A 2nd chance for 20% of the plagiaires at Université Laval

Daphnée Dion-Viens

Tuesday, 6 February 2018 20:23

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Tuesday, 6 February 2018 20:23

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At Laval University, about 20% of the students who have plagiarized in the past year have been given a second chance, rather than an indication of failure.

In the fall of 2016, a new version of the disciplinary regulations, which regulates offences “studies” came into force on campus. A teacher can now allow a student to resume work in case of plagiarism, rather than automatically be given a score of 0. On the hundreds of students who have been caught for plagiarism in 2016-2017, twenty were able to redo their work.

These are the professors who decide whether the student misconduct deserve a second chance, depending on the context, ” says Ève Chabot-Pettigrew, commissioner for offences relating to studies at Laval University. The teachers are often more likely to allow the resumption of work when the hitch to the methodological rules is a minor, ” she explains. “But many oppose it for reasons of fairness to other students,” adds the commissioner.

For his part, the secretary general Monique Richer recalls that this amendment to the disciplinary regulations has been welcomed by the students and the teachers. Some call for more flexibility, preferring not to report a student rather than having him give a mention of failure in the event of plagiarism. “We are trying to find ways to ensure that sanctions become pedagogical, for students to learn rather than always typing on the fingers,” says Ms. Richer.

Status quo

In addition, the number of offences related to the studies is relatively stable at the Université Laval for two years, while he was rather on the increase in previous years. The offences, which also include the case of cheating during an examination, are placed 212 in 2015-2016 to 198 in 2016-2017.

Ms. Richer is delighted. “It’s still a good new, even if I would like to see it decline further. There is a lot of outreach work which is done with the student associations to try to minimize the crimes “, she adds.