Academic integrity and academic progress
Academic integrity
One of the most important concepts to understand as a new student is academic integrity.
Acting with academic integrity means demonstrating the values of honesty, trust, fairness, respect and responsibility. It is about producing and submitting assessments in an honest and fair way, acting and communicating ethically, and showing respect for the work of others.
It’s a very serious offence to submit work that is not your own. Plagiarism and collusion are not acceptable and can result in exclusion/expulsion from your course and from Deakin. Cheating at university can have lifelong consequences for your degree and future career.
To demonstrate academic integrity, it’s important that you:
- always submit your own work, sit your own tests and do your own final assessments (including examinations)
- acknowledge other people’s work in your assessments
- never engage in contract cheating (contract cheating is the most serious form of academic integrity breach)
- understand the guidelines for using ChatGPT or other AI tools
- provide accurate and truthful documentation to the University.
A compulsory Academic Integrity module will appear for you in DeakinSync that will outline these concepts in more detail and empower you with the knowledge you need to complete your studies properly. We recommend you complete this before the start of your first study period.
Read more on the Academic Integrity webpage
Academic progress
All students must maintain good academic progress to move through their degree toward graduation. If you start falling behind, not meeting the requirements of your assessments or failing to pass your units, there are several potential consequences.
- You may have restrictions put on your enrolment or be excluded from study, which means you won’t be permitted to continue or complete your course.
- If you are a domestic student and have a Commonwealth Supported Place (CSP), or you use HECS-HELP or FEE-HELP, you may no longer be eligible for your loan. This is so you don’t incur ongoing fees that you’ll have to repay for units you haven’t completed.
- If you’re an international student, your visa may be affected.
To maintain sufficient academic progress, you must successfully pass at least 50 percent of your units for the duration of your course. Incomplete courses include those that you fail, as well as any you drop after census date.
To ensure you make adequate academic progress, it is crucial to:
- make correct unit selections before classes begin and receive feedback from Student Central on your unit selections and study load
- get study assistance as soon as you feel you need it (don’t leave it until late in the study period).
If you’re finding it hard to keep up or you need help with aspects of your course, talk to your Unit Chair or contact Student Central to prevent any issues with your academic progress.