SUBJECT:

Reminder – Academic Senate Policies effective Fall Quarter 2019: P/NP Limit, Academic Integrity Policy, Quarter Limit

Dear Colleagues,

The following three changes to the San Diego Division of the Academic Senate’s Manual take effect for Fall Quarter 2019.

1. San Diego Senate Regulation 500(D), The Pass and No Pass Grades, was amended to exempt independent study courses (numbered 199) from the 25% limit on the number of courses taken for a Pass/No Pass grade at UC San Diego.

2. The UCSD Policy on Integrity of Scholarship (Appendix II of the Senate Manual) was revised to update and restructure the policies governing student integrity of scholarship at UC San Diego and the procedures for resolving suspected academic integrity violations.

3. San Diego Senate Regulation 600, Campuswide Graduation Requirements, was amended to replace the maximum units policy with a quarter limit policy.

A summary of each of the approved changes, with links to the updated policies, is below.

1. Amendment to San Diego Senate Regulation 500(D) for the Pass/No Pass Grade
At its June 12, 2019 meeting, the systemwide Assembly of the Academic Senate approved a request from the San Diego Division of the Academic Senate to exempt the units earned in upper division independent study courses (all courses numbered 199) from the calculation of an undergraduate student’s total Pass/No Pass units. Effective Fall Quarter 2019, units earned in 199 independent study courses are exempt from the requirement that no more than one fourth of an undergraduate’s total UCSD course units may be in courses taken on a Pass/No Pass basis. The update to SD Senate Regulation 500(D) is posted in the Senate Manual on the Academic Senate’s website: http://senate.ucsd.edu/Operating-Procedures/Senate-Manual/Regulations/500.

2. Revised UCSD Policy on Integrity of Scholarship
At its February 19, 2019 meeting, the Representative Assembly approved a proposal from the Educational Policy Committee (EPC) to revise Appendix II of the Senate Manual, the UCSD Policy on Integrity of Scholarship, with a Fall Quarter 2019 effective date. The updated Policy is posted in Appendix II of the Senate Manual on the Academic Senate’s website: http://senate.ucsd.edu/Operating-Procedures/Senate-Manual/Appendices/2

Major changes include:

a. Removing procedural information from Appendix II of the Senate Manual.
The former AI Policy included both the general rules governing student integrity of scholarship at UC San Diego and the detailed procedures for resolving suspected academic integrity violations, leading to a long and complicated document that was difficult to follow and change. In the updated Policy, the general rules associated with student integrity of scholarship continue to reside in Appendix II of the Senate Manual under the UCSD Policy on Integrity of Scholarship. The procedural information moved to a separate document available on the Senate website: https://go.ucsd.edu/2njtRso. The procedural information will be maintained by the Academic Integrity Office (AIO) with Senate oversight from EPC. This change will allow the AIO, in consultation with the Academic Senate, to respond more quickly when opportunities arise to streamline the process or make procedural adjustments due to external factors.

b. Streamlining the process for resolving academic integrity violations. Two main changes to streamline the resolution process for suspected academic integrity violations were approved to better serve our students and instructors and allow for a more timely resolution of cases.

i. The updated Policy formalizes the option that instructors had under the former Policy to meet with students before submitting a report to the AIO, by adding an Instructor-Student Resolution form. When the instructor submits this form along with the allegation report, the AIO and Appropriate Administrative Authority (AAA) will be able to expedite the process for those students who accepted responsibility in the meeting with the instructor.

ii. The former Policy afforded only one option – the Academic Integrity Review Board (Review Panel) – for resolution of contested allegations. This resulted in an overtaxed system and delays of 4-6 months in case resolutions. The revised Policy streamlines the process by including two levels of reviews – one for students facing suspension or dismissal from the University (AI Review II) and another for those not facing separation (AI Review I). The changes are intended to reduce delays for students in getting their cases heard, especially for those students facing separation from the University.

c. Allowing the Appropriate Administrative Authority (AAA) (AAA’s are defined in the AI Policy, examples include the deans of Student Affairs in the colleges or the Assistant Dean in the Graduate Division) to delegate case resolution to the AI Office.

This proposed change leverages the under-utilized expertise of the AI Office and increases the efficiency of the case resolution process to prevent case backlogs.

d. Updating and modernizing language and format.
The revised Policy updates and corresponding Procedures document include clearer sections to make content easier to find and reference. The language of the revised Policy has also been updated to match best practices in the academic integrity field (e.g. using the International Center for Academic Integrity’s definition of academic integrity) and to provide clarity (e.g. instead of referring to multiple administrators throughout the document, the appropriate administrative authorities are defined once and then referred to as AAAs throughout both documents).

Questions related to the implementation of the revised UCSD Policy on Integrity of Scholarship may be directed to the Academic Integrity Office, at aio@ucsd.edu.

3. Transition from Maximum Unit to Maximum Quarter Policy At its June 5, 2018 meeting, the Representative Assembly approved a proposal from the Educational Policy Committee to amend San Diego Senate Regulation 600, Campuswide Graduation Requirements. The revised Regulation is posted in the Senate Manual on the Academic Senate’s website: http://senate.ucsd.edu/Operating-Procedures/Senate-Manual/Regulations/600.

The amendments establish quarter limits of 12 quarters for all undergraduate students entering as freshmen and 6 quarters for students entering as transfer students starting in Fall Quarter 2019. The policy changes provide flexible provisions to extend enrollment beyond these quarter limits for students who need additional time. Extensions will be granted by the colleges for all students with valid reasons who submit a plan to complete their degree requirements. The proposed amendments were developed following a recommendation from the college provosts and will replace the maximum unit policy. The approved changes will better support students and keep them on track toward timely graduation by aligning policy with existing degree planning and advising resources, which are based on quarters.

Questions related to the policy revisions may be directed to Lori Hullings, Senate Associate Director, at lhullings@ucsd.edu.

Sincerely, Geoffrey Cook Chair, Educational Policy Committee