On February 1, 2021, the Ashesi Judicial Committee (AJC) adjudicated a case of alleged examination malpractice involving eight (8) students in which students were accused of collaborating by sharing documents online during the final examination.
As stated in Ashesi’s student handbook:
"The purpose of the Exam Code of Conduct is to create an ethical environment for examinations. Failure to abide by the Exam Code of Conduct can result in disciplinary action. During an examination, students:
- Are not allowed to talk to each other, exchange verbal or non-verbal information or physical objects of any kind or engage in any activity that could result in the unfair advantage for one or more students before, during, or after the quiz or exam, while they are in or out of the classroom.” (Section 8.1)
After reviewing statements and interviewing students in question, the AJC arrived at a conclusion that six (6) students were not guilty and two (2) were guilty. There was insufficient evidence to conclude that six of the eight students violated the examination code of conduct.
After deliberating, AJC reached the following sanction:
The students who were found guilty will receive a failing grade on the examination and an Informal Resolution to serve as a warning.
The AJC would like to remind the Ashesi community of the following:
- Students should take great care to follow the examination code of conduct.
- Students should take responsibility to deepen their understanding of materials when learning at Ashesi and eliminate rote learning.
- Students observing exam malpractices should bring them to the attention of lecturers or follow the honor code reporting process to build a high integrity campus.
- Students that receive an Informal Resolution should consider it as a warning to take exceptional care in maintaining integrity. In a case where a student has a pre-existing Informal Resolution case, a second infraction will result in the case being escalated to the AJC level automatically.
- If in doubt about academic practices and procedures, do not hesitate to speak with your faculty or your student handbook.
We trust that this case will serve as a learning experience for our community. The Ashesi Honor Code should not be compromised no matter the situation. Remember, as a trusted community, we are to uphold our values and be confident to hold others accountable for their actions. Academic honesty is very important at Ashesi and is central to our mission of training 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.