Rhine Education Center: Academic Policies

Last Updated: May 21, 2020

Academic Honesty

The Rhine Education Center (REC) is an academic center that anticipates that our caring and responsible students will act with maturity, complete honesty, and respect in all of their interactions in the context of the academic environment. An additional characteristic of academic work is the recognition of work that comes from other sources or materials. Any work, ideas, or quotes that come from other sources should be referenced according to the REC Posting Guidelines.

Plagiarism

Plagiarism is most commonly known as copying information verbatim from another source without referencing the source materials, but out of respect for the original authors, all ideas that come from other sources should be appropriately referenced. In the rare case where plagiarism is found to occur, it will be considered to be a breach of academic honesty. Students who are found to plagiarize are subject to a reprimand from the REC Academic Committee, and they will receive a failing grade for the assignment. Three instances of plagiarism by any student (in a single course or over all courses taken by the student) will result in a formal academic review and, at the sole discretion of the REC Academic Committee, may result in expulsion from the program with no opportunity to take additional courses. This information will be maintained by the REC along with student grades as part of the student’s academic record.

Posting Guidelines

All postings submitted for courses, whether for grades or for an audited course, are expected to be original work that adheres to the REC policy of Academic Honesty.

Postings should completely address all parts of the discussion question including any examples or definitions requested in the discussion question. All postings should be written in academic language and should include specific references to the course materials or other academic references. References should be provided using standard reference notation according to the American Psychological Association reference standards.

Posts should not include promotions for businesses or marketing information.  With the specific, written approval of the instructor and/or administration, researchers may post information about research projects to recruit participants or inform students of scientific activities in a field related to the course. Any posts that are deemed inappropriate for any reason will be removed at the discretion of the administration.

Appropriate language

Out of respect for fellow students, postings should refrain from using abusive, disrespectful, or foul language. Any postings including inappropriate language or content will be removed from the discussion forum, and the student will not be given credit for the posting. At the sole discretion of the instructor, the student may be given the opportunity to repost for credit. Continued use of inappropriate language may result in a review by the REC Academic Committee and could include expulsion from the course or the program with no opportunity to take further courses.

Posting Responses

Posting responses should be relevant to the original posting and provide substantial information that adds to the information in the original posting. Responses which indicate agreement or disagreement with the original posting should provide supporting information which adds information that is relevant to the course materials. Posting responses should adhere to the Academic Honesty policy including the use of references when it is appropriate.

Discrimination, Harassment, Assault

In order to protect all students and staff from harmful behavior, the REC prohibits the discrimination, harassment, or assault of any individuals involved in courses or programs. This policy applies to students, instructors, and administrators. This includes all course interactions including postings in forums, assignments, or any interaction that involves students, instructors, or administrators.

Definitions

Assault: Assault is the performance of any act with the intent to cause fear or produce physical bodily harm or death. Any attempt to cause fear or produce bodily harm is also considered assault.

Discrimination: Discrimination is the segregation or separation of individuals based on gender, age, race, creed, nationality, religion, disability, sexual orientation, or economic status. Discriminatory practices include any actions which interfere with an individual’s full participation in class activities or discourage any individual from participating in a course or program.

Harassment: Harassment is any unwanted actions which results in a hostile environment.

All information contained on this page is the sole property of the Rhine Education Center and the Rhine Research Center. This information cannot be reproduced or reused without the expressed written permission of the Rhine Research Center.

History

May 21, 2020 - Change to Posting Guidelines indicating that promotional materials are not appropriate in the forums and that inappropriate postings will be removed.