Rules & Ethics - MSA University

Rules and Ethics

Attendance:

Attendance Policy: The contact between the staff and student is the most effective means of learning. Class discussions and comments enhance the students’ understanding of the module content providing a new dimension to the learning experience. For these reasons, students are required to satisfy certain attendance requirements. Students who fail to attend 75% of all lectures and tutorials/Labs for a given module are deprived from the final exam and automatically fail the Module. This includes absences for medical reasons and emergencies. Students are required to check with the respective teaching assistants/Student Affairs department as to the number of absents reached in each module.

Late Arrival Policy: Late arrivals disrupt the class and interrupt other student’s concentration. Students are only allowed into the class during the first five minutes. Otherwise, they miss the class and are recorded as absent. During the midterm exams (1.5hrs) students are allowed to arrive up to the first 15 minutes of the exam, while the final examination (3 hrs) students are allowed to arrive up to the first 30 minutes of the exam.

Plagiarism:

Misconduct Procedures Academic Misconduct Procedures: MSA University complies with the Rules and Regulations of the Ministry of Higher Education in Egypt as per decree 49 for the year 1972, as well as the Rules and Regulations of the Private Universities in Egypt as per decree 101 for the year 1992. All following modifications that have been added from then to date are complied with. MSA students are expected to be honest in their academic endeavours. To falsify the results of one's research, to use the words or ideas of others as their own, to cheat in an examination, or to allow another to commit an act of academic dishonesty corrupts the basis of the academic process. The act of Plagiarism includes:

Quoting another person's actual words, complete sentences or paragraphs, or entire piece of written work without acknowledgement of the source,

Using another person's ideas, opinions, or theory even if it is completely paraphrased in one's own words, without acknowledgement of the source

Borrowing facts, statistics or other illustrative materials that are not clearly common knowledge without acknowledgement of the source

Copying another student's essay test answers

Copying, or allowing another student to copy, a computer file that contains another student's assignment, and submitting it, in part or in its entirety, as one's own

Working together on an assignment, sharing the computer files and programs involved, and then submitting individual copies of the assignment as one's own individual work. When in doubt about rules concerning plagiarism, students are urged to consult with their faculty. Procedure of Investigating Plagiarism and Academic dishonesty during in-module assessments: This procedure applies only to in-module assessment (e.g. assignment or coursework) and can only be applied once per module. It covers the following offences:

Plagiarism.

Contract writing of assessment by third party.

Fabrication of results or conclusion, and Collusion.

Where the marker of the assessment suspects that the student’s submitted work is plagiarized or one of the above offences has been committed, the marker shall interview the student establish that an offence has been committed or to demonstrate the plagiarized work and the proportion of the plagiarized work. During this interview, the marker shall give the students the opportunity to present his or her case and mitigating circumstances, if any. Depending on the severity of the plagiarism or the offence being committed, the marker may take one of the following actions:

In case of first offence, (not deliberate or intended, one which has arisen inadvertently through mistake or ignorance), student may receive one of the following penalties as determined by the Module Leader or Programme leader.

- Students are reminded of the seriousness of their act and is given a verbal warning. - Students are reminded of the seriousness of their act and are asked to sign a Plagiarism Warning Form (A written warning). - Redo the same assessment or a new assessment within a set deadline. The new mark shall not exceed mark awarded for the offended work, if any. - Redo the same assessment or a new assessment and the new mark shall not exceed the pass mark. - Exclude the plagiarized part of the assessment and mark the work accordingly. - A ward a zero grade to the assessment under investigation.

In case of second offence, the issue is escalated to the programme leader/Dean. The penalty may reach failing the assignment grade/Course work of the module where the act has been attempted.

In case of repeated act, the issue is escalated to the Respective Dean who directly reports to the University President for final decision. The penalty in this case may reach failing the module where this offence was committed or more than one module.

In severe cases, the issue is escalated to the University President and the penalty may reach dismissal from the University for one semester or more based on the circumstances of the case.

Probation Policy:

Probation students are students who fail to achieve CGPA 2.0 (equivalent to C i.e ≥ 60%). Every student has to check his/her CGPA every semester to revise his/her status. Students are informed during their first levels on probation that they should exert utmost effort on raising their CGPA to at least 2.0 (≥ 60%) to avoid being dismissed from the University and to be able to graduate. Probation students are advised to improve their academic standards since students who remain on probation will be dismissed from the university. The numbers of semesters are determined by the Supreme Council of Egyptian Universities. In case of being on probation for:

Four consecutive semesters, the student will be dismissed from the faculty and will not be allowed to reregister in the same faculty again.

A total of eight inconsecutive semesters, in the faculties of Management Sciences, Computer Sciences, Mass Communication, Languages, Arts and Design and ten inconsecutive semesters in the faculties of Engineering, Pharmacy and Dental Surgery, the student will be dismissed from the faculty and will not be allowed to reregister in the same faculty again.

Spring and summer semesters are counted as one semester. The student is allowed to change major only once. UK CGPA is calculated for only 300, 400 level modules in case of faculty of Computer Sciences.