Academic Integrity

Yes, at IE University, we have a dedicated Whistleblowing channel designed to facilitate the communication and management of any serious incidents or concerns. Through this channel, you can confidentially report situations that may violate our Code of Conduct. All reports, whether anonymous or not, will be treated with the utmost confidentiality and security. For more information on how to submit a report, please visit our Whistleblowing channel:
page. 

Students are expected to complete all examinations, tests, written assignments, oral presentations, online posts, and other work in accordance with the standards set forth in this Code. In particular, this means that students shall not engage in any form of “cheating”, plagiarism, or any kind of academic misconduct.

Students are responsible for becoming familiar with their rights and responsibilities as defined by the Code of Ethical Conduct and are responsible for knowing the requirements for their particular course (regarding, for example, issues such as collaborative work, use of study aids, or what information can be used during take-home examinations). Where a student is unsure whether conduct could violate the standards of academic conduct as set forth in the Code, the student has an obligation to seek clarification first and foremost from the instructor and secondly, if necessary, from the program managers. As is the case with all rules everywhere, saying afterwards you did not know them is not an acceptable excuse.

A student accused of an infraction will be innocent and must be treated as such until the decided sanction is announced as a disciplinary action.

If a student is accused of an academic or community infraction and the program director decides to refer the matter to the Ethics Committee, he or she will receive a written note from the Chair of the Committee detailing the alleged misconduct. The student should carefully read the allegations and decide how to respond.

As noted above, the implementation of the IE Code of Ethical Conduct is the obligation of all members of the IE Community, including students. We certainly do not want to have a “police state” environment in which students feel they should turn each other in. It is our firm belief that people are good and that everybody at IE has come here to work and study in an environment in which it is safe to conduct oneself according to the highest ethical standards.

Problems arise when conduct by individuals negatively affects other members of the community. Because IE uses a curved grading system in which grades are allocated based on relative position vis-à-vis other students, for instance, unfair advantages to some through cheating or plagiarism do harm to others. In extreme cases, a student’s academic status in the program may be in jeopardy because of a grade received in part because cheating by others has distorted the allocation of grades.

When it comes to reporting a potential infraction, students should use their common sense. Particularly if they feel that the actions of one or more fellow students put the academic and/or community environment at IE in jeopardy or could significantly harm other community members, they should report the circumstances to the Academic Director. A reporting student may, but is under no obligation to, name the student or students involved in a potential infraction. Nevertheless, he or she should provide enough information – such as the course or context in which the matter in question occurred – to enable the Academic Director to take measures that ensure nobody is harmed and everybody’s rights are respected.

Remember that the idea behind reporting a potential infraction is not to “catch a crook” or to “play police” but rather to help the program management team work with other members of the IE community to bring about circumstances in which such infractions cannot occur. An example would be to provide information that helps a professor change the structure of a particular assignment to ensure everybody gets the grade they deserve.

Students who report potential infractions do not have an obligation to testify if such a report does – after additional research by the Academic Director – lead the Academic Director to deal with the case or refer it to the Ethics Committee. The same applies to witnesses. If a student does not wish to testify in such a proceeding, the Academic Director needs to find sufficient evidence from other sources in order to sustain a charge without that student’s testimony. If there is not sufficient evidence without the student’s testimony and the student is unwilling to testify, the case will simply be closed.

The Ethics Committee is a committee made up of IE professors and students that meet to give advice on issues of ethical conduct and analyze specific cases of potential violations of the Code of Ethical Conduct.

The IE community has established standards of academic and community conduct because it believes that the reputation and quality of life within this community are inevitably determined by the actions of each of its members. Whatever one member says, does, or omits to do invariably also reflects upon how the public at large views this school and its graduates. An IE degree is consistently assessed not only by the academic reputation of the school but also by the reputation of those who carry its banner. Therefore, IE is dedicated to the continuous enhancement of the academic and community environment of this school.

If there has been a violation of the academic integrity and conduct outlined in this Code, the Program Direction will review the case. If the violation is deemed a serious breach of academic integrity and conduct, the Program Direction will refer the case to the Academic Ethics Committee. The committee will review the case, gather all relevant information, and make a final decision based on precedent, ensuring the response is proportional to the severity of the violation.