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Academic Honesty Policy

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Introduction:

In accordance with the Standards for Registered Training Organisations (RTOs) 2025, this Academic Honesty Policy demonstrates FAP First Aid’s commitment to ethical and professional conduct in vocational education and training (VET). In particular, it reflects the key principles of Clause 1.8, which emphasise the importance of the Principles of Assessment (fairness, flexibility, validity, reliability) and Rules of Evidence (validity, sufficiency, authenticity, currency) in all assessment practices.

Academic honesty is integral to ensuring the credibility of learning outcomes, the integrity of assessment processes, and the value of qualifications issued. This policy establishes a clear framework for promoting and maintaining honesty, authenticity, and accountability in all learner work and assessment submissions. It acknowledges that academic integrity underpins the development of competent, trustworthy professionals and safeguards the reputation of both the learner and the RTO.

Scope and Application:

The Academic Honesty Policy is applicable to all learners enrolled in course programs offered by FAP First Aid. This policy encompasses all acts of plagiarism, collusion, and cheating committed by learners, and it extends to situations where these actions occur or are knowingly facilitated by FAP First Aid’s trainer/assessors or other employees.

Overview:

FAP First Aid’s primary mission revolves around delivering high-quality vocational education and training programs to its learners. The purpose of outlining the conditions under which the Academic Honesty Policy will be implemented is to safeguard the authenticity of learners’ assessment submissions. FAP First Aid is committed to the consistent and equitable application of this policy across all its programs, ensuring that every learner enrolled at FAP First Aid adheres to these standards.

Policy:

FAP First Aid places substantial importance on the assessment process as it directly impacts the integrity of qualification outcomes. To maintain this integrity, FAP First Aid treats plagiarism, cheating, and collusion with utmost seriousness. These actions constitute violations of learner conduct and will be subject to review and management by FAP First Aid authorities. Engaging in plagiarism, collusion, or cheating may result in disciplinary action, potentially leading to the termination of a learner’s enrolment, with no refund of fees.

Plagiarism:

Plagiarism, defined as the act of appropriating others’ ideas, writings, or work and presenting them as one’s own without acknowledging the original author, is considered a fraudulent act that infringes upon another’s intellectual property. FAP First Aid emphasises that learners must clearly attribute ideas borrowed from external sources and that mere superficial alterations do not conceal the use of another’s words. Failure to acknowledge the source of a direct quote or specific writing without proper reference or acknowledgment is regarded as plagiarism.

Examples of plagiarism encompass:

  • Directly copying one or more paragraphs, sentences, or significant portions of text.
  • “Copy and paste” of content from a single or multiple sources.
  • Submitting collaborative work as one’s individual effort.
  • Copying or adapting another learner’s original work in a submitted assessment.
  • Using software or websites designed for plagiarism, such as an ‘article spinner,’ or AI tools like ChatGPT.
  • Notwithstanding the above, if more than 15% of a learner’s work is found to be plagiarised, the learner may be required to resubmit the assessment.

Resubmission of Plagiarised Work:

Learners acknowledge that, following an initial warning, a $50 re-submission fee per assessment returned by a trainer/assessor or marked as “Not Satisfactory” due to plagiarism will be imposed. Assessments will only be evaluated upon payment of the $50 fee per assessment. Persistent submission of plagiarised work may lead to the termination of a learner’s enrolment, without eligibility for a refund.

Cheating and Collusion

FAP First Aid unequivocally condemns instances of learners engaging in cheating and collusion. Cheating and collusion are characterised by:
  • Collaborating on assignments when it is not a requirement of the assessment.
  • Copying all or part of assignments from another participant.
  • Submitting the work of others or a modified version of work from previous courses.
  • Engaging in dishonest conduct in studies and assessment tasks.
Both cheating and collusion constitute acts of academic dishonesty.

FAP First Aid's Expectations

When responding to assessment tasks, FAP First Aid expects that learners will:
  • Generate their own ideas.
  • Draw upon information from the unit’s learning support materials and other relevant sources, expressing it in their own words.
  • When a question necessitates quoting from legislation, regulation, or codes of practice, learners may reproduce the relevant text, provided they properly reference it, e.g., “The Work Health and Safety Act 2011 (the WHS Act) provides a framework to protect the health, safety, and welfare of all workers at work. It also safeguards the health and safety of all other individuals who might be affected by the work” (WHS Act Qld, 2020).
  • For questions requiring an explanation related to legislation, regulation, or codes of practice, learners must formulate their responses in their own words.
  • Complete their own work, refraining from collusion, copying, or utilising others’ work.
  • Strictly avoid the use of artificial intelligence (AI). All submitted work must be the product of the learner’s own efforts.