Reform not punish: IIT-Kgp’s new take on exam malpractices

Kolkata: IIT Kharagpur will enforce a graded framework of punishments for handling examination malpractice in place of uniform punitive norms to ensure fair and proportional consequences and provide students with a path to reform themselves.

Director Suman Chakraborty said, “We have zero tolerance for serious violations compromising integrity, but we will also provide corrective pathways to students to reform themselves.”

A source said that the institute’s Special Senate on May 22 approved a seven-tier penalty schedule depending upon the different types of academic malpractice based on severity, recurrence, evidence and surrounding circumstances.

“Any malpractice is bad. But since there are different grades of offences, punishments should also be graded. The aim of this move is to ensure fairness and proportionate institute response so that there is no dead-end for students,” said a teacher.

Among the seven-tier punishments, the first provision is if a student is found with a mobile, smart watch or chits within a few minutes from the start of the examination and there is no substantial evidence of use, then the first answer script of the student will be scrapped and a warning will be issued. He will be provided with a second answer script. If any smart device or chits are found after an hour or more from the start of the exam but no substantial evidence of use is ascertained, then the answer script will be totally scrapped and the student will be allowed to take the supplementary exam.

The second penalty category is if a student is caught red-handed and evidence of use is there, neither the student’s answer script will be evaluated nor will he be allowed to take the supplementary exam. His final grade will be evaluated on the remaining exam components. A student will face subject de-registration and a financial penalty with no provision for taking supplementary exams when he leaked a question paper via mobile or any other way and there is evidence to support it.

If a student commits academic malpractice twice or more than twice and there is evidence, the punishment will range from subject de-registration to home rehabilitation for a semester along with a financial penalty, no provision for supplementary exam and community service.

An official said, “To enforce discipline with dignity among students and also to provide them with a reformative pathway, the director, the dean of student well-being, the chief of staff to the director and others came up with the graded punishment system for different categories of offences. It will allow students to learn from their mistakes without derailing their overall educational progress, reflect on their actions and encourage accountability.”

A teacher said, “Previously, a student would be de-registered from the subject if he was found with smart gadgets for the first time and did not get a chance to take a supplementary exam in that academic year. If a student was found guilty of malpractice twice, he would be deregistered from the semester. A student would get a year-lag if he was caught doing malpractice more than twice. These steps would often affect students negatively as it causes severe academic harm.”

TOI wrote in April that the institute beefed up its security measures by deploying a large number of security personnel for frisking during exams following 300 complaints of academic malpractice involving smart gadgets.

BOX

A graded framework for handling academic malpractice instead of uniform punitive measures

Categorisation of offences based on severity, recurrence, evidence and surrounding circumstances

It will lead to proportionate institutional responses - seven-tier penalty schedule based on offence and evidence

Counselling-linked corrective pathways for first-time offences

Progressive discipline for repeat or aggravated cases

Zero tolerance for serious violations compromising integrity

Reformative treatment wherever appropriate because there should be no dead-end for students

Examples of penalty schedules -

1 Warning issued, first answer script scrapped; second provided if caught within a few minutes from exam start. If caught after an hour, answer script scrapped, supplementary exam is allowed

2. If caught red-handed while cheating, answer script will not be evaluated. No provision of supplementary exam. Final grade evaluated on remaining components. Need to do community service

3. Subject de-registration, no supplementary, financial penalty if question paper leaked via smart gadget

4. If same offences are repeated twice or more, punishments will range from subject de-registration to home rehabilitation for a semester along with financial penalty, no provision for supplementary exam and community service