Academic Misconduct Panel

Important information for students attending an Academic Misconduct Panel

The purpose of the Academic Misconduct Panel will be to independently investigate the grounds on which an allegation has been made, decide on the balance of probabilities whether Academic Misconduct has occurred and, if so, determine which penalty to impose.

If you have been invited to an Academic Misconduct Panel please read the Important Information below in conjunction with the Academic Misconduct Procedure before your panel hearing. You will be asked to confirm you have read this before the panel can begin.

Important Information for Students

1. You are permitted to bring a ‘friend’ to the Panel hearing who must be a member of staff at UCL, Students’ Union Advisor, or a student currently registered at UCL. The person may be legally qualified but they will not be acting in a legal capacity. The person must not be a member of the Academic Misconduct decision or panel procedure. The role of the ‘friend’ is to provide you with moral support and to ensure that the Panel hearing is conducted in accordance with the procedure. 
2. You may find it useful to contact Students' Union UCL or Student Support and Wellbeing for support before and after the panel.
3. You are not permitted to make a recording of the hearing. The Secretary to the Panel will be making a recording which will be kept until the case is fully resolved and then it will be destroyed. If there should be an appeal the recording will be provided to the Appeal Panel.
4. The Panel hearing is not a court of law. It is an independent panel drawn from across UCL to consider the written evidence submitted and oral evidence which will be received at the hearing and make a decision whether or not Academic Misconduct has occurred and if so the appropriate penalty to be applied.
5. The Panel will not normally consider Extenuating Circumstances as relevant in determining whether Academic Misconduct has occurred.
6. A claim that Academic Misconduct has been committed unintentionally or accidentally cannot be considered as a defence to an allegation of Academic Misconduct.
7. You will be asked questions by the Panel to clarify the written evidence and the Panel will seek further explanation from you about the case. You should only speak when invited to do so by the Chair of the Panel.
8. Representative(s) from your Department may be invited to attend the hearing. Their purpose is to respond to questions posed by members of the Panel to clarify matters relating to the case and any of the written and/ or oral evidence.  They are not members of the Panel and do not have a role in deciding whether there is a case or not and what penalty is imposed.
9. You will be invited towards the end to make a final statement to the Panel, if you wish to do so. If you bring a ‘friend’, they will also be able to make a statement.
10. At the end of the Panel hearing, you and your ‘friend’, if present, will be asked to confirm that the hearing has been conducted in accordance with the Academic Misconduct procedure. 
11. The Panel will aim to reach a decision as soon as possible and according to the procedure you will be informed of its decision in writing within one working week. However, the Secretary will provide you with the provisional decision by email one working day after the hearing.
12. UCL takes 'Contract Cheating' very seriously, and the outcome for cases where it is decided that this has occured on a 'balance of probabilities' basis will result in Expulsion. Only under very exceptional circumstances will any lesser penalty be considered.
13. One a decision has been made by the Panel it is considered final. There is no mechanism for the Panel to review their decision, and you must not email members of the Panel to request a decision be reviewed. However, if you are unhappy with the decision of the Panel you will be able to appeal as per the criteria set out in the Academic Misconduct Procedure once you receive the formal decision. You must send notification of appeal to the Casework Team within ten working days of receiveing the formal outcome.