Academic Honesty and Grade Appeal Policy

Academic Integrity

All students and faculty should be familiar with the UNL Policy regarding Academic Dishonesty that may be found in the Student Code of Conduct. Academic honesty is essential to the existence and integrity of an academic institution. The responsibility for maintaining that integrity is shared by all members of the academic community. Students who commit acts of academic dishonesty are subject to disciplinary action and are granted due process and the right to appeal any decision.

 

Violations of Academic Integrity

 

Reporting Violations of Academic Integrity

Each instructor may impose a consequence(s) for a violation of academic integrity in his/her own course, consistent with the magnitude of the violations. The consequences may range from reduced credit for a test or assignment to failure in the course. Instructors believing a violation of academic integrity has occurred are strongly encouraged to record it in MyPlan and /or notify the academic advisor if discussion with the student does not satisfactorily resolve the issue.

When a student is notified by an instructor of an alleged act of Academic Dishonesty, they should discuss the matter with the instructor to determine if redress is possible.

If the instructor decides to move forward with the allegation of Academic Dishonesty and the result is a lower grade, the instructor shall make a report violations of academic integrity in writing of the facts of the case and the academic sanction imposed against the student to the Department Head and to the UNL Judicial Officer. Both the instructor and academic unit should maintain copies of the relevant documents on file for at least two years.

 

Appeals to Allegations of Academic Dishonesty

Until an appeal is resolved, the instructor may give an incomplete or submit a change of grade for the assignment or overall course.

 

  1. If the student feels that the allegations of the instructor regarding Academic Dishonesty, or the proposed penalty to be imposed, are unjust or not warranted, the student should contact their academic advisor and/or the Department Head to discuss the matter within 14 days of the allegation. The advisor and/or Department Head will inform the student of the steps to be taken if the student wished to appeal. The advisor and the Department Head are not responsible for making a decision on the matter; any decisions will be made by the Curriculum Committee.
  2. The Department Head will refer the appeal to the Department of Food Science and Technology Curriculum Committee who will interview both the student and instructor, review all pertinent documentation, and then issue a decision.  If a member of the curriculum committee is also an instructor of the course in which academic dishonesty has been reported, the Department Head will temporarily appoint a different faculty member to the committee hearing the appeal. 
    • If the Department of Food Science and Technology Curriculum Committee determines that there is not sufficient evidence of Academic Dishonesty to warrant action against the student, the paperwork should be forwarded to the CASNR Dean with the student’s name deleted so that there is a record of the incident, but no potential future bias toward the student.
    • If the Department of Food Science and Technology Curriculum Committee agrees with the Instructor that the evidence indicates that the student has violated the Academic Dishonesty policy, they should forward the documentation and paperwork to the CASNR Associate Dean for Student Affairs for review by the College.
     
  3. Once received by the CASNR Associate Dean for Student Affairs, the file alleging student Academic Dishonesty should be considered by a Panel consisting of the CASNR Associate Deans. If the Panel decides that there is sufficient evidence to support the allegation of Academic Dishonesty made by the instructor, the student will be notified. If the student desires to appeal this decision, the file will be forwarded to the CASNR Dean for transfer to the UNL Judicial Officer. If the Panel finds insufficient evidence to support the allegation the Department abides by the Panel’s decision.

 

Grade and Policy Appeals

A student wishing to appeal an FDST or CASNR policy must first request a decision from their academic advisor. If a satisfactory decision is not achieved with the advisor the student may request a decision from the Department Head, who may issue a decision or forward the matter to the Department Curriculum Committee. If a satisfactory solution is not achieved at the Department level, the student may appeal their case through the CASNR Dean’s Office.

In the event of a dispute involving FDST course grades the student must first appeal to their instructor. If resolution with the instructor is not achieved, then and only then, an appeal may be made in writing to the Department Head, who will forward it to the Curriculum Committee. If a satisfactory solution is not achieved at the Department level, the student may appeal their case through the College.

University https://registrar.unl.edu/academic-standards/policies/appeal-procedure-grades/ and College https://catalog.unl.edu/undergraduate/agricultural-sciences-natural-resources/ grade appeal policies are linked here.