Ryerson students and staff advised the chairs of a senate committee to reform the academic misconduct policy to encourage student engagement and interest in learning about academic issues.
Academic misconduct policy should be more accessible, Ryerson students and staff advised the chairs of a senate committee in Tuesday’s town hall.
The committee reviewing the university’s student code of academic conduct held an open consultation, allowing students and faculty to voice their concerns about the policy. About 40 attended the hour-long session in Kerr Hall East. They asked questions and told stories about their experiences to committee chairs, vice provost academic Chris Evans and professor David Checkland.
The Ryerson Student’s Union and CESAR representatives also attended the session and are on the review committee. The groups, along with several faculty and staff, pushed for penalties for breaking the code to be reduced. They argued high stress levels of students and the possibility that mistakes may be genuine need to be considered. The current minimum penalty is a grade of zero on an assignment.
Several other recommendations for reform were also made, including having professors go over the policy in each course, and having a mandatory tutorial to educate students about misconduct in first-year.
The committee is to report to the senate by the end of the winter 2014 semester with recommendations on how the policy should be reformed.
Check out our live blog from the town hall:
Maham is a former managing editor online for The Ryersonian. She graduated from the Ryerson School of Journalism in 2014.