Faculty Guidance
This section provides faculty members with essential information and guidance to foster an environment of honesty and respect in academic work. Use this page as a resource to prevent misconduct and ensure the university is maintaining standards of academic integrity.
If you have witnessed an academic integrity incident and need to submit a form to Maxient, please use the link below.
Faculty role in academic integrity
Faculty members play a crucial role in upholding and advocating for academic integrity in their classrooms and other academic spaces. They create academic environments that emphasize the importance of integrity in academic work. Faculty members are also involved in the development and enforcement of academic integrity policies, ensuring that these guidelines are transparent, fair, and consistently applied.
Faculty responsibilities in academic integrity
Faculty members have several key responsibilities in maintaining academic integrity:
- Communicate the standards of academic honesty to their students, including the proper citation of sources and the expectations for individual and collaborative work.
- Design assessments and assignments in a way that minimizes opportunities for academic dishonesty.
- Take appropriate actions per UMass Boston policies when instances of academic misconduct are suspected. Actions may include reporting violations and participating in adjudication processes.
- Provide support and resources to help students understand and practice academic integrity, encouraging a culture of honesty and ethical behavior in all academic endeavors.
Academic integrity and AI
The Faculty Council has recommended that all syllabi include one of two statements concerning the use or restriction of AI tools in the course (ref: Faculty Council Minutes for Monday, October 2, 2023, pp. 6-7):
- When AI is not allowed in your classroom: "In this class, all submitted work must be original and created by the student(s) alone or in groups. Students should not have another person or entity write any portion of an assignment, including hiring others or using AI tools like ChatGPT. Always cite sources for quoted or referenced material. If unsure about a source's appropriateness, consult the instructor."
- When AI is allowed in your classroom, with attribution: "Use of AI tools, including ChatGPT, is permitted in this course on certain assignments. [Faculty must either detail the assignments or types of assignments here or clarify how students will know which ones.] To adhere to our values and the Student Code of Conduct, students must cite any AI-generated material that informed their work. This includes detailed citations of AI-generated content and adding the full text of cited ChatGPT (or other Large Language Model (LLM) generator) as an appendix to the assignment. Misuse or failure to cite AI help is considered academic dishonesty. Ensure AI-generated information is accurate. Contact the instructor if in doubt about using a source."
Additionally, you can use the resource below to learn how to craft a policy that addresses AI and GenAI. This resource is from the University of California, San Diego.
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Practices for Promoting Academic Integrity
Faculty play a crucial role in promoting academic integrity by fostering an environment of integrity, setting clear expectations, providing proactive support, and modeling ethical behavior in all academic endeavors.
As a faculty member, what happens when an alleged academic integrity issue is observed?
Step 1
When a faculty member suspects a case of academic dishonesty, they inform the student in writing within ten days. Communication with the student must include the suspected violation, an offer to meet with the student, the proposed sanction, and any recommended university sanctions.
Faculty members will use the list from the Types of Academic Integrity Errors section to identify which error has allegedly occurred. Use consistent language in all writing and communication when identifying the incident.
Please note: All correspondence concerning an allegation of academic dishonesty should be copied to the faculty member’s:
- Department Chair and Associate Vice Provost of Undergraduate Studies, when undergraduate student(s) are involved.
OR
- Graduate Program Director and the Associate Vice Provost for Graduate Education, when graduate students are involved.
Faculty members have the option to discuss the situation with their department chair and the student before formalizing a report. However, you can still formalize the report in writing and post it in Maxient (using the intake form below) without a discussion or before a discussion occurs.
Step 2
The student has ten business days to meet with the faculty member. After the meeting or after the ten days have elapsed, the faculty member may choose to impose the sanction or to rescind the sanction.
The academic integrity policy says the sanction will be imposed unless the faculty member withdraws the sanction and notifies the student and other relevant parties in writing that it was not a case of academic dishonesty. If the sanction is withdrawn, the case is resolved and removed from the student’s record.
Step 3
The Associate Vice Provost (AVP) has ten days to review the case and determine the university sanctions. During this review, the AVP may request a meeting with the student. The AVP will notify the student and all relevant parties in writing of the decision. The AVP will also provide information about the appeal process, should the student wish to appeal the decision.
Step 4
The student has ten days to appeal the sanction by the faculty member, the AVP, or both. The Provost’s Office convenes an appeal panel several times a year to hear appeal cases. The Provost informs the student and all relevant parties of the decision in writing.
Please note: Undergraduate students are required to meet with an academic coach through Student Equity, Access & Success (SEAS) to obtain guidance on the appeal process.
Appeal Process
- The Associate Provost will contact the student in writing confirming an appeal has been requested.
- The Associate Provost communicates with the student to confirm the date and time of the hearing (one hour by Zoom, not recorded). They will also make an appointment to review and orient the student to their role and the process of the hearing meeting before the hearing.
- The student can bring an advisor/supporter to the hearing, but the advisor cannot speak during the hearing.
- All participants, including the hearing committee, faculty, and the student, will receive the same documents, which are posted in Maxient.
- The Discipline & Grievance Committee has ten business days to submit a recommendation in writing to the Provost.
- The Provost has five business days to submit a decision to the student and the decision is final.
Please note: The attendees include three faculty from the Discipline & Grievance Committee and two student volunteers, all of whom have no conflicts of interest. The Associate Provost screens these individuals.