Academic Catalogue

academic integrity, probation, appeals

Academic Integrity

All students at Regent College are expected to practise uncompromised integrity in all academic matters. The fact that Regent is a Christian college makes vigilance in this area all the more imperative. Consequently, academic offences shall not be tolerated.

Academic Offences

Academic offences that are subject to penalty include, but are not limited to, the following:

1. Plagiarism: A student's work must be their own. Plagiarism is an academic offence in which someone presents, in whole or in part, the work of another person or AI text generator as his or her own work. Academic work properly involves the examination, critical evaluation, and utilization of contributions of other people. However, whenever someone uses the contributions of others in an academic setting, he or she must acknowledge the author of those contributions through footnotes or other acceptable referencing practices. Direct quotations must be clearly and properly indicated. Failure to do so, whether intentionally or accidentally, constitutes plagiarism. Plagiarism can occur in written work (e.g., failure to acknowledge the use of other people’s words and ideas) and in non-written work (e.g., failure to acknowledge the use of other people’s images or creations in a work of art, or of other people’s words in an oral presentation).
2. Cheating: Cheating is an academic offence involving the failure to follow the instructions pertaining to the conditions for writing an assignment or examination, or falsifying material subject to academic evaluation. Cheating includes, but is not exclusive to, copying work from another person or text, using unauthorized materials or equipment in an examination, using unauthorized technology such as AI text generators, obtaining examinations or similar materials by improper means, and impersonating another student or submitting work under another student’s name.
3. Duplicating Assignments: It is an academic offence to submit the same, or substantially the same, essay, presentation, or assignment in more than one course, whether the earlier presentation was at Regent College or at another institution, unless prior approval has been obtained.
4. False Representation: Making false representation by submitting false records or information, whether in writing or orally, by falsifying or submitting false documents (including, but not limited to, the following: transcripts, letters of reference, financial aid documents), or by failing to submit required records or information, is an academic offence.

Penalties

The assessment of penalties for academic offences is at the discretion of the Academic Standards Committee; recommendations for suspension shall be referred to the Senate. Where the Committee determines that a student’s behaviour does warrant discipline, it may impose one or more of the following penalties:

1. A reduced grade, including a grade of zero or Fail, on the assignment, test, or exam in question.
2. A reduced grade, including a grade of Fail, on the course in question.
3. A notation to be placed on the student’s transcript stating that the student has committed an academic offence and indicating the penalty imposed.
4. Suspension or cancellation of any bursaries, scholarships, or other forms of financial aid.
5. Suspension from the College, whether for a specified period of time, an indefinite period of time, or permanently (i.e., expulsion).
6. Rejection of admission to a program or to the College.

Consideration of the severity of the offence shall be given in determining the appropriate penalty. Under normal circumstances, however, the penalties shall be as follows:

1. In cases of plagiarism or cheating, the penalty for the first offence shall be failure of the course; the penalty for a subsequent offence shall be failure of the course and suspension from the College.
2. In the case of duplicating assignments, the penalty for the first offence shall be a full letter grade reduction in the course and the student shall be required to re-write and submit the assignment in acceptable form; the penalty for a second offence shall be failure of the course and suspension from the College.
3. In the case of false representation in the context of an application for admission, the penalty shall be rejection of admission to the College; in the case of false representation in the context of a course, the penalty shall be failure of the course and suspension from the College.

In all cases of academic offence, a notice shall be placed in the student’s file. In the case of suspension, a notation of the penalty shall be entered on the student’s record, which shall appear on his or her academic transcript. After at least two years following the termination of the suspension, the student may appeal to the Academic Standards Committee to have this notation removed. Students shall not receive credit for courses taken at another institution while on suspension.

Process

All work submitted by students may be reviewed, by whatever means seem appropriate, to ensure that an academic offence has not been committed. These means may include, but are not limited to, using one or more software and/or internet-based service to verify the authenticity and originality of students’ work. Professors who find that a student has committed an academic offence may, at their discretion, require the student to resubmit the assignment with an appropriate penalty. Alternatively, they may report their findings to the Registrar, with supporting evidence and a proposed penalty. If a professor chooses to allow the student to resubmit an assignment and the alleged offence is not remedied, it will be reported to the Registrar with evidence.

Upon receipt of a report from a professor of an alleged academic offence, the Registrar shall refer the matter, along with supporting evidence provided by the professor, to the Academic Standards Committee. The student shall also be invited to respond, in writing, to the allegations being raised against him or her. The student shall be given a minimum of fourteen days to provide a written defense before the Academic Standards Committee meets. The Academic Standards Committee shall consider the evidence provided by the professor and the defense provided by the student (if any), and any other information that may be relevant to the case, in determining whether or not an academic offence has been committed, and, if so, what the appropriate penalty shall be, with reference to the penalties outlined above. Where the penalty is suspension from the College, the Academic Standards Committee shall make recommendation to the Senate and the Senate shall make the final decision regarding the penalty.

In cases where the student thinks that the process was not followed properly or that new information has come to light since the decision made by the Academic Standars Committee, the student has the right to appeal, in writing, to the Senate the decision or recommendation of the Academic Standards Committee regarding a penalty against him or her. Letters of appeal must be submitted to the Academic Dean within thirty days of the decision of the Academic Standards Committee, failing which, no appeal shall be entertained by the Senate. The Senate shall consider whatever information has been provided by the Academic Standards Committee and by the student, and any other information that may be relevant to the case, in deciding whether to uphold the recommendation of the Academic Standards Committee, to impose a different penalty, or not to impose a penalty at all. All decisions of the Senate are final.

Academic Probation

The purpose of the probation policy is to alert students, where applicable, to the fact that they are not succeeding academically and to impress upon them the importance of giving serious attention to their academic performance in order to continue their studies. The policy also provides a mechanism for preventing students who are not likely to succeed from continuing their studies.

Criteria for Probation

Students admitted to Regent College are expected to maintain a grade point average (GPA) high enough to graduate. Students admitted to a program must maintain the minimum graduation GPA for that program (see Graduation Requirements and Procedures). In addition, students admitted with Special Student status must maintain the minimum graduation GPA for the GradDipCS program over the first 30 credit hours, but must maintain the minimum GPA for the MA Theo Studies program in order to go beyond 30 credit hours. Students who have a GPA below the minimum level shall be placed on academic probation.

Process for Students on Probation

Students who have been placed on probation for having a low GPA shall be required to develop a plan for academic recovery and to submit it to the Student Services Office. The plan should address what steps the student will take over the following year (e.g., retaking courses, reducing one's academic load, curtailing outside activities, changing one's program) in order to restore one's GPA to the level required for graduation. Students on probation are encouraged to meet with the Academic Advisor and/or with the Dean of Students to discuss ways of improving their academic performance.

Students shall be removed from probation whenever their GPA is sufficient to meet the graduation requirement for their current program.

Note: Students on probation are not eligible for financial aid from the College, and may not be eligible for Canadian or American student loans.

Action to be Taken at the End of Probation Year

While the College wants all students to succeed academically and so to complete their programs, remaining on probation for an entire year shall be considered sufficient grounds for requiring a student to discontinue his or her studies.

The Academic Standards Committee shall meet to discuss the academic prospect of students who remain on probation for one year or more. In such a situation, the student shall be invited to write a letter of explanation to the Committee before it meets. The Committee will take into consideration all aspects of a student's performance and circumstances and, in its best judgment, will decide whether or not he or she is likely to succeed academically. In cases where the Committee allows a student to continue, it may stipulate whatever conditions it believes are appropriate in order to help the student to succeed academically.

In cases where the Committee decides to prevent the student from registering for further courses, an indication that the student is not in good standing shall be made on the student's academic transcript. Probationary status, however, shall not be indicated on the transcript.

Appeal Process

Where the Academic Standards Committee has decided not to allow a student to continue to register for courses, the student may appeal in writing, within 60 days of the decision of the Committee, to the Senate of the College. The decision of the Senate shall be final. Students shall not be permitted to register for or take courses at Regent while an appeal is in process.

Appeals

Students who feel aggrieved regarding a decision relative to their academic program (e.g., admission to a degree, a ruling regarding an academic requirement or policy) may appeal the decision. The general appeal process is as follows:

1. The appeal would normally be made, in the first instance, to the person or committee responsible for the contested decision.
2. Where the student is not satisfied that the appeal has been fairly heard or considered, or where he or she wishes to appeal for an exception to College policy, a further appeal may be made:
• In the case of an admissions matter, appeal should be directed to the Admissions Committee, which meets regularly throughout the year.
• In the case of a ruling regarding an academic requirement or policy, appeal should be made to the Academic Standards Committee. For specific information on the appeal process for the following, see the relevant section in this Catalogue:
Course Extensions
Final Project Extension
Academic Probation
Academic Offences

• In a case involving an exception to Registration procedures or payment refunds, appeal should be made to the Director of Enrollment Services.
• In a case involving a question concerning financial aid, appeal can be made to the Financial Aid Committee.
• In the case of appealing a course grade, see the following.

Grade Appeals

In the case of an appeal of a course grade, students are encouraged first to discuss the matter directly with the course instructor. If, in the opinion of the student, the issue is still not resolved, he or she may make a formal appeal to the Registrar. The appeal will consist of:

1. a written statement articulating clearly the basis on which the student believes he or she deserves a grade higher than what was received;
2. all graded material for the course, with the assignment(s) to be reviewed in the original marked form; and
3. a $75 re-assessment fee (to be returned to the student if the grade is increased).

This appeal must be received within one month of the posting of the course grade in the student’s academic record. Note that oral assignments, practica, and final or capstone projects are not eligible for re-assessment.

The Registrar will forward the appeal to the Academic Dean (or designate) who will do the following:

1. Based on the student’s written statement, the Academic Dean will determine whether there is a prima facie basis for an appeal. Appeals based merely on the student’s disagreement with the professional assessment of the instructor will not be considered.
2. In the case where the Academic Dean believes there is not a prima facie basis for an appeal, the appeal process will end and the student’s grade will remain unchanged.
3. In the case where the Academic Dean believes there is a prima facie basis for an appeal, he or she may discuss the matter with the original instructor and possibly assign the student’s work to another qualified grader for re-assessment.
4. The decision of the Academic Dean with regard to whether or not the grade is to be raised, lowered, or remain unchanged shall be final.

Submission deadlines for Academic Standards Committee 

Letters appealing for an exception to Regent’s academic policies or requirements should be written to the Academic Standards Committee and submitted to the Academic Advisor & Administrator. The deadline for submission of appeals is two weeks prior to a meeting.