Please note the following memo is focused on academic misconduct by undergraduate students. Academic misconduct by graduate students must be reported to the Graduate College according to Section IV..F. of the Graduate College Manual of Rules and Regulations.
CLAS Procedures for Reporting Undergraduate Academic Misconduct
All undergraduate students in CLAS are expected to abide by the CLAS Code of Academic Honesty.
If CLAS instructors are concerned about an undergraduate student that may have participated in academic misconduct, they should consult these instructor resources for how to respond. Additionally, it is important that instructors report undergraduate academic misconduct as soon as possible using the online form to report the incident to the College.
What grade sanction should the instructor give?
Instructors generally only reduce the grade for the assignment in question, giving a 0 or an F. It would be rare for a final grade to be adjusted beyond the point reduction. Some instructors allow a resubmission of the work in question while others do not; this decision is up to the instructor and depends on the student’s work in the course and other factors, such as the seriousness of the offense and the type of academic misconduct.
What sanction does CLAS apply?
CLAS administers a collegiate sanction for CLAS undergraduate students that depends on the number of incidents reported previously for a student.
• For a first offense, students must complete an online academic integrity seminar, the AIS.. The seminar costs the student $105 and takes around 5-15 hours to complete. A registration hold is put on the student’s future registration until the seminar is completed.
• For a second offense (or an egregious first offense), a student is suspended for one year. The offense appears on the transcript during the suspension and is then removed.
• For a third offense (or for a very egregious first offense), a student can be expelled. The notation remains permanently on the student transcript.
• All students have the right to appeal a collegiate decision regarding academic misconduct. Please see the CLAS Academic Policies Handbook: Academic Honesty page for more information, including the student’s appeal process.
How should I handle written work submitted that appears to be generated by an Artificial Intelligence (AI) tool?
• If there is language in the course syllabus regarding the use/misuse of AI tools to generate text for assignments and papers, instructors need to follow those course policies.
• If there is not language in the course syllabus specifically describing the course policies around using AI-generated text, then it is best to meet with the student to discuss how they constructed their written submission and what resources they used as part of the writing process. If possible, provide an opportunity for the student to rewrite the assignment using their own words.
• It is not too late to update a course policy related to the use/misuse of AI tools. If instructors are going to update their policies, make sure to provide both written and oral information to students in the course.
• Keep in mind that currently Turnitin is not checking for suspected AI-generated text and currently does not always flag text that has been generated by AI tools.
• The Office of the Executive Vice President and Provost has provided guidance on AI in the Classroom at https://provost.uiowa.edu/ai-classroom.
• The UI Office of Teaching, Learning, and Technology has provided instructors with suggested language to use in their syllabus and teaching resources related to the use of AI tools in classes: https://teach.its.uiowa.edu/artificial-intelligence-tools-and-teaching.
What if I have further questions?
Please contact CLAS Undergraduate Programs academic staff member Amy Korthank (amy-korthank@uiowa.edu) with questions related to academic misconduct. Questions or concerns can also be emailed to the general CLAS UP inbox (clas-undergrad@uiowa.edu).