Nursing school

[Rnschool]

What is the name of your state (only U.S. law)? Pennsylvania

 

[Rnschool]

I currently am a student of a private university. I am in the BSN program and have recently been accused of "academic integrity breech". We use a program online called ATI, and had a proctored exam twice in the semester. These can not be accessed at home because they are locked by the instructors. There are practice quizzes that can be completed. In an attempt to get as much practice as possible, I took all the unlocked quizzes I could. Later that evening I received an email addressed to the entire class stating that an announcement was made about accessing a quiz labeled "2016 mental health" this announcement was never made to anyone. The instructor stated in the message that there were several students that accessed a quiz that we weren't supposed to and our academic integrity was being questioned. I immediately emailed her because I had taken several quizzes, but none were labeled that way. I received a response that said I had accessed the one we were not supposed to. I sent her a screenshot of the quizzes I took and verified none were labeled with the 2016 she said to avoid. The lab instructor emailed me stating that she had forgotten to lock the quiz and that it was her fault and not to worry. The next morning I met with her, prior to taking the exam. She stated no one was accusing me of cheating and everything was fine and there was nothing to worry about. I took the exam which was a different exam, and made a B. The following week I received an email stating that the instructor was requesting a meeting with the dean of nursing, department chair, and other faculty to discuss the academic integrity. I stated that I wanted to attend this meeting to advocate for myself. She told me I was simply not invited. I received an email late Monday saying they decided the students that had taken the quiz all would receive a zero in professional behavior.

My question is, this quiz was never announced to stay away from, and I would never access a quiz knowing that it would jeopardize my academic integrity. A faculty member admitted she messed up, but I am getting punished for this. There are protocols in place for issues like this in my university that were not followed, and I feel that my future in the program is going to be impacted as I will unfairly be labeled a cheater.

I am meeting with the faculty Friday, and I want to be as prepared as possible.
Thanks

 

[cbg]

Gee, that's a real bummer.

When you have a legal question, be sure to let us know.

 

[quincy]

I currently am a student of a private university. I am in the BSN program and have recently been accused of "academic integrity breech". We use a program online called ATI, and had a proctored exam twice in the semester. These can not be accessed at home because they are locked by the instructors. There are practice quizzes that can be completed. In an attempt to get as much practice as possible, I took all the unlocked quizzes I could. Later that evening I received an email addressed to the entire class stating that an announcement was made about accessing a quiz labeled "2016 mental health" this announcement was never made to anyone. The instructor stated in the message that there were several students that accessed a quiz that we weren't supposed to and our academic integrity was being questioned. I immediately emailed her because I had taken several quizzes, but none were labeled that way. I received a response that said I had accessed the one we were not supposed to. I sent her a screenshot of the quizzes I took and verified none were labeled with the 2016 she said to avoid. The lab instructor emailed me stating that she had forgotten to lock the quiz and that it was her fault and not to worry. The next morning I met with her, prior to taking the exam. She stated no one was accusing me of cheating and everything was fine and there was nothing to worry about. I took the exam which was a different exam, and made a B. The following week I received an email stating that the instructor was requesting a meeting with the dean of nursing, department chair, and other faculty to discuss the academic integrity. I stated that I wanted to attend this meeting to advocate for myself. She told me I was simply not invited. I received an email late Monday saying they decided the students that had taken the quiz all would receive a zero in professional behavior.

My question is, this quiz was never announced to stay away from, and I would never access a quiz knowing that it would jeopardize my academic integrity. A faculty member admitted she messed up, but I am getting punished for this. There are protocols in place for issues like this in my university that were not followed, and I feel that my future in the program is going to be impacted as I will unfairly be labeled a cheater.

I am meeting with the faculty Friday, and I want to be as prepared as possible.
Thanks

When/if you return with a question, please be sure to include the name of your state.

My advice is for you to review the dispute procedures outlined by your university so you know what you need to do before your meeting with the faculty and so you know what to expect when you attend the meeting tomorrow. I suggest you go armed with the same documentation you used to show the quiz you took was neither labeled nor locked to students.

 

[Rnschool]

I am in pa. My question was if they did not follow the protocol outlined in the handbook, can I file a complaint/appeal.

 

[NIV]

I am in pa. My question was if they did not follow the protocol outlined in the handbook, can I file a complaint/appeal.

It depends. While I don't believe "protocol" always rises to a contract or a requirement, sometimes it might--especially if core due process rights are lost. What protocols were not followed?

 

[quincy]

I am in pa. My question was if they did not follow the protocol outlined in the handbook, can I file a complaint/appeal.

Thank you for providing your state name.

There is almost always the ability to appeal a decision. Again, review the procedures as outlined in the materials provided you when you enrolled.

Good luck.

 

[cbg]

I am in pa. My question was if they did not follow the protocol outlined in the handbook, can I file a complaint/appeal.

With the school? Almost certainly.

With the courts? No.

 

[quincy]

With the school? Almost certainly.

With the courts? No.

You said what I meant.

It didn't even cross my mind that Rnschool might consider this a matter for the courts.

 

[cbg]

Given that we've had posters who thought the courts would order their school to change their grade, I thought it best to be specific.

 

[quincy]

Given that we've had posters who thought the courts would order their school to change their grade, I thought it best to be specific.

Good point.