The University of South Africa (Unisa) is doubling down on its disciplinary action towards academic dishonesty.
The institution has issued a strict warning on its website, cautioning students of the risks of partaking in academic dishonesty. Unisa has often emphasized the importance of "protecting its academic integrity" and has always reminded students of its zero-tolerance approach "to any form of academic misconduct during its assessments."
In the warning, Unisa states that although students are aware, responsible for and obliged to follow and uphold the Student Disciplinary Code and Academic Integrity Policy, there have been "a growing number" of cases involving students who have engaged in cheating, plagiarism and ghost-writing.
It has also come to the institution's attention that students are also making use of service provider solutions during their online assessments.
"As we start the 2023 academic year, we continue to warn students not to engage in dishonest academic behaviours, such as copying answers from someone else, collaborating with others in providing answers, purchasing answer scripts from third-party suppliers, using prohibited materials and plagiarising by using someone else’s work as their own without giving proper credit," reads the online statement.
According to Unisa, the university has successfully conducted various disciplinary hearings against students found guilty of academic misconduct, via Unisa's Disciplinary Office.
"Over 95% of students who have sat for their disciplinary proceedings have been found guilty of academic misconduct. This success is largely due to the dedication and hard work of the academic and support staff, the effective use of proctoring tools, and investigations arising from the whistleblowing hotline," says Unisa.
A student who engages in academic misconduct not only damages their academic record but also "undermines the integrity of Unisa’s qualifications and devalues the hard work of other students", thus the importance of Unisa's "hard, non-negotiable approach" when it comes to its disciplinary proceedings.
The penalties for misconduct have ranged from students being awarded a 0% final mark, to three-to-five-year suspensions and expulsions from the university.
The consequences of academic misconduct are quite severe, as students are not only suspended from continuing their studies at Unisa, but at any other South African university.
