The College of Liberal Arts and Sciences
Undergraduate Educational Policy and Curriculum Committee
Minutes

Thursday, October 6,2016

Attending: Mary Adamek; Helena Dettmer; Denise Filios; Kathryn Hall (staff); Lena Hill; Meena Khandelwal; Jerald Moon; Roland Racevskis; Jacob Simpson

Absent: Cornelia Lang;Shaun Vecera;Rachel Williams

  1. The minutes were approved from September 22.
  2. An announcement was made concerning the formation of UI reading groups to discuss The Undergraduate Experience: Focusing Institutions on What Matters Most, a book examining six core themes that affect undergraduates (see will be on campus this spring to discuss related issues from the book. Those participating will be sent a free copy of the book and will be assigned to a reading group. Those wanting to participate should complete this form: Questions? Contact .
  3. Joseph Kearney, Associate Dean for Research and Infrastructure andthe Arts, presented the final draft of the CLAS Strategic Plan2016-2021 to UEPCC. The CLAS Manual of Procedure does not indicate a formal process for approving a strategic plan, but it traditionally has been approved by the Executive Committee (EC), the Undergraduate Educational Policy and Curriculum Committee (UEPCC), and the Faculty Assembly (FA). This traditional process has been followed for the CLAS Strategic Plan 2016-2021, with the newer CLAS Graduate Educational Policy Committee (GEPC) now included. Both EC and GEPC have approved the CLAS Strategic Plan 2016-2021. Work on the strategic plan began about a year and a half ago, with the current plan expiring in 2015. During the last year and a half, members of the CLAS Strategic Planning Committee met with CLAS committees, other groups, and faculty to discuss the various drafts of the plan, which was revised in response to these many suggestions. The formation and approval of the CLAS Strategic Plan 2016-2021 has been coordinated with that of the new UI strategic plan, with an alignment of some key objectives.

During the discussion about the plan, UEPCC members asked how the strategic plan might be made operational, with that crucial to the success of the plan. Dean Kearny pointed out that the CLAS strategic plan has traditionally highlighted the aspirational objectives of a liberal arts and sciences institution, with the processes for reaching those objectivesalready in place. The plan also speaks to future, with related offices and departmentscontributing to the implementation of these goals. The specifics of this process will be instituted after the plan is approved. The committee then focused on the language of Goal 4, to“Foster a culturally diverse and globally conscious community”discussing whether or not it should be more specific. After discussion, the committee agreed that the language, though broad, was appropriate in order to encompass the many types of diversity within the College.

The committee noted that the Strategic Planning Committee had been very responsive to feedback during the process of drafting the plan.

After the guest left,UEPCC unanimously approved the CLAS Strategic Plan 2016-2021. Thecommittee also recommended that a question within each departmental review focus on a department’s implementation of a related aspect of the plan. Additionally, since hiring guidelines are embedded in several of the plan’s objectives,the committee asked that departments be clearly made be aware of these goals and their rationale. The committee recommended that the College assess achievement of the plan’s objectives, with a report written on progress toward implementation of key objectives.

[For the past CLAS Strategic Plan 2011-2015, see for the proposed CLAS Strategic Plan 2016-2021, see

  1. UEPCC members discussed academic misconduct, the reporting process for incidents, and the related sanctions, as outlined below. UEPCC members discussed that there seems to be a larger problem than in the past with academic misconduct because students often believe that the internet represents shared knowledge that does not need to be cited. Likewise, sharing ideas and information is now very convenient. UEPCCnoted their approval of the current sanction levels, with the first sanction of a reduced or failing grade for the item showing misconduct from the instructor and the second level of sanction from the College. This tiered sanctioning moves the responsibility from the instructor to the College, with complaints from students or others handled by the College, making the process easier for those reporting incidents. The assigned academic integrity seminar as a first sanction by the College is appropriate since it gives the students a chance to look at the overall effect of dishonesty on the UI community while requiring the student’s time and money. Next, members discussed if and how sanctions should be tightened. After a short discussion, they suggested keeping the current sanctions in place, with instructors who want to fail a student for an entire course because of misconduct first conferring with the College in order to make sure that the sanction is appropriate, as is now the rule. The members also recommended the use of the CLAS Code of Academic Honesty as an honor pledge, to be signed by all students before any exam or before the submission of a major project, suggesting this could be added to the ICON. UEPCC then supported a recommendation by the College that all instructors use Turnitin while carefully analyzing any results since Turnitin can cite clichés or common knowledge as plagiarism. UPECC also stressed that it can be easier for instructors to use these tools if they inform students of the College’s guidelines so that students understand the use is not personal to those in the current class.
  2. The meeting was adjourned.

Respectfully submitted,

Denise Filios, Associate Professor, Department of Spanish and Portuguese

Secretary for UEPCC

CURRENT CLAS CONSEQUENCES FOR ACADEMIC MISCONDUCT

INSTRUCTOR-LEVEL SANCTIONS

  1. Instructors are required to report incidents of academic fraud to the College of Liberal Arts and Sciences.
  2. Instructors in the College of Liberal Arts and Sciences (CLAS) fail assignments and exams or other work showing evidence of academic misconduct.
  3. Instructors may also fail a student for the entire course for academic misconduct with prior approval by the College.
  4. Instructors meet with the student (if at all possible) to discuss the incident, the sanctions to be applied, and the importance of academic integrity. This information is summarized in the report submitted to the College.
  5. These reports may be viewed via a shared data base used by UI undergraduate offices dealing with UI conduct and academic misconduct offenses. A first report is thus internal; a notation is not added to the student record or grade report.
  6. CLAS students may drop the related course (as long as the drop is completed by the final drop deadline).

COLLEGE-LEVEL SANCTIONS: FIRST OFFENSE

  • The student is issued a disciplinary warning in writing and is told that two offenses will result in suspension. The letter includes appeal information.
  • The student must complete an online academic integrity seminar (AIS) requiring substantial time (around 18-20 hours) and a fee of $100; a hold is added to the student’s next semester registration and is removed when the course is completed. The AIS II is assigned for second language learners with an oral component required.
  • The record is internal and is not shared publically nor placed on the transcript but is available through the data base to other offices at UI dealing with misconduct. The register hold is visible to others with full access to MAUI but not the reason for it.
  • Some reported cases do not rise to a first offense; a disciplinary warning is issued without the seminar assigned.

COLLEGE-LEVEL SANCTIONS: SECOND OFFENSE

  • The student is placed on disciplinary probation and suspended by the College.
  • The suspension occurs at the end of the semester, with the student’s grades and credit hours of that semester counted toward the GPA and as hours earned.
  • The suspension lasts for one academic year—one summer and two semesters and includes the winter session. The student may register during the normal registration period before the end of the suspension.

COLLEGE-LEVEL SANCTIONS: THIRD OFFENSE

  • A student is expelled for a third offense or for any offense that is particularly serious and thus warrants expulsion.
  • The Office of the President officially makes the expulsion. The student is expelled from the University of Iowa; the expulsion is permanent.
  • This is added to the student's permanent record and is visible on the transcript.

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