Instructors and Supervisors should report suspected academic misconduct concern to their Department Chair through the Academic Integrity Incident Report as soon as possible after becoming aware of it. Teaching Assistants should report concerns to the course instructor.  

Reporting suspected academic misconduct ensures that cases are handled consistently and fairly adhering to the Brock Academic Integrity Policy   

Instructors should not assign penalties for suspected academic misconduct without following the formal reporting and adjudication process.  

Assigning a penalty outside the formal process undermines procedural fairness and prevents the University from maintaining accurate records of misconduct, including repeat offences.  

The undergraduate procedure is described in Section 8 of Brock’s Academic Integrity Policy.

Once a report is submitted: 

• The Department Chair/Chair’s designate initiates the case. 
• A temporary hold may be placed when the case is created, and the student is unable to drop that course at this point. 
• The student is informed of concerns of potential academic misconduct by a letter shared through Maxient.  The student should reply to this letter indicating their availability for a meeting, requesting relevant evidence related to the concern, and indicating if they will bring a support person to the discussion.  
• The students is invited to a meeting with the course instructor and Department Chair (or designate) to review the evidence. The student can respond, provide their own evidence, or admit responsibility. 
• At the end of the meeting, the Chair will either dismiss the case or notify the Associate Dean of their decision, along with any recommended outcomes.  

• After the first meeting, the student receives the outcome in the second letter with any recommendations from the Chair to the Associate Dean.  
• The student has 10 business days to request a second meeting with the Associate Dean.  
• A second meeting can take place (if requested) and in this meeting, the Associate Dean reviews all evidence and hears from the student before making a final decision.  
• The Associate Dean determines whether the student is responsible for academic misconduct.  The student is informed of the final decision and their right to appeal. 

If a student is found responsible for academic misconduct, there may be disciplinary measures including (but not limited to): 

• Mandatory educational/remedial activities (e.g., attendance of workshop, or resubmission of assignment, etc.) 
• Grade penalties (e.g., failure on an assignment, reduced grade in the course, or failure in the course) 
• Transcript notation 
• Temporary or permanent removal from a co-op program option, 
• placement, internship or practicum; 
• Suspension or permanent removal from the University 
• In serious cases, a degree or certificate may be withheld or rescinded 

For more information, please see Section 10 (p. 13) of the Brock Academic Integrity Policy for further details. 

Educative actions are intended to help students learn proper academic integrity practices through a Mandatory Remedial Action (e.g., attending a workshop, revising work). Mandatory Remedial Action (MRA) workshops are educational sessions assigned to students found responsible for academic misconduct. A student can be assigned with one or multiple workshops through the Maxient with a deadline to complete with a certain timeline. More details regarding the workshops can be found on the Brock Learning Services website. 

Academic penalties directly affect grades (e.g., mark reduction, failure on an assignment or course).  

Both may be applied together depending on the situation. The Brock Academic Integrity Policy (See details in Sec 10, p. 13).  

The student will be informed of their right to appeal the decision in the second letter. See Section 8I (p. 9) of the Brock Academic Integrity Policy for further details.  

Instructors are often invited to the appeal process and may attend with the Associate Dean, Dean(s) and Chair/Graduate Program Director. You may be invited to answer questions about the case as it pertains to your knowledge and information as the instructor. Details regarding the appeals process can be found Student Senate Appeals website. The Ombudsperson can advise the student through the appeal process. 

As per Section, III C.4 of the Faculty Handbook (Ownership of Student-Created Intellectual Property), students own the work they create for their courses. Because of this, their assignments should not be uploaded or shared with any third-party platforms, including AI detection tools. 

Hence, instructors should:  

• Use multiple forms of evidence  
• Focus on inconsistencies, originality, and alignment with course expectations  
• Clearly communicate expectations around AI use in their course syllabus  

Academic integrity concern conversations may be traumatic experiences for students. Some considerations for adopting  Trauma-Informed Practices include:  

• Creating a respectful and non-confrontational environment  
• Avoiding assumptions or accusatory language  
• Allowing the student time to process and respond  
• Being mindful of stress, anxiety, or power dynamics  

We recognize that receiving a notification regarding an academic integrity concern may cause stress for students. We encourage students to reach out to the available supports offered by the university.

Students seeking personal counselling can email [email protected] or call 905-688-5550 x5442.

Counselling appointments are available both in person at Brock and virtually, allowing students to choose the format that best meets their needs.

The University offers a range of counselling and psychotherapy services, depending on student needs and clinician assignment, and students will be connected with trained, caring, trauma-informed members of the expanded Brock wellness team who provide confidential support.

Students in crisis and needing urgent support are encouraged to:

• Call 911 in the event of immediate risk.
• Call or text 988 to speak to someone immediately. The suicide crisis hotline is bilingual, trauma-informed, culturally respectful and available to anyone in Canada 24/7.
• Call the Crisis Outreach and Support Team (COAST), which is available 24/7 at 1-866-550-5205.

1-833-BROCK33 number is active for 24/7 crisis service.

For more information about health and wellness services at Brock, or to connect with the team, visit the SWAC website.

Workshops through the Student Wellness and Accessibility Centre and Learning Services are available on an ongoing basis.

If students have questions about the process or the policy, they can contact:  

• The Academic Integrity team at [email protected] 
• Learning Services 
• The Student Ombuds 
• The Department Chair or Chair’s Designate listed in your letter  
• The Office of the Dean for your faculty