Student Conduct Policy
This Student Conduct Policy document provides information about policies, procedures and regulations at the American Management and Technology College (ABMTC) – Switzerland, either formally adopted or developed as a matter of practice and precedent. ABMTC – Switzerland personnel use this document as a set of guidelines when taking or recommending a course of action. All policies, procedures and regulations discussed in this document are subject to change following normal College procedures.
To obtain the Masters of Business Students at ABMTC – Switzerland are engaged in preparation for professional activity of the highest standards. Each profession constraints its members with both ethical responsibilities and disciplinary limits. To assure the validity of the learning experience, ABMTC establishes clear standards for student work.
In any presentation, creative, artistic, or research, it is the ethical responsibility of each student to identify the conceptual sources of the work submitted. Failure to do so is dishonest and is the basis for a charge of cheating or plagiarism, which is subject to disciplinary action.
Cheating includes but is not limited to:
- Plagiarism, explained below.
- Submission of work that is not the student’s own for papers, assignments or exams.
- Submission or use of falsified data.
- Theft of or unauthorized access to an exam.
- The use of an alternate, stand-in or proxy during an examination.
- The use of unauthorized material including textbooks, notes or computer programs in the preparation of an assignment or during an examination.
- Supplying or communicating unauthorized information, by any means, to another student for the preparation of an assignment or during an examination.
- Collaborating in the preparation of an assignment, unless specifically permitted or required by the instructor; it will usually be viewed by the college as cheating. Each student, therefore, is responsible for understanding the policies of the department offering any course as they refer to the amount of help and collaboration permitted in the preparation of assignments.
- Submission of the same work for credit in two courses without obtaining the permission of the instructors beforehand.
Plagiarism includes, but is not limited to, failure to indicate the source with quotation marks or footnotes where appropriate, if any of the following are reproduced in the work submitted by a student:
1. A phrase, written or musical.
2. A graphic element.
3. A proof.
4. Specific language.
5. An idea derived from the work, published or unpublished, of another person.
Procedures in case of cheating or plagiarism:
Incidents of suspected academic disciplinary violations shall be handled initially at the level at which the incident occurs (e.g., course or research/creative project) and at the department level. It will be reported immediately to designated parties where appropriate. It shall receive second-level review(s) in the manner outlined in the following section.
Initial Review, Decision and Action(s)
Initial review, decision and action(s) shall remain local. It will involve the instructor(s) or academic supervisor(s) and, if desired, consultation with a third party from the faculty. Instructors are free to discuss alleged violations informally with the student(s) thought to be involved, without revealing the identity of any other students involved. Suspected violations that would result in a penalty should be handled by the instructor(s), in direct communication with the student(s) involved, within seven working days of the discovery of the suspected infraction and before the imposition of a penalty.
After discussion with the student(s) involved and their response, the instructor(s) shall conclude, within ten business days, and based on available evidence, whether the suspected violation(s) occurred. Instructors are encouraged to consult with their department/ program head about the nature of the suspected violations, the nature of the evidence of these violations and the range of penalties under consideration. If the conclusion is that the suspected violation(s) did occur, the instructor(s) shall choose an appropriate penalty.
The penalty available at this level of review and action shall be failure in the course or dismissal from a project, although instructors may also recommend a more severe penalty.
ABMTC retains the option to impose more severe penalties (e.g., suspension or dismissal from the program). Elements to consider include prior incidents of academic disciplinary action that can be found in a student’s record which is readily available from the Registrar. The department/program head may discuss the issue with a student and choose to convene a disciplinary hearing according to the procedures of the department/program.
- The student shall be notified immediately, in writing, of this decision, the basis for this decision and the penalty imposed.
- This notification will come from the instructor and/or department/program head depending on the penalty involved
- Students whose penalty is failure in the course will be so informed and will not be allowed to drop the course. Students should also be informed at this time of their right (and attendant procedures) for an appeal.
Reporting of Initial Action(s)
A copy of the letter outlining the initial decision and action to the student(s) involved in cases of academic disciplinary violations should also be directed to the following parties:
- Registrar
- Department Chair/head or designee
The Department Chair will maintain the central record of academic disciplinary violations and actions. If the Registrar is aware of information on prior incidents of academic disciplinary actions in the student’s record, he or she will communicate that information to the department/program head and give the department/program head the opportunity to impose an appropriate sanction.
Second-level Review and Action(s) :
A second-level review of an initial decision and action follows from at least one of two sources: (1) appeal by the student(s) involved because the student deems the penalty inappropriate and/or believes that improper procedure has been followed, (2) recommendation by the instructor, that the student be permanently expelled from the College. Where an appeal is made or a second-level action appears warranted, the Department Chair will determine what action should be taken. The Department Chair may decide to deny the appeal or waive the opportunity for a second-level action. They can also remand the case to the Dean for his or her review and a final decision.
Aloha ‘Grace’ Marks
To provide opportunity for those borderline students to pass his/her borderlines course grade. A passing student is a student who earns between 60 to 69 points and whose professor determines that it is not in the best interest of the student nor in the best interest of the institution to have the student repeat the entire /course.
Guidelines: A student who is eligible to avail and complete Aloha grace marks must meet the following criteria:
- Earn a course point score between 60 to 69% (borderline passing category).
- Have completed and submitted one time at least 75% of the coursework assignments.
- Be notified by the professor and the academic Team of the particulars and eligibilities for competing for Aloha marks.
- The ABMTC complete academic team will work with the professor to identify those students who are eligible to compete for Aloha Grace marks.
The professor will develop and administer the Aloha marks assignments/project during the first week after the End Date of term.
- The student must complete and submit the Aloha Marks coursework assignment by and /or within two weeks after the End Date of Terms. No Extensions will be allowed.
- A student participating in the Aloha Marks coursework assignment may earn up to 10 courses grade points which are added to his/her existing score to yield the final of course score and the final course grade.
- A student competing for Aloha Grace Marks can only earn at least a “C” grade or less in the course.
