Policy Statement
This Teach-out policy addresses scenarios such as when a school chooses to discontinue a degree program or a track within a degree program, terminate a modality of delivering the degree program (e.g., the school wishes to stop offering an on-line program but continue the equivalent on-campus program), or decides to close an off-campus degree-delivery location.
Purpose of Policy
This policy is intended to provide an orderly process for students who have begun degree programs that are being deactivated or discontinued and to enable the “teaching out” of currently enrolled students so that they receive uninterrupted education toward their degree completion. All accredited programs should inform their unit’s accrediting body and follow their policies and processes. If an academic program is discontinued, it is the responsibility of the Provost to review and approve plans to close academic programs in order to ensure effective communication with stakeholders and to ensure that enrolled students are able to complete the academic program in a timely manner.
The Policy
Any decision to close a Degree or Certificate program entirely, eliminate a Degree or Certificate program from an additional location or eliminate a delivery modality for a Degree or Certificate program must also cease to admit students to the program. In addition, it must offer one or both of the following options to enrolled students:
- The Department or College develops and documents a teach-out plan for currently enrolled students and terminates the program after the plan is finished.
- The Department or College enters into a teach-out agreement with another institution or organization that will teach out the program for currently enrolled students.
Once a decision is made to stop delivering an academic program, eliminate a particular modality for an academic program or discontinue offering a program at a particular location, a teach-out plan and any relevant third party agreements must be submitted for review and approval by the Provost’s Office. Other relevant administrative offices may be consulted as part of this approval process. The Provost’s Office will also determine whether external agencies (e.g., Middle State Commission on Higher Education, the NJ Office of The Secretary of Higher Education, or other authorizing bodies) will be notified. The Faculty Handbook provides guidance on the institution’s obligations to all faculty teaching in a discontinued program.
The Department or College will develop a communication plan to inform currently enrolled students about the program closure and their options for completion. The Provost’s Office will notify relevant administrative offices (e.g., Admissions, Registrar, Financial Aid, etc.) about the program closure and the teach-out plan or agreement. The typical framework for a teach-out plan is described in the following section.
Procedures to Implement this Policy
The following may be addressed in all proposed teach-out plans:
Establishment of the date(s) by which
- all marketing materials and advertising for the program will be withdrawn, canceled, corrected or deleted and all recruitment and admissions for the teach-out program ceases and
- all the teach-out activities will end.
- Completion of an audit by the dean/chair of the affected program to determine what courses and other activities are needed by students currently enrolled to complete their course of study.
Development of a schedule of courses to be taught during the teach-out period that ensures all remaining courses required for students to complete their programs will be offered in a reasonable sequence. In some cases, it may be necessary to modify program requirements (e.g., include independent study courses or similar alternatives) to enable the students to complete their programs, but in these cases the learning objectives and credit-hour requirements will be equivalent to those of the original degree program.
A description of the faculty resources and academic support services that will be provided throughout the teach-out period.
A statement about how the Department or College will assist students who are enrolled in an affected program and who wish to transfer to another program or institution.
Signed copies of teach-out agreements with other institution (if any).
Agreements with other institutions must include arrangement for the storing of student records and the disposition of final financial resources and other asset (if any)
Additional considerations when developing a teach-out plan:
Legal review of agreements with other institutions, if any, must be completed before a teach- out plan is communicated.
No formal announcement of program discontinuation may be made until the communication plan has been developed and approved.
All teach-out plans must be consistent with any requirements and expectations of the external organizations that accredit or certify the programs to be completed under the teach-out plan.
A Department or College is not obligated to accommodate students who fail to take required courses when they are offered under the teach-out plan, or who do not receive passing grades in courses taught under a teach-out plan, beyond the formal end of the teach-out period in the list of components of the teach-out plan.
Definition(s)
Program Deactivation means that the program suspends incoming enrollment, but wishes to maintain the program for potential future use. This action is internal to the University.
Program Discontinuation means that the University has notified the New Jersey Board of Higher Education that the University wishes to remove the program from the list of programs that it is authorized to offer.
Policy Statement
Programs may be deactivated or discontinued if they no longer serve the University's mission, the needs of the students, the needs of society, or no longer possess academic validity or when the University cannot provide the resources to offer them. The decision to deactivate or discontinue a program shall be made only after all appropriate evidence has been gathered and examined, and thorough consultation with faculty and other affected parties has occurred.
Purpose of Policy
This policy provides criteria and a set of processes and procedures to be used in considering the deactivating or discontinuing of academic programs. The academic programs covered in this policy include the following: a) undergraduate and graduate degrees; c) minors and d) certificate programs. This policy allows the University to maintain flexibility and respond to changing demands.
The Policy
The deactivation or discontinuance of an academic program may have significant consequences for the entire University community, including faculty and staff as well as current or prospective students. Therefore, administration, faculty, staff and student interests and perspectives must be represented in discussions and documents of the process that may lead to the deactivation or discontinuance of any academic program. The University must provide an orderly and phased transition (See Teach Out Policy) for currently enrolled students. The University must carefully consider proposals to deactivate or discontinue a program. The final decision-making authority to deactivate or discontinue an academic program rests with the Board of Trustees.
Criteria
The Academic Life Committee of the University Faculty Assembly will initially evaluate the need for deactivation or discontinuance of an academic program. The initiating Dean will provide the committee with documentation demonstrating why the program is being considered for deactivation or discontinuance. The request must be accompanied by compelling written data and explanation. Justifiable reasons may include, but are not limited to:
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the need for the program, program quality and effectiveness: data for effectiveness may include trends in numbers of applications, enrollment and graduation rates, and information about the range and quality of studies delivered. Other reports or evidence may be considered, such as routine program outcomes, alumni or student surveys, faculty/staffing plan, or other specific reviews. Evidence may include quality- improvement efforts and any evidence of program-renewal strategies
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the availability of resources to sustain the program at an acceptable level of academic quality: evidence may include areas such as faculty availability, cost effectiveness, the length of time a program has been offered
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the student and societal needs that the program meets, especially needs that cannot otherwise be met
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the centrality and contribution of the program to the university. evidence of how the program contributes to a university-wide role beyond student degrees, such as general education or special academic area of emphasis
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the programs relationship to the mission of the university.
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factors and dynamics impacting enrollment and retention of students in the program such as persisting students and graduates: if students leave the program, whether they go to other programs in the university or to other institutions
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the effect of deactivation or deregistration on overall cost and institutional effectiveness.
Procedures to Implement this Policy
The initiating Dean convenes the program faculty and discusses the recommendation to deactivate or discontinue the program with that group, gathering information that may support or refute the information included in the recommendation. The program faculty have the opportunity to respond in writing to the recommendation, if they so desire.
The recommendation for deactivation or discontinuation and the response of the program faculty, if provided, is sent to the Academic Life Committee of the University Faculty Assembly for review. The Dean will provide a summary of the factors leading to the recommendation to discontinue the program and will be present at the committee meeting when the final recommendation is discussed. The director of the affected program and all members of the program being reviewed for discontinuation will be invited to participate and to provide information and answer questions about the recommendation.
Once the Academic Life committee has responded to the recommendation, the Dean will make a final recommendation. This will be sent to the Provost along with the response from the standing committee and the affected program faculty.
The Provost will review the Deans recommendation, along with the programs response and the response from the standing committee.
Should the Provost recommend the deactivation or discontinuation of any program, the President will review this recommendation. If the President concurs, the President will notify the Board of Trustees that the recommendation will be considered at the next meeting.
Once the Board of Trustees notifies the University Community of its decision, the Provost will begin formal notification to University Community and accrediting agencies as appropriate.
Definition(s)
Program Deactivation means that the program suspends incoming enrollment, but wishes to maintain the program for potential future use. This action is internal to the University.
Program Discontinuation means that the University has notified the New Jersey Board of Higher Education that the University wishes to remove the program from the list of programs that it is authorized to offer.
Academic integrity requires that each student acknowledges that the work represented in all assignments and all examinations is their own or is properly cited, and that the student has neither given nor received unauthorized information or assistance. Membership in the academic community of Saint Elizabeth University implies a high regard for human dignity and the expectation that ethical conduct be understood and practiced. Consequently, academic integrity is a vital part of the relationship among the University's faculty, administrators, staff and students.
Members of the academic community must recognize their individual responsibility to uphold academic integrity. The University does not tolerate academic dishonesty.
The Academic Integrity policies and procedures set forth below apply to all programs in the University. Some programs or departments may have additional policies on academic integrity and professional behavior as required by their professional accrediting agencies. SEU reserves the right, at any time, to suspend or dismiss a student who does not meet academic and/or ethical standards.
Purpose of Policy
This policy describes the observance of academic integrity among the University's faculty, administrators, staff and students.
The Policy
The University is committed to maintaining academic integrity throughout the University community. Cheating compromises the learning process; provides an unearned advantage; with the intent to deceive an instructor who is assigned to evaluate the student work.
Having academic integrity is important because it offers peace of mind knowing that an individual is doing the right thing, and tries to act consistently with those beliefs. Acting with integrity can reduce unnecessary stress in one’s life, and can make you happier, healthier, and more productive. xThe list of academic integrity violations is not limited to just plagiarism. Academic Integrity violations include, among other actions, the following; cheating in any form, theft of educational materials; purchase or obtaining in any other way a class paper or other assignment and submitting it as one’s own work; the unauthorized use of generative artificial intelligence (AI) to create a class paper or other assignment; the falsification of data; and illegal production of computer and audio/video software; including using a camera phone, text messaging, instant messaging or any other unauthorized method or communication of any sort, to give or receive assistance on a test or examination without the express permission of the instructor.
Students must abide by all quiz, exam, lock-down browser, and/or proctor instructions per the direction of the course/instructor. Sanctions will be imposed for violations of academic integrity. All faculty have access to plagiarism detection software, which can be used with or without a student’s knowledge in any Saint Elizabeth University course.
The following practices are illegal and/or violations of University policy: (this is not an exhaustive list; there may be additional scenarios not presented below)
- Plagiarizing is the use of the work of another person or group without giving the author(s) credit. Plagiarism includes: using all or part of another student's paper, journal, lab report, computer program or file; buying a paper, or trading goods or services for a paper; and using ideas, phrases, sentences, paragraphs, or pages from an article, essay, book, newspaper, magazine, or any other reference source without properly citing that source, either deliberately or through neglect, including the unauthorized use of Large Language Models (LLM)
- Cheating is a form of academic dishonesty in which the person misrepresents their mastery of the course content or clinical experiences. Cheating applies to examinations, labs, written assignment, clinical experiences, online discussions, and any other form of student assessment. Cheating on tests includes:
- Copying answers from another student or using impermissible information on an examination.
- Forging the name of a student or member of the faculty, administration, or staff on exams, projects, or University documents.
- Sabotaging the work of another student by deliberately destroying, harming or altering material or projects.
- Making, receiving or using unauthorized copies of computer or audio/video software.
- Removing institutional copies of computer or audio/video software from the library laboratories, or offices without permission from Instructional Technology.
- Copying all or part of another's computer program, assignment, file, database or audio/video material.
- Using technology to obtain illegal access to another computer.
- Unauthorized use of generative artificial intelligence technology, known as Large Language Models (LLM) such as ChatGPT
- Altering educational versions of software in a manner that violates an existing license or agreement.
- Providing falsified excuses, documents, or other information to excuse late or missed assignments.
- Falsely documenting experiential and/or internship opportunities that did not occur.
- Facilitation of dishonesty is deliberately or carelessly allowing one’s work to be used by other students without prior approval of the instructor or otherwise aiding others in committing violations of academic integrity.
- Violating copyright laws and/or using the work of others via computer or other technological means without express permission and/or clear attribution demonstrates disrespect for the creative work and personal expression of others. Although electronic and/or magnetic information is easily produced, invasion of privacy, unauthorized access, trade secret violations, and copyright violations are illegal (1987 EDUCOM and AADAPSO and copyright laws). Most computer and audio/video software is protected by copyright laws. It is incumbent upon the user to be familiar with the license agreement between the editor or publisher and the purchaser.
- Violations of research or professional ethics in this category include both violations of the code of ethics specific to a particular profession and violations of more generally applicable ethical requirements for the acquisition, analysis, and reporting of research data and the preparation and submission of scholarly work for publication. This also include, but is not limited to medical documentation such as charting, patient notes and other clinical records.
- Fabrication is a form of dishonesty by which the person deliberately invents or falsifies information or research findings with the intent to deceive. Falsifying data includes describing experiments that did not take place, presenting results that were deliberately altered, and/or citing data or references that do not exist. This also includes but is not limited to medical documentation such as charting, patient notes and other clinical records.
- Removing books, journals, periodicals, and other resources from the library without authorization is a form of stealing, and it is illegal.
Consequences of Violations
*These levels are not sequential; a Level One violation does not have to precede a Level Two Violation. For example, an egregious Level One violation may be escalated to a Level Two violation. The severity and repetitive nature of the violations will determine which level and sanction may be applied. The decisions regarding sanctions enacted may be made by applicable administration, faculty and staff.
Level One (I) Violations
A Level One Violation occurs when there is reason to believe that a violation of academic integrity might have resulted from a student's lack of awareness, and is often characterized by a relatively low degree of premeditation or planning on the part of the student committing the violation. The faculty member may address this on a one-to-one basis using discretion in adopting an appropriate course of action, but with the understanding that all Level One Violations must be documented and submitted.
In cases involving repeated occurrences of Level I violations, additional Level I violations may be considered a Level II or Level III violation.
Examples of Level One Violations:
- Improper footnoting and/or use of sources
- Quoting a passage directly without citation such as the unauthorized use of AI, (e.g., chatGPT)
- Paraphrasing without proper attribution
- Unauthorized use of an electronic device during a test or examination.
- Prohibited collaboration with another student on a homework assignment
Recommended Sanction(s): (at the discretion of the Instructor; in consultation with the Dean, Chair or Director of the Program (if appropriate)):
- Redoing the assignment
- Failing the assignment or examination
- Participation in a workshop or seminar on Academic Integrity (via Student Success Center)
- In all instances, the instructor will report the episode utilizing the Navigate system and its resolution to the Director of Retention Initiatives.
Level Two (II) Violations
Level Two Violations are characterized by deliberate action, substantial premeditation or planning and clearly dishonest or malicious intent on the part of the student committing the violation even if this is the first instance.
In cases involving repeated occurrences of Level I, Level II violations may be considered a Level II or Level III violation.
Examples of Level Two Violations:
- Cheating on a test, mid-term, or examination
- Using impermissible material during an examination
- Submitting another’s work as one’s own on an assignment paper, test, lab report, or project of any kind, such as the unauthorized use of AI, (e.g., chatGPT)
- Unauthorized preprogramming of and/or access to devices or learning management systems
- Submission of an assignment purchased from a company. (e.g. term papers, software program, etc.)
- Substantial plagiarism on a major assignment
Recommended Sanctions: (at the discretion of the Instructor; in consultation with the Dean, Chair or Director of the Program (if appropriate))
- Failing the assignment or examination
- Participation in a workshop or seminar on Academic Integrity
- In all instances, the instructor will report the episode utilizing the Navigate system and its resolution to the Director of Retention Initiatives.
Level Three (III) Violations
Level 3 violations are serious breaches of conduct, may involve a serious violation of a professional code of conduct, and may include extreme cases of dishonesty and maliciousness, even if this is the first instance of an academic integrity violation.
In cases involving repeated occurrences of Level I or Level II violations, subsequent Level II violations may be considered a Level III violation
Examples of Level Three Violations
- Theft of an examination or another student’s project
- Forgery of any kind
- Having a substitute take an examination
- Sabotaging another’s work.
- Repeated occurrences of Level I and/or Level II Violations
- Cheating and/or plagiarism on a capstone project, thesis, or dissertation
- Flagrant disregard for academic integrity policy, or egregious violations of the policy
- A serious violation of a professional code of conduct
Recommended Sanctions: (at the discretion of the Instructor; in consultation with the Dean, Chair or Director of the Program (if appropriate)):
- Documentation of the episode utilizing the Navigate system and its resolution to the Director of Retention Initiatives (where applicable).
- A failing grade in the course
- Suspension or dismissal, as determined by the Provost, in consultation with the Dean, Chair or Director of the Program (if appropriate))
Definition(s)
Academic Honesty is defined as the quality or condition of having or displaying strong moral principles; fair dealing; truthfulness, integrity.
Academic Integrity is important because dishonest behavior undermines learning and the credibility of the University. High standards of academic integrity safeguard one’s reputation, reflects well on the University and contributes to the well-being of society.
Academic assignments exist to help students learn; grades demonstrate a measure of how this goal is attained. Therefore, all work and all grades should result from the student’s own personal understanding and effort.
Academic Integrity Values: Honesty, Trust, Fairness, Respect, Responsibility and Courage. (ICAI, 2013).
Academic misconduct, broadly speaking, is any action which gains, attempts to gain, or assists others in gaining or attempting to gain unfair academic advantage. It includes, among other things, plagiarism, collusion, contract cheating, including purchasing or obtaining in any other way a class paper or other assignment and submitting it as one’s own work and fabrication of data as well as the possession of unauthorized materials during an examination.
Students’ motivation to cheat, whether online or face-to-face, emerges from several factors including:
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Unfamiliarity with what constitutes academic dishonesty
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Lack of understanding about consequences
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Inadequate preparation
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Pressure to raise grades
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The availability of assistance in cheating from peers
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Procrastination or poor time management
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Self-justification habits