Academic Honesty In the Diploma Programme

Purpose of the session  Raise awareness about AH  Improve your understanding  Help you to avoid unintentional academic dishonesty  Ensure you understand the consequences  Encourage you to be academically honest

Why is academic honesty important?  learn from honest work  be proud of honest work  Honest work is rewarding  You can judge your progress  Honest work is fair to all learners in the learning community

Who is responsible  …. for academic honesty?

You Are responsible for making sure you follow the principles of academic honesty and do not engage in any activity that might be considered academically dishonest.

Plagiarism occurs when someone  Uses words, ideas, or work products  attributable to another identifiable person or source  without attributing the work to the source from which it was obtained  in a situation in which there is a legitimate expectation of original authorship  in order to obtain some benefit, credit, or gain. (Fishman 2010)

Plagiarism and Collusion  The most common forms of malpractice  Carry the same penalty  Are often not deliberate  In the diploma whether the plagiarism and/or collusion is intentional is immaterial to the penalty.  Collusion is plagiarism where the source is a co-learner.

Collusion and Collaboration  A fine line…….?  Where is the difference  Collaboration = talking together, taking notes, planning sharing ideas  Collusion = handing over your work (intentionally or otherwise!)

Other forms of Malpractice  Cheating during exams  Fabrication of data  Auto-plagiarism  Using a ghost writer  Inappropriate help from a tutor  Having access to unapproved devices  Gaining unauthorized access to assessment items (including examination questions)

So why do students engage in malpractice?  Poor organization (most commonly)  Lack of skill, knowledge or understanding relating to the task  Pressure to get good grades  Laziness

Unintentional Malpractice  Most cases of malpractice are unintentional. (80%)  A friend copies your work  You do not know how to cite sources  You forget to provide references / bibliography  You do not pay attention to instructions  You do not engage with the teacher or with the task

Who is involved  You  Your Teacher  Your parents  Year head  Diploma coordinator  Principal

Teachers  have a duty  and the authority  to investigate suspected malpractice  and to impose appropriate sanctions  This is good for you as it protects the value of your education.

The Year Head  Investigates along with the teacher if necessary  Attempts to establish intent  Informs your parents  Keeps a record (in your file)  Applies the school policy  ISD has an Academic Honesty Policy (Student / Parent Handbook, page 9 )

The DP coordinator  Raises awareness  Answers questions  Helps clarify situations  Applies DP guidelines  Informs IB  IB has an academic honesty policy also!

DP process / Student Coversheet not signed  When malpractice is recognized in the school before the task coversheet is signed by the student, the case must be dealt with internally.  This can involve rewriting part or all of the task under conditions determined by the teacher.

DP process / Student coversheet signed  When malpractice is recognized in the school after the task coversheet is signed by the student, the case must be referred to IB.  IB will request statements from the student, the teacher and the DP coordinator.  IB will consider these statements and any other evidence supplied by the school and will communicate its decision to the school.

Appeal  A student may request an appeal  The IB decision can only be appealed on the grounds that:  IB did not follow its own published procedures. Or  New evidence can become available that was not submitted initially.

Learning, honestly  Honesty and integrity underpin the Diploma programme  Your work should demonstrate these qualities  You should be proud of you work  You won’t be if it is not your own!

Be an IB learner  Learn independently  Be a critical thinker  Think creatively  Be principled  Have a strong sense of fairness, justice and respect

High stakes  Worst case outcomes include  loss of diploma,  no grade in a subject,  having to repeat an assignment  record of malpractice in student file

How can I avoid all of this?  Engage with your teacher  Be sure you know what is expected  Do not post your work on public websites or social media websites  Do not share your work electronically  Do not allow others to use your work  Be proud of your work

Why do we do all of this?  To protect you, the honest learner  To protect the quality of your education  Because we want to act ethically  To protect the reputation of the school  Because we believe in the learner profile  Because we believe that honest learning is the only valuable kind of learning there is

Where can I read about AH ?  Student parent handbook page 9  Digital citizenship agreement  IB learner profile  Partnership agreement