Policies

Academic Integrity Policy

UCSC Extension, a unit of the University of California, Santa Cruz, takes academic integrity seriously. All forms of academic misconduct, including but not limited to, cheating, fabrication, plagiarism, or facilitating academic dishonesty, are grounds for student discipline.

Unless otherwise indicated by the course instructor, assignments must be individual efforts.

It is not acceptable to copy (verbatim or even with minor changes) whole sections of a book, article, or internet resource and submit them as your own work. References should be listed and direct quotes indicated as such, with the author cited.

UCSC Extension Academic Misconduct Policy

If a student does not follow the Academic Integrity policy above, the following steps will be taken to report the academic misconduct.

The instructor would first meet with the student within 10 business days of the assignment being submitted. If in this meeting it is determined that no policies were broken, the issue is dropped.

If the instructor feels the policy was broken and the student agrees with the sanctions, the instructor and student will fill out the standardized form and sign it. There must be evidence attached to the form. The form must be forwarded to the Program Manager within three business days of the form being signed.

The form is sent to the Program Manager within three business days of it being signed for approval. The Program Manager will review the decision, sanctions, and evidence. If the Program Manager agrees that there is enough evidence, and agrees that the sanctions are fair, they will approve the request. The Program Manager will then send the form to the registrar’s office if the class is dropped or the grade needs to be changed, and for record keeping. If the Program Manager does not agree with the instructor’s decision and sanctions or feels there is not enough evidence, the case will be forwarded to the Academic Review Committee (ARC) for review.

If the student disagrees with the instructor, it will be noted on the form and both will sign the form. The form is given to the Program Manager.

The Program Manager will schedule a hearing with the ARC Committee. The ARC Committee would reach out to the student and instructor within 10 business days from receiving the form. The ARC Committee would meet to make a final decision.

The student has a right to appeal to the Dean if they appeal within five business days from the ARC decision.

If the student does not respond to the instructor, Program Manager, or ARC Committee, the student will be found guilty and the sanctions will be implemented.

Sanctions vary from case to case. Potential sanctions could include but are not limited to:

1st Offense	Assignment must be redone or assignment is assigned an F grade. The whole course could be assigned an F grade. Warning letter is given to the student that they can be dropped from the course or certificate program. Sanctions depend on the severity of the case. Harsher sanctions could be given if appropriate.
2nd Offense	Student will be dropped from the course and given an F grade. Student will be dropped from the certificate program. Student cannot enroll in any UCSC Extension course for a year. When returning, the student must re-register to the certificate program. Student might be placed on academic probation when they return. Sanctions depend on the severity of the case. Harsher sanctions could be given if it is found to be appropriate.
3rd Offense	Student might need to wait longer to return to UCSC Extension. Student might be permanently dropped from the certificate program and would need to take courses towards another certificate. Student could be permanently expelled from UCSC Extension, without the possibility to return. Sanctions depend on the severity of the case. Harsher sanctions could be given if it is found to be appropriate.

If a case involves more than one student, the Program Manager will determine if they will be investigated individually.

Reporting Academic Misconduct

If you have questions regarding the reporting of academic misconduct, please contact the Office of the Registrar at extensionregistrar@ucsc.edu.