On Monday 17th, Friday 21st and Friday 28th August 2020, the Ashesi Judicial Committee (AJC) adjudicated on thirty-four (34) cases of plagiarism.
The AJC concluded that out of the thirty-four students, twenty-three were found guilty of plagiarism and eleven, not guilty. Upon investigation, twenty-three of the students had a portion of their work similar to each other. While there has not been any record of informal resolution on file for some of the students, the cases were escalated to AJC due to its severity.
As stated in Ashesi’s student handbook:
“Academic dishonesty includes plagiarism, unauthorized exchange of information or use of material during an examination, unauthorized transfer of information or completed work among students, use of the same paper in more than one course, unauthorized collaboration on assignments, and other unethical behavior. Disciplinary action will be taken against academic dishonesty” (Section 7.4)
After deliberating, the AJC arrived at the following sanctions depending on the level of similarity of work:
Out of the 23 students found guilty, 8 students will receive a failing grade for the course, and 15 students will receive a failing grade for the Case Study exams. The 11 students found not guilty will receive their deserved grade for the course.
Advice to the Ashesi Community:
The AJC would like to remind students that careless work and a lack of academic integrity will have serious repercussions. In addition to this, the Ashesi community should remember the following:
- Students should cease copying or borrowing from or relying on other students' draft work, even for inspiration, unless explicit instructions from faculty to do so.
- Students should be careful about how you share your work, as you can be held equally responsible for plagiarized work.
- Students should communicate with faculty about any difficulties with assignments/projects, immediately after receiving the assignment/project.
- Students must learn from past infractions regarding academic integrity, to understand the seriousness with which cases are treated. In addition to publishing AJC cases, we will start publishing informal resolution cases to increase community awareness around infractions
We trust that this case will serve as a learning experience for our community. Academic honesty is very important at Ashesi and is central to our mission: To train a new generation of ethical and entrepreneurial leaders in Africa; to cultivate within our students the critical thinking skills, concern for others, and the courage it will take to transform a continent. Remember, this mission applies to all no matter the circumstance.