Appealing Academic Misconduct | St. Clair College

Appealing Academic Misconduct

Appealing Academic Misconduct

Whether you have been issued a Notification of Academic Penalty or Notification of Administrative Penalty, you have the right to appeal by filing an appeal within five days of notification of the penalty.

How do I file an appeal?

Appeals must be filed within five days of the Notification of Academic Penalty or Notification of Administrative Penalty.

Suppose you have received both an academic penalty and an administrative penalty. In that case, you can appeal both decisions on the same form or submit them separately within the timelines of your notification.

Download a copy of the Academic Misconduct Appeal Form.

Carefully review the appeal form and complete all required sections.

Email the completed appeal form and any other information in support of your appeal, within five days of notification of penalty, to CAE@stclaircollege.ca.

Where can I get assistance with this process?

Your student representative council has designated representatives knowledgeable about the policy and process. They can also guide you on filing an appeal.

Reach out to them if you have any questions or require assistance:

What factors should I consider in deciding whether to appeal?

Begin by reviewing the section on academic misconduct (section 7.1.6) of the Code of Student Rights & Responsibilities.

To succeed at an appeal hearing, you must demonstrate sufficient or compelling reasons to question the finding of academic misconduct in your case.

Consider the following questions:

  • Did the decision-maker (instructor or academic administrator) make a mistake in applying the policy that would invalidate the decision?
  • Is there information concerning the academic misconduct incident that the decision-maker did not correctly consider, which may have resulted in a different decision?
  • Were you misinformed or misled, through no fault of your own, such that you should not be held responsible for the incident?

If you cannot answer "yes" to one of those questions, it will be challenging to demonstrate sufficient or compelling reasons to question the finding of academic misconduct.

Note that a student can be held accountable for academic misconduct even if they did not intend to deceive or did not know that what they were doing was academic misconduct. Based on this, even if there was no intention to cheat, consider whether the evidence is reasonably persuasive that the conduct amounts to academic misconduct as defined by the policy.

Reasons that are unlikely to result in a successful appeal:

  • Other students did the same thing and did not get caught.
  • You had done this before and were not reported for academic misconduct.
  • You did not know it was academic misconduct.
  • You think the policy is unfair or unreasonable.
  • If the penalty remains in place, you may fail the course.
  • You hope the panel will reverse the decision if you explain that this will not happen again.

Lastly, be honest with yourself (as well as others) when reflecting on the situation. The academic integrity process is designed to require accountability from students and provide fairness to students. Fairness and accountability are valued principles that can apply side-by-side.

If you are considering or have decided to appeal, your student representative council has designated representatives knowledgeable about the policy and process. If you have questions or require assistance, contact them:

What happens if I miss the appeal deadline?

You must file an appeal within five days of student conduct notification of the penalty. You do not have the right to appeal after the deadline has passed. However, in exceptional circumstances, the deadline may be extended to allow the filing of the appeal. Requests for extensions, with reasons, should be sent by email to CAE@stclaircollege.ca. The Academic Integrity Administrator will review the submission and issue a written decision. The decision to allow the extension to file an appeal is final.

What happens at an appeal hearing?

The Centre for Academic Excellence (CAE) coordinates the hearing process.

A hearing date will be set, generally within ten days of the filing of the appeal. You will receive email communications from the CAE to your official college email address, including notification of the date and time to attend the hearing. The issuer of the penalty (instructor or academic administrator) will also be notified to participate. The Chair of your program will also be notified and may attend the hearing.

In the proceeding, you may be referred to as "the appellant" (the person who has appealed).

The Academic Misconduct Appeal Panel hears appeals. The panel comprises three members: the Academic Integrity Administrator, a faculty member, and a student member. Members of the appeal panel are impartial and unbiased and do not have any connection to the issue before them at the hearing.

At least 24 hours before the scheduled date/time of the hearing, the Appellant, the instructor, the Chair of the program and the panel members will receive the appeal package. The appeal package will contain a copy of the student conduct notification(s), your appeal form and supporting documents, and any information/documentation provided by the instructor.

The Academic Integrity Administrator is the panel chair and oversees the hearing process. They will introduce all the parties and outline the hearing procedure.

The Appellant may apply to the Chair of the Panel to have a support person sit next to the Appellant during the hearing to take notes and provide emotional support and advice. A support person may be a relative or friend but must not be a witness in the hearing.

If there are any witnesses, they will remain outside the hearing room until they are called upon.

You will be able to present information supporting your case at the hearing.

During the hearing, panel members may ask questions of you, the instructor or academic administrator, and any witnesses.

After all the evidence is heard, the hearing will be adjourned, and all parties will be dismissed. The panel members will remain in the room to deliberate.

The issue to be determined is whether you have demonstrated sufficient or compelling reasons for the hearing panel to question the finding of academic misconduct in this case.

The Academic Integrity Administrator will write the panel's majority decision, and a copy of the decision will be distributed to all parties, as well as to the Vice President Academic, by the CAE, within ten days of the hearing.

The decision of the Appeal Panel is final.

The CAE is responsible for ensuring that the record of the matter in the student conduct database is updated accordingly.

Where can I locate more information to help me understand my academic integrity responsibilities?

Refer to Learning With Integrity and Academic Integrity Violations & Consequences.

Will I be required to participate in an Academic Integrity Workshop?

Students reported for academic misconduct will be required to participate in an online Academic Integrity Workshop.

See Academic Integrity Workshop for more information.