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Fraud policy

Summary
This article explains how the policy and rules concerning fraud are applied within the educational institution. Among other things the information provision, the functioning of the examination board and the imposition of sanctions, will be discussed. Finally, a schematic representation is given of the process of processing and handling in the event of fraud.

1. Introduction

Fraud and plagiarism are defined as any act, omission, attempt, inducement or admission of behaviour which results in an incorrect representation of performance in terms of knowledge, insight, skills, competences, (professional) attitude, reflection and the like which may result in the examiner no longer being able to assess the students' knowledge or ability in a correct and fair manner.

Fraud therefore occurs when it is established that a student's own knowledge and ability are not or cannot be used cannot or could not be assessed correctly because the student has made use of aids which are not permitted, including cheating by fellow students, or because he has left someone else's work pass for his own work (plagiarism). The latter also includes quoting others without adequate identification of source and identity fraud.

Plagiarism includes:

  • Verbatim copying (parts of) texts of others without indicating that they are quotations;
  • Paraphrasing ('rewriting in other words') others' texts and presenting this as one's own work;
  • Presenting in a research paper ideas, assertions, conceptions, reasoning, research tools and the like of others as your own, even if in your own words. In such a case, reference should always be made to the original source;
  • Failure to properly apply the rules used in source referencing. A student may therefore use the texts of others, as long as it is done in the right way; that is, with the correct way of referring to the source. Above all, use is made of those texts of others to support one's own text, ideas, reasoning, findings and so on.

Violation of prescribed rules regarding the state of affairs with regard to assessment is also regarded as fraud. The rules concerning the course of events around assessment are stated on the Policy Wiki and in the programme guide (see below).

2 Information provision

2.1 To the student

The general rules on written tests, the rules on oral tests and the rules for taking digital tests are published on this policy wiki. In addition the student must be informed in advance about the specific rules used for the assesment in question via the programme guide. Subsequently, the student must be informed about this at the time of the assessment itself, for example by means of the cover page for a written test. This concerns rules for cooperation, use of tools during the test, and so on.

2.2 To lecturer and/or supervisor

Lecturer and surveillant should also be informed in advance about the rules that are used for the test, for example by means of the cover page for a written test. In addition, they need to know how to act if there is a suspicion of fraud.

3 Alerting and reporting suspected fraud to the examination board

When lecturers, when assessing a product, suspect that a student has submitted work that is not their own, they first question the student. This may involve, for example, passing off others' work for one's own or using others' work without source citations (see section 1 Introduction).

If after the interview with the student a suspicion of fraud persists, lecturers report it to the examination board.When reported to the examination board, the student is placed in the c.c. Lecturers submit the corresponding evidence with the report.

For summative assessments, lecturers have a duty to report suspected fraud in accordance with the above procedure.

In formative assessments, there is no reporting requirement. The formative process is a learning process in which students should be allowed to make mistakes, without immediate sanctions. However, should lecturers feel that there is a deliberate attempt to mislead or disrupt the formative process, they always have the option of reporting suspected fraud.

In case assessments are conducted in a more traditional examination setting: if a student is caught cheating or using aids that are not permitted during an assessment/examination, the student will be called to account. The lecturer/supervisor makes a report of what he has observed (dates and facts) and submits it, if possible with the evidence, to the Examination Board.

4 Hearing of those involved by the examination board

The examination board examines the report with at least two members. For this purpose, the person who made the report will be heard, followed by the student or students. Any other interested parties may also be heard. A report of the hearing shall be made by one of the two members. The student (or:the students) who has (or:have) been heard, receive a copy of the report.

5 Determining the sanction to be imposed

If, in the opinion of the examination board, there is fraud, a sanction will be imposed. Depending on the seriousness of the fraud, the penalty will be determined. Elements that play a role in this:

  • extent of the fraud;
  • seriousness of the fraud (e.g. during the propaedeutic phase or at the end of the study programme during graduation?);
  • 1st time or repeat (recidivism);
  • student attitude.

Possible sanctions in increasing severity:

  1. the assessed work is declared invalid; the student must do this work (the test) again;
    • warning that next time a heavier sanction will follow;
    • note in the student's file;
  2. all the penalties referred to in point 1, plus:
    • The student will be denied access to tests, examinations and assessments for a certain period of time (maximum 1 year). Note: the student is allowed to continue education, so there is no question of 'suspension';
    • The student may also be asked to write a reflection on his behaviour before he is allowed to take the test again or hand in the work;
  3. the completion of the enrolment by the Executive Board. The examination board must write a recommendation to the Executive Board which will be sent to the Board of Governors via the managing director. The exammination board requests advice from Legal affairs (JZ) of Fontys Onderwijs en Onderzoek. JZ formulates an advice for the Executive Board.

The above sanctions may also be applied in combination. Where the seriousness of the fraud so permits, the lightest sanction is applied first.

6 Notification of the decision and the sanction imposed

The examination board determines on the basis of the report of the hearing and any accompanying evidence whether or not there is a case of fraud.

In case of fraud, the examination board will take a decision in which the sanction to be imposed will be laid down. If possible, this decision will be communicated to the student orally, but in any case in writing and with a motivation, stating the possibility of appeal and the time limit for appeal (within 6 weeks at the Examination Appeals Board). In this decree, the student may also be explicitly referred to the sanction that will follow if there is another case of fraud.

In all cases where fraud is detected, the decision and the sanction imposed are recorded in the fraud registration file (anonymised). In addition, it will be placed in Content Manager in the confidential study career guidance file (blue folder); only members of the examination board can consult that part.

If there is no question of fraud, the student will be informed of this if possible verbally, but in any case in writing and with reasons.

7 Fraud processing and handling

The procedure fraud processing and handling starts with the notification of fraud by a lecturer or student and ends with the registration of the established fraud by the official secretary. Here, it is important that one examination chamber is competent to handle all fraud cases.

8 Documentation retention period

The report on the hearing and the evidence will be kept for at least six months, and in any case for as long as any appeal procedure(s) are (first with the Examination Appeals Board, then with the Council of State in The Hague).