About the Academic Integrity FAQ for Faculty

Here are common questions instructors have about academic integrity. See also the FAQ for students.

I've submitted an Academic Misconduct Report. Now what?

After reviewing your report, the Academic Integrity Director will assign one of the council faculty members as an Investigative Officer (IO). The IO is given all of the evidence you submitted and has six business days from being assigned to complete their investigation, which includes interviewing the reporting party, the faculty or instructor of the course the alleged misconduct occurred in (if they are not the reporting party), the student in alleged violation, and any witnesses.

I think I found one of my students in violation of Marquette's Honor Code and have submitted an Academic Misconduct Report Form to your office. Am I allowed to speak with my student about the incident?

Yes! We encourage faculty to discuss the situation and findings with the student, if they feel comfortable doing so. Otherwise, the first time the student will hear about an alleged violation is from our office alerting them that a report against them has been submitted and an Investigative Officer has been assigned to investigate the claim. Additionally, the student is told in which class the alleged violation was from. By speaking with the student, you may also be able to gather more information about the situation. However, do not tell them what the specific sanction will be as that will be determined by the Academic Integrity Office in consultation with you after the investigation is complete.

I think I found one of my students in violation of Marquette's Honor Code and have submitted an Academic Misconduct Report Form to your office. Am I allowed to grade my student's assignment or exam?

You may grade the assignment, however, you cannot issue a grade to the student until the Investigative Officer has completed his or her investigation of the alleged violation and you hear back from the Academic Integrity Director. Once a course sanction has been discussed and determined by you and the Director, the student is then required to accept the sanction before you can officially give the student his or her grade. For more information on the process, please review our academic misconduct process outline.

When an alleged violation occurs so near the end of the term that it is unlikely the case will be resolved before final grades are due, the Director will contact the Registrar's Office to have a NG entered for the student's grade. The NG grade is an administrative incomplete grade, meaning that something administrative needs to be resolved before a real, final grade can be assigned. The NG grade's presence for the student will allow the instructor to complete all the other grades for their class and submit the class's grades; the NG grade will be able to be changed by the instructor once the case is fully decided.

I understand that if a student is found in violation they will have a permanent letter of reprimand placed in their academic file. I do not want to ruin a student's record over a single minor misjudgment. What is the significance of this letter and am I obligated to report the misconduct or can I manage it on my own?

According to Marquette’s Honor Code, faculty are obligated to report any academic misconduct in their class (see Best Academic Integrity Practices for Faculty). By not reporting, you run the risk of letting off a student who has committed misconduct multiple times, each with a different professor who decided not to report.

Here is an example of a letter of reprimand. The letter of reprimand is an internal document only accessible by the Academic Integrity Office, the Office of the Registrar, the college office, and the Provost’s Office, and it is written to explain the violation and subsequent sanctions. It is used as a record of the number of academic integrity violations a student has committed. There is no notation on the student’s transcript, and faculty outside of the administrative offices cannot see it. It can only be accessed by individuals outside of Marquette upon the student’s request.

Law school and medical school applications will ask about academic misconduct. Similarly, governmental jobs will inquire about misconduct as well. We advise our students to be upfront and honest about the situation and how they have learned from it. A single minor offense will not prohibit a student from getting into these programs if they are otherwise a good candidate.