Academic Integrity Policy

POLICY STATEMENT
Academic integrity is a fundamental value of the College, rooted in the principles of honesty, trust, fairness, respect, responsibility, and courage. In the context of Traditional Chinese Medicine (TCM), academic integrity is directly linked to patient safety and professional ethics.
Academic dishonesty occurs when a person knowingly acts in a way that results in unearned academic credit or advantage. A person is considered to have committed an offence if they knew or reasonably should have known their actions constituted dishonesty. As future healthcare practitioners, students are expected to maintain the same level of integrity in their academic work as is required in clinical practice and patient record-keeping.
Academic honesty requires that individuals not falsely claim credit for the ideas, writing, or intellectual property of others by presenting such work as their own or through inadequate citation. Students must not gain improper advantages in assessments through cheating; they must not alter or fabricate research data or academic records; and they must not aid others in committing acts of academic dishonesty.

ACADEMIC OFFENCES
-Plagiarism
Plagiarism is presenting someone else’s work, ideas, or intellectual property as one’s own without proper acknowledgment. This includes inadequate or absent citation, paraphrasing without attribution, and submitting purchased or commissioned work.
-Cheating
Cheating includes using unauthorized materials or assistance during examinations or assessments, copying from others, sharing answers, or accessing assessment content in advance without authorization.
-Unauthorized Collaboration
Unauthorized collaboration occurs when students work together on assignments designated as individual work, share answers or substantial portions of work, or receive prohibited assistance from others.
Students are responsible for clarifying expectations with instructors when collaboration rules are unclear. Group work is permitted only when explicitly authorized by the instructor.

-Self-Plagiarism and Resubmission
Students may not submit the same work, or substantially similar work, for credit in multiple courses without prior written permission from all instructors involved.
-Fabrication and Falsification
Fabrication involves inventing data, research results, clinical observations, or sources. Falsification involves manipulating research data, patient records, academic records, or documentation to misrepresent results or performance.
Given the clinical nature of Traditional Chinese Medicine education, students must maintain absolute accuracy in recording patient interactions, treatment outcomes, and research observations.
-Use of Technology and Artificial Intelligence
Technology tools, including artificial intelligence applications, may be used only as explicitly permitted by course instructors. Unless otherwise specified, submitting work generated by AI tools as one’s own constitutes academic dishonesty.
When technology assistance is permitted, students must disclose and cite all technology assistance appropriately, verify the accuracy of all information obtained through technology tools, and take responsibility for any errors or inaccuracies in submitted work, regardless of source.

-Clinical and Professional Dishonesty
Given the clinical nature of the program, the following actions are considered significant violations of academic integrity:
• Fabrication of Clinical Hours: Falsifying signatures or hours on clinical logbooks or observation sheets.
• Record Falsification: Altering patient files, treatment notes, or informed consent documentation, which violates the CTCMPAO Standard for Record Keeping.
• Unauthorized Practice: Performing controlled acts (such as acupuncture) outside of supervised clinical hours or without explicit instructor approval.
• Breach of Confidentiality: Unauthorized sharing of patient health information (PHI) in academic assignments

FACULTY RESPONSIBILITIES
Faculty members are responsible for promoting academic integrity by clearly communicating expectations in course syllabi and assignment instructions, specifying which resources, tools, and forms of assistance are permitted, designing assessments that encourage original thinking and minimize opportunities for dishonesty, and addressing suspected violations promptly and fairly in accordance with this policy.

INVESTIGATION AND ADJUDICATION PROCEDURES
-Reporting and Initial Review
When a faculty member suspects academic dishonesty, they will document the incident with supporting evidence and report it to the Academic Dean within five (5) business days. The Academic Dean will conduct an initial review to determine if reasonable grounds exist to proceed with a formal investigation.
Students are presumed innocent until clear and compelling evidence demonstrates a violation.

INVESTIGATION AND ADJUDICATION PROCEDURES
-Reporting and Initial Review
When a faculty member suspects academic dishonesty, they will document the incident with supporting evidence and report it to the Academic Dean within five (5) business days. The Academic Dean will conduct an initial review to determine if reasonable grounds exist to proceed with a formal investigation.
Students are presumed innocent until clear and compelling evidence demonstrates a violation.

• THE ACADEMIC INTEGRITY COMMITTEE (AIC)
  To ensure impartial adjudication for serious offences or appeals, the College shall maintain an Academic Integrity Committee.
• Committee Composition:
  -Chair: A senior administrator or the President (non-voting, except in ties).
  -Members: Three (3) faculty members appointed on an ad-hoc basis.
  -Impartiality Rule: No member may have been involved in the initial investigation or the instruction of the student for the course in question.
• Quorum: All three faculty members must be present for a decision to be valid.
• Rules of Order: The committee reviews evidence on the “Balance of Probabilities” (i.e., is it more likely than not that the offence occurred?).

INVESTIGATION AND ADJUDICATION PROCEDURES

-Reporting & Initial Review

• Faculty Responsibility: Document evidence and report to the Academic Dean within five (5) business days.
• Presumption of Innocence: Students are presumed innocent until clear evidence demonstrates a violation.

-Notice and Student Response

• Written Notification is sent to the student within five (5) business days of the Dean’s review.
• Students have ten (10) business days to provide a written response or request a meeting.
• Students have a right to a support person during all meetings.
• Students requiring AODA accommodations may request deadline extensions.

-The Decision

• The Academic Dean issues a written decision within ten (10) business days of the investigation’s end.
• Sanctions range from failing grades on assignments to suspension or expulsion.OSAP Impact: Sanctions affecting registration
• status will be reported to the Financial Aid Officer as per MCU requirements.

APPEALS PROCESS

• Written appeals must be submitted to the President within ten (10) business days of the decision.
• Students may appeal on the basis of perceived procedural error, in order to present new evidence, to challenge the sanction prescribed in their case, or on the basis of perceived bias in the adjudication of their case.
• Final Review: If the President’s decision is contested, the Academic Integrity Committee (Section 3) is convened. Their written decision is final within the institution.

RECORDS AND CONFIDENTIALITY
File Maintenance: Records are kept in the student’s academic file per the Student Records Management Policy.
Privacy: Information is shared only with those with a “need to know” (e.g., Registrar, Financial Aid for OSAP purposes).

RECORDS AND CONFIDENTIALITY
Records of academic dishonesty investigations and determinations will be maintained in the student’s academic file in accordance with the Student Records Management Policy and applicable privacy legislation.
All proceedings will maintain confidentiality to the extent possible while ensuring a fair and thorough process. Information will be shared only with those who have a legitimate need to know for investigation, decision-making, or implementation of sanctions.

POLICY REVIEW
This policy will be reviewed every three (3) years or as necessary to reflect changes in academic standards, legal requirements, or best practices.