The University of South Africa (Unisa) has cracked down on disciplinary proceedings regarding cases of academic misconduct amongst students.
The university has routinely been firm on its stance surrounding academic discretions, particularly around the exam season, and this year was no different.
Just before the May/June 2023 mid-year exams began at the institution, Unisa issued a reminder to all students on the rules and regulations for online examinations.
The university said, in a recent announcement:
Despite this, we have noted a growing number of students who have engaged in cheating, plagiarism and ghost-writing, as well as students making use of service provider solutions and other forms of academic dishonesty during their online assessments.
Unisa says that the institution's Disciplinary Office has successfully conducted disciplinary proceedings against students suspected of academic misconduct.
Over 95% of students who have sat for their disciplinary proceedings have been found guilty of academic misconduct. This success is largely due to the dedication and hard work of the academic and support staff, the effective use of proctoring tools, and investigations arising from the whistleblowing hotline.
Unisa added that a student who engages in academic misconduct not only damages their academic record, but also undermines the integrity of the university's qualifications and devalues the hard work of other students.
The institution says that listening to music or utilising such software without declaring the software is a transgression of Unisa’s examination rules and as a result, a student's marks will be withheld
If a student is found to have been outside the invigilator app for a total of 10 minutes during their examination session, they will be considered to have violated Unisa's examination rules and their marks will be withheld.
Furthermore, Unisa also strictly prohibits the use of any Artificial Intelligence software (ChatGPT, etc) and online sources (Course Material) during your online examination session.
Any proctoring or invigilation images found to be unrecognizable, obscured, faint or not containing a full facial image will be deemed a transgression of Unisa's examination rule, and students’ marks will be withheld.
Penalties for misconduct have ranged from students being awarded a 0% final mark, to three-to-five-year suspensions and expulsions from the university. The consequences of academic misconduct are quite severe, as students are not only suspended from continuing their studies at Unisa but at other South African universities.
