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MALPRACTICE POLICY

Purpose

EDUWEB College recognizes the importance of fair play and proper conduct of staff and students in relation to the college’s Malpractice policy whilst pursuing any course at the college.  The college takes its role of preventing, detecting and investigating incidences of malpractice seriously.

This policy sets forth the details related to malpractice in regards to these situations.

Scope

This policy applies to all EDUWEB College students and staff.

Aim:

  • To identify and minimise the risk of malpractice by staff or students.
  • To respond to any incident of alleged malpractice promptly and objectively.
  • To standardise and record any investigation of malpractice to ensure openness and fairness.
  • To impose appropriate penalties and/or sanctions on students or staff where incidents (or attempted incidents) of malpractice are proven.
  • To protect the integrity of the College.

Definition of Malpractice 

Any activity that could potentially undermine the credibility or validity of our courses or certificates issued whether done deliberately or unknowingly.  It covers misconduct as well as falsification of information or records.  Registered and non-registered students of the Association of Business Executive (ABE) programme, should refer to ABE’s Malpractice policy v4.2 (May 2021).  This document is available on the EDUWEB College ABE information page (https://eduwebtt.com/abe/) and provides full details of their malpractice policy.

Maladministration.

Failure (deliberate or not) to follow the rules and regulations governing the registration for, delivery of and assessment of a course as well as the handling of exams itself, exam conduct and exam materials is a form of malpractice.

Academic Malpractice 

  1. Plagiarism – presenting material from secondary sources as original, e.g., unacknowledged copying and pasting from the internet, copying.
  2. Using work produced by another person (even if you get permission) as your own
  3. False declaration of authenticity e.g., claiming work of another person or source or collaboratively produced work as your own etc.
  4. Deliberate destruction of another’s work
  5. Poor exam conduct (unruly behavior, cheating etc.)

Policy

For college staff (all academic and administrative staff, contracted workers), the college will:

  1. Seek to avoid potential malpractice by informing college staff of the college’s policy on malpractice (maladministration and academic malpractice) and the penalties for attempted and actual incidents of malpractice.  Accomplished through the use of a training video.
  2. Train academic staff on the appropriate format to record cited texts and other materials or information sources.  Accomplished through the use of a training video.
  3. Ask academic staff to check students’ submissions with anti-plagiarism software.
  4. Conduct an investigation into all malpractice allegations.  Such investigations will be supported by the Academic Director and all personnel linked to the allegations.

For college students, the college will:

  1. Seek to avoid potential malpractice by informing students of the college’s policy on malpractice and the penalties for attempted and actual incidents of malpractice.  Accomplished through the use of a training video
  2. Train students on the appropriate format to record cited texts and other materials or information sources.  Accomplished through the use of a training video
  3. Ask students to declare that their work is their own. Students should sign declarations for each assignment submitted
  4. Ask students to check their submissions with anti-plagiarism software and provide evidence that they have interpreted and synthesised appropriate information and acknowledged all sources used
  5. Conduct an investigation into all malpractice allegations.  Such investigations will be supported by the Academic Director and all personnel linked to the allegations.

Student Malpractice 

This includes but is not limited to:

  • the Academic Malpractice examples given above.
  • allowing someone to impersonate you for exam purposes
  • misusing the conditions for special learner requirements in order to influence the outcome of your assessment
  • Claiming for a certificate prior to completing all the requirements of assessment.

Minor concerns about authenticity e.g. work which has been poorly referenced through neglect (not deliberate deception) should be dealt with by the teacher in the first instance.

Where a teacher or examiner suspects that academic malpractice has taken place, he/she should immediately inform the relevant Programme Manager or Academic Director.

Where anyone suspects that maladministration has taken place, he/she should immediately inform the relevant Programme Manager, Administrative Director or Academic Director.

Registered and non-registered students of the Association of Business Executive (ABE) programme, should refer to ABE’s Malpractice policy v4.2 (May 2021).  This document is available on the EDUWEB College ABE information page (https://eduwebtt.com/abe/) and provides several malpractice examples.

Procedure for investigation of Student Malpractice allegation

Person making the allegation should fill out the “Complaint / Incident Reporting” form located at https://eduwebtt.com/policies/ and submit it to the teacher, examiner, Programme Manager or Academic Director.  Once received, an investigation team led by the QMS Representative or by a duly appointed third party, will be appointed to conduct an investigation.  The following steps will be taken:

  1. Inform the learner of the alleged malpractice
  2. Allow the learner the opportunity to respond to the allegations made via writing
  3. Inform the learner of the avenues for appealing against any judgment made
  4. Document all stages of any investigation.
  5. Where malpractice is proven, the college will apply an appropriate consequence, which may include:
    1. Application of school code of conduct (where applicable)
    2. Informing the external examining body (where applicable) of the findings using the relevant reporting forms. The examining body will inform us of their findings and their recommended disciplinary steps.
    3. For courses with no external examining body, disciplinary action will be taken up to and including expulsion from the course.

Ejection from the course should only be considered on a case-by-case basis and the decision of the investigation team is final.

Staff Malpractice 

This includes but is not limited to the following:

  • improper assistance to candidates
  • inventing or changing marks for internally assessed work
  • where there is insufficient evidence of the candidates’ achievement to justify the marks given or assessment decisions made
  • failure to keep candidate coursework/portfolios of evidence secure
  • inappropriate retention of certificates
  • assisting students in the production of work for assessment, where the support has the potential to influence the outcomes of assessment e.g. college staff producing work for the learner
  • producing falsified witness statements, for example for evidence the learner has not generated
  • allowing evidence known not to belong to the learner to be included in the learner’s assignment / task / portfolio / coursework
  • facilitating and allowing impersonation
  • misusing the conditions for special learner requirements, up to the point where the support has the potential to influence the outcome of the assessment
  • falsifying records / certificates
  • Claiming for a certificate prior to the learner completing all the requirements of assessment.

Where the alleged malpractice relates to an ABE programme, please refer to ABE’s Malpractice policy v4.2 (May 2021).  This document is available on the EDUWEB College ABE information page (https://eduwebtt.com/abe/) and provides several malpractice and maladministration examples.

Procedure for investigation of Staff Malpractice allegation

Person making the allegation should fill out the “Complaint / Incident Reporting” form located at https://eduwebtt.com/policies/ and submit it to the Programme Manager, or Academic Director.  Once received, an investigation team led by the QMS Representative or by a duly appointed third party, will lead the investigation team.  The following steps will be taken:

  1. Inform the staff member, their line manager and the Administrative or Academic Director
  2. Allow the staff member the opportunity to respond to the allegations made via writing
  3. Inform the staff member of the avenues for appealing against any judgment made
  4. Document all stages of any investigation.
  5.  Where malpractice is proven, the college will apply an appropriate consequence, which may include:
    1. Application of school code of conduct (where applicable)
    2. Informing the external examining body (where applicable) of the findings using the relevant reporting forms
    3. Fully comply with the relevant examining body and any regulatory authorities during any investigation
    4. Disciplinary action may be taken up to and including removal from the role or even separation from the college

Removal from the role and separation from the college should only be considered on a case-by-case basis and the decision of the investigation team is final.

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