On Tuesday, January 16th 2024, the Ashesi Judicial Committee (AJC) heard and deliberated on a plagiarism case involving a student from the Class of 2025.
Background to the case:
During the FDE II quiz, the FI discovered that unusually large portions of the student’s work was copied using an AI tool. The FI and the lecturer confronted the student and the student confessed having difficulty with a particular question and resorted to using AI to come up with the answer. The lecturer reported this to the Dean hoping to have this resolved through an informal resolution. However, it was escalated to AJC because the student had an informal and an AJC already on their record.
At the hearing:
The student in question had earlier that semester shared an assignment with another student in the class who copied and submitted the same work. The lecturer flagged both their submissions, called them in for questioning and both admitted guilt and their grades subsequently reduced. During the quiz a few weeks later, the student shared that, one question proved particularly difficult and referred to an AI tool to get the answers. The student lifted the answer directly from the AI tool and submitted the work. The FI flagged this because it showed 73 – 100% plagiarism score. The faculty member brought this to the Dean of Student’s attention and later discovered that the student already had prior records for similar offenses in past. These included one informal resolution where the student was asked to rewrite the paper and the grade reduced. The second was an AJC case where the student was found guilty and failed the course.
After deliberating, the student was found guilty and would be suspended for two (2) semesters, effective immediately: from January – August 2024.
As stated in Ashesi’s student handbook:
“Academic dishonesty includes plagiarism, … use of the same paper in more than one course, unauthorized collaboration on assignments, and other unethical behaviour…Disciplinary action will be taken against perpetrators of academic dishonesty…However, if the case is brought before the Ashesi Judicial Committee typically, in the case of a first offense, a student will be given a failing grade (E) for the course. A second offence can result in suspension or dismissal” (Section 7.4)
Also,
“If the faculty member is able to establish with the Head of Department and the Dean of Student & Community Affairs that the act constitutes a serious offence: over 20% of paper is plagiarized, substantiated information/ evidence then the case would be referred to the Dean of Student & Community Affairs for an AJC hearing” (Section 12.8)
Advice to the Ashesi Community:
The AJC would like to remind students that plagiarised work and a lack of academic integrity in general will have serious repercussions.
In addition to this, the Ashesi community should remember -
- Using AI tools to generate ideas and present as your academic work will be considered as plagiarism and you will be brought before the AJC.
- Students should desist from sharing their work with classmates or others with the intention of helping. You should resort to other means such as guiding your peers, brainstorming and discussions about academic work.
- Please take advantage of resources on campus like the Writing Centre, Library, and peer tutors. They are great resources to help in submitting any academic work.
- Faculty should require all written assignments or papers to be submitted through Turnitin.
- Students must learn from past infractions regarding academic integrity, to understand the seriousness with which cases are treated.
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.