your qualification and are prepared for the opportunities and challenges you will face in the workplace.
Employers need to be assured that students who are awarded degrees have met the standards and professional requirements for the program of study. Many professions have specific professional integrity standards, vales and codes of conduct.
What is a Gateway Course?
A Gateway Course is part of Griffith’s approach to ensuring the integrity of every student’s qualification. It features assessments that are designed to be completed without generative AI or other forms of unauthorised assistance. These assessments are either tasks that contribute significantly to your course grade or that you must pass to pass the course. This way, you can be assured that you have met the learning objectives in your course and program.
Important policy and procedure
This policy sets out the principles and processes for dealing with academic misconduct and applies to students studying non-award, undergraduate and postgraduate coursework programs and Higher Degree Research Candidates.
This procedure supports the Student Academic Integrity Policy by providing a formal framework for managing student breaches of academic integrity.
- Student Charter Framework - The Student Charter Framework details the partnership between the University and its students.
- Assessment Procedure for Students - Details the process for submission, feedback and marking of assessment in courses.
- Student Review and Appeals Policy - Outlines the framework for requesting a review and/or appeal of a decision.
- Student Review and Appeals Procedure - Sets out the process for requesting a review of and/or appeal a decision of the University.
The Academic Integrity Breach Process
An assessment item has been submitted, and a potential breach of academic integrity has been identified by a tutor/convenor.
Based on the information available, your Convenor will consider whether the breach should be considered as:
- Incomplete Academic Practice—this will be addressed with you through the normal assignment feedback process
- Academic Misconduct—this will be progressed formally, as detailed in the following steps.
Seriousness of academic misconduct breach applied.
Where the breach is considered to be Academic Misconduct, depending on the seriousness of the academic misconduct breach, the Decision Maker will either be:
- Course Convenor for less serious breaches
- Dean, Learning and Teaching for more serious breaches.
For HDR candidates this will be:
- Dean (Research) for less-serious breaches
- Dean (Griffith Graduate research School) for more serious breaches.
Decision Maker emails student a written notice, detailing the identified breach of academic misconduct.
- The notice will advise whether you're required to respond in writing or meet with the Decision Maker (you can be accompanied by someone for support).
- You should provide a response to the written notice within 14 days.
- If you don't provide a response within this timeframe, the Decision Maker will reach a decision based on the information available.
Decision Maker considers response (if provided) and the evidence available.
They will then either:
- make a decision
- for less serious breaches, request the breach be deemed more serious and reassigned to the appropriate Decision Maker. You will be notified by email if the matter is referred to another decision maker.
Decision Maker emails the student a Closure Letter with their decision.
The letter will include the following:
- details of the conduct
- their findings
- reasons for their decision
- the educational or (if relevant) penalty/response/s applied
- potential serious consequences of subsequent breaches
- reference to appropriate policies and procedures
- the process to seek a review or appeal (see Step 6 )
- advice to students seeking admission to legal practitioners admission board (where appropriate).
Seeking a review and/or appeal of a breach of academic misconduct decision.
Students who have a finding of Academic Misconduct may be entitled to a review, and where provided, an appeal.
Visit Student Review and Appeals to find out what decisions can be reviewed and appealed and how to submit a review of decision form.