Deception and disciplinary matters

Disciplinary action may be taken against students who:

• with unauthorised aids or in any other way attempts to deceive during examinations or when a study performance is otherwise to be assessed
• interferes with or hinders teaching, examinations or other activities within the framework of education at the university
• interfere with the activities of the university's library or other special institution within the university
• exposes another student or an employee at the university to harassment or sexual harassment as referred to in Chapter 1, Section 4 of the Discrimination Act (2008:567).

What is cheating?

Cheating can be, for example:

• unauthorised cooperation during a written exam
• someone other than the student writing a take-home exam
• copying texts from other students' exams
• copying from books or the internet when this is not allowed
• unauthorised use of technical aids, such as mobile phones.

If you are unsure of what applies in your examination, ask your teacher in advance about what is allowed and not allowed.

What are the consequences of cheating?

If the disciplinary board finds cheating, the student is usually suspended. The suspension period varies but is usually 4 or 8 weeks. At most, a student can be suspended for 6 months. A suspension is reported to CSN and may affect the student grant.

A suspension means that the student is not allowed to take part in teaching and other activities within the framework of the education at Kristianstad University. Sometimes a student is affected more than during the actual suspension period because elements, such as VFU, are only offered on certain occasions.

What happens if cheating is suspected?

Staff at the University are obliged to report suspected cases of attempted cheating. The person who suspects cheating makes an initial assessment of whether the case constitutes cheating or not. If there are grounds to suspect an intention to cheat, a report is submitted to the Vice-Chancellor's office. Written material that has been submitted for assessment is attached to the report and is not marked until the case has been closed.

The University's legal adviser investigates the matter. In most cases, the matter is passed on to the disciplinary board for decision. The Vice-Chancellor has the possibility, after a presentation by the legal adviser, to issue a caution or to drop the case without sending it on to the disciplinary board.

How do I find out if I am suspected of cheating?

A student who is suspected of cheating is informed in writing of the content of the report and given an opportunity to describe his or her view of what has happened.

If the case is passed on to the disciplinary board, the student will receive a summons to attend approximately one week before the board meeting.

What happens in a meeting of the disciplinary board?

The meeting of the disciplinary board starts with the presentation of the case by the legal adviser. The student then has an opportunity to explain his or her view of what happened and to answer questions.

The student leaves the room while the disciplinary board deliberates and makes a decision on the case. When the decision is made, the student is called back in and informed of the decision.

Disciplinary measures

The disciplinary measures are warning and suspension.

Warning

A decision to issue a warning to a student means that the Vice-Chancellor or the disciplinary board considers that the student is guilty of a disciplinary offence, but that the sanction for some reason may stop at a warning, which is the milder sanction.

Suspension

A decision on suspension means that the student may not participate in any form of activity within the framework of the education at the university during the period of suspension, i.e. a ban on participating in teaching, tests, seminars, staying in laboratory premises or the like.

What applies if the case is for a decision by the disciplinary board but has not been decided?

Before the investigation has been completed, either through a decision on dismissal or a decision on a sanction, you are still like any other student and may participate in teaching, tests and other examinations as usual. If the report has been made due to suspicion of deception and it is unclear whether a student's performance will be approved or not, the teacher may wait with his or her decision in the grading matter.

How does an investigation work?

When the report is made, all documents in the report are reviewed, so that all formal parts are included, such as study guide, assignment instructions, suspected sources of plagiarism, etc. If material is missing, supplementary information is requested from the notifier. When the report is complete, it is sent to the student for a statement to give the student an opportunity to tell their version of what happened. The complainant will usually be allowed to read the student's response before the meeting with the disciplinary board.

Advice for those who have been reported for disciplinary proceedings or suspended

If you have been reported to the disciplinary board, you have the right to complete your studies as previously planned during the processing process. During the course of the investigation, you have the right, for example, to participate in lectures, seminars and carry out examinations.

The main rule is that the examiner waits to assess the examination that was the subject of assessment when the suspected offence was discovered, until a decision in the disciplinary case has been made. Therefore, it may be good for you as a student to think about your study situation while the processing is ongoing and prepare for any re-examination in the course in question. It is therefore the examiner who has the right to approve or reject a study attainment, regardless of the outcome of a disciplinary case.

Once you have been reported, there is no reason for you to discuss the matter further with the complainant, but if you have any questions regarding the case, you must contact the university's lawyer who will investigate the matter.

What happens if the decision of the disciplinary board is suspension?

You will receive a decision on the length and time of the suspension period, during which time the following applies:

During the suspension, you may:

• conduct self-study, which means that you can prepare for what comes after the suspension and prepare what you would have done during the suspension,
• stay on the university's premises to which the public has access, which means staying in, for example, the university's library and restaurants (but not premises that can be booked for the university's students),
• register for examinations and courses that are after the suspension period, which means that you – during the suspension period – may register for examinations and courses that occur after the suspension period. To get help with registering for such an examination, students must contact student@hkr.se. For registration for courses that occur after the suspension period, you must contact student@hkr.se.
• have contact with the university's study counsellor and student health service, which means that you can visit the study counsellor and counsellor during the suspension period.

You may not:

• contact the university's teachers for advice and help, which means that you may not have any contact with teachers/supervisors regarding anything that has to do with your studies,
• submit laboratory assignments/exercises and participate in seminars/lectures/group work/workshops or similar, regardless of whether this has taken place in physical form or via digital platform,
• participate in any type of examination or a situation when a study performance is to be assessed,
• use the university's access card, which means that you – during your suspension period – will only have access to the premises to which the public has access. You do not have access to, for example, faculty spaces, lab rooms, lecture halls and lecture halls.
• use the university's information system, such as Canvas.

If you do not follow the rules regarding your suspension, a new report can be made to the disciplinary board and you risk a new decision on suspension.

Who will receive information about my suspension?

A suspension will be notified to the faculty to which your education belongs, the IT Division, study and career counsellors, the library and CSN. The documents will be in the university's archives, which means that they may be released to anyone who requests it.

CSN receives the decision on a suspension. To avoid problems with incorrect payments of student aid, it is also a good idea for the student to contact CSN in the event of a suspension.

What happens after the suspension period?

After the suspension period, you will return to and resume your studies. If you need help planning your studies after the suspension, you can contact a study and career counsellor.

If the disciplinary board finds that the student is guilty of any form of cheating, there is no obligation for the examiner to examine the test or assignment in question. It is therefore the examiner who has the right to approve or reject a study attainment, regardless of the outcome of a disciplinary case.

The student must make up for the elements that the student misses during the suspension during re-examinations or do when the course is given the next time.

The student is not entitled to any extra examinations, extra supervision etc.

If an individual study plan has been drawn up in collaboration with study and career counsellors, it only refers to future studies and is not a tool for "catching up" with what has been missed during the suspension.

A suspension affects a student's studies differently. Sometimes the studies are not affected so much if, for example, a student writes a degree project himself. If, on the other hand, a student completes a VFU, it can sometimes mean that the studies are postponed for a whole year. A degree project that is written together with another student may sometimes be interrupted and the students may write separately. In summary, even a shorter suspension period can have major consequences for your studies.

Will it be visible in the degree certificate, course certificate, register extract that I have been suspended?

During a suspension, a block is placed in the study administration system Ladok that prevents the entry of results and registrations. The suspension is visible in the register extract, but not in the study certificate or in the certificate. A warning is not registered in Ladok. In a degree certificate or course certificate, it will never be visible that a student has been suspended or warned.

All documents in the disciplinary case (e.g. reports, statements, decisions of the disciplinary board) are registered and can be requested by the public.