On 11 January 2017 the Ashesi Judicial Committee (AJC) ruled in a case of misconduct involving a student from the Class of 2020, in the final exam for the Computing and Information Systems course. The AJC concluded that the student was guilty for having violated the Examination Code of Conduct, which states in Section 8 of the Handbook:
“During an examination students must leave mobile phones and other electronic communication devices switched off.” The section also speaks about the cell phone not being with the student during the exam.
The information presented at the hearing confirmed that the student’s cell phone was on and in the presence of the student during the examination.
After deliberating, the AJC came up with the sanctions below:
- The student will receive a failing grade for the Computing and Information Systems course
- The student will write a reflection paper for the AJC
- In addition to the sanction, the student is required to work with various staff members to resolve some issues which arose during the hearing.
The Committee encourages students to consider how a lack of awareness of rules and codes of conduct can have grave repercussions, and how poor ethics and low integrity affects individuals and the community. We hope this will be a valuable lesson and will serve to strengthen the student’s integrity.
The AJC would especially like to advise the community of the following:
- The Examination Code of Conduct (Section 8) must be strictly adhered to, and students should consult the Student Handbook to refresh their knowledge of it.
- The minimum sanction that the AJC issues a student found guilty is a failing grade for the course.
- Faculty will continue to strengthen and implement intervention procedures to enable them to arrest situations as they arise during examinations.