Academic Unit

Academic Honesty Policy

General

Students who attend Ensign College should seek to be totally honest in all their dealings.  They should complete their own work and be evaluated based upon that work.  They should avoid academic dishonesty and misconduct in all its forms, including but not limited to, plagiarism, fabrication or falsification, cheating, and other academic misconduct.

Plagiarism

Intentional plagiarism is the deliberate act of representing the words, ideas, or data of another as one’s own without providing proper attribution to the original author through quotation, reference, or footnote.

Inadvertent plagiarism involves the inappropriate, but non-deliberate, use of another’s words, ideas, or data without proper attribution.  Although not a violation of the Honor Code, it is a form of academic misconduct for which an instructor can impose appropriate academic sanctions.  Students who are in doubt as to whether they are providing proper attribution have the responsibility to consult with their instructor and obtain guidance.

Plagiarism may occur with respect to unpublished as well as published material.  Examples include:

• Direct Plagiarism: the verbatim copying of an original source without acknowledging the source.
• Paraphrased Plagiarism: the paraphrasing of ideas from another without attribution, causing a reader to mistake these ideas for the writer’s own.
• Plagiarism Mosaic: the borrowing of words, ideas, or data from an original source and blending this original material with one’s own writing, without acknowledging the source.
• Insufficient Acknowledgment: the partial or incomplete attribution of words, ideas, or data from an original source.

Fabrication/Falsification

Fabrication or falsification occurs when a student invents or distorts the origin or content of information used as authority.  Examples include:

• Citing a source that does not exist.
• Citing information from a source that is not included in the source for which credit is given.
• Citing a source for a secondary proposition that it does not support.
• Citing a bibliography source when it was neither consulted nor cited in the body of the paper.
• Intentionally distorting the meaning or applicability of data.
• Inventing data or statistical results to support conclusions.

Cheating

A student cheats when he or she attempts to give the appearance of a level of knowledge or skill that has not been obtained.  Examples include:

• Copying from another person’s work during an examination or while completing an assignment.
• Allowing someone to copy work that is not his or her own during an examination or while completing an assignment.
• Using unauthorized materials during an examination or while completing an assignment.
• Collaborating on an examination or assignment without authorization.
• Taking an examination or completing an assignment for another, or permitting another to take an examination or to complete an assignment that is not his or her own.

Other Academic Misconduct

Other academic misconduct includes other academically dishonest, deceitful, or inappropriate acts which are intentionally committed. Examples include:

• Inappropriately providing or receiving information or academic work so as to gain unfair advantage over others.
• Planning with another to commit any act of academic dishonesty.
• Attempting to gain an unfair academic advantage for oneself or another by bribery or by any act of offering, giving, receiving, or soliciting anything of value to another for such purpose.
• Changing or altering grades or other official educational records.
• Obtaining or providing to another a test or answers to a test that has not been administered.
• Breaking and entering into a building or office for the purpose of obtaining unauthorized materials.
• Continuing work on an examination or assignment after the allocated time has elapsed.
• Submitting the same work for more than one class without disclosure and approval.
• Getting equal credit on group assignments when equal work was not done.
• Using, uploading, downloading, or purchasing online resources derived from material pertaining to an Ensign College course without the written permission of the professor (e.g., Quizlet, Course Hero, Chegg, etc.).

Procedures for Handling Academic Misconduct

Instructors are responsible to establish and communicate to students their expectations of behavior with respect to academic honesty and conduct in the course. The instructor will be responsible to investigate any incident of academic dishonesty or misconduct, determine the circumstances, and take appropriate action. Examples of appropriate action include but are not limited to the following:

• Reprimanding the student verbally or in writing in a private setting.
• Requiring work affected by the academic dishonesty to be redone.
• Administering a lower or failing grade on the affected assignment, test, or course.
• Forfeiting their eligibility to drop or withdraw from a course even if the drop or withdraw deadlines have not passed.

Refer student to the Honor Code Office. The Honor Code Office will complete an independent investigation and take appropriate action. If the incident involves violation of a public law, e.g., breaking and entering into an office or stealing an examination, the act should be reported to College Security.

Students who know of or suspect another student has violated this policy should report their concern to their teacher or the Honor Code Office.

Both suspected and proven violations of the Academic Honesty Policy should be reported to the Honor Code Office, detailing the name, incident, and action taken. If the occurrence is sufficiently egregious, or if a pattern of dishonesty or misconduct is discovered, the Honor Code Office may take additional action, based upon the nature of the violation.

If a student disagrees with the determination or action and is unable to resolve the matter to the mutual satisfaction of the student and the instructor, he or she may have it reviewed through the college’s grievance process (See Student Academic Grievance Policy).

Academic Renewal Policy

Academic renewal is a policy that provides a means by which students with poor past academic performance may, under certain limited conditions, petition to eliminate grades of D+ or lower from the calculation of their GPA.

Before submitting a petition for academic renewal, students must meet the following conditions:

• Students must have been out of attendance at Ensign College for at least two full academic years (four consecutive semesters).
• Upon return, students must have completed at least 24 credit hours (not including Religion credit) with a GPA of at least 2.5 and with all classes at “C” grade or higher.
• Students must be currently enrolled.

Petitions for academic renewal are considered on a case-by-case basis, and there is no guarantee that academic renewal will be granted. Submit petitions using the Exception to Academic Policy Form.

If academic renewal is granted, all courses on the transcript with a grade of D+ or lower will no longer be calculated into the GPA. Although the courses must continue to appear on the transcript, they will not count toward required courses or credit hours needed for graduation, or other graduation requirements. A code will appear on the academic transcript next to those courses with grades of D+ and lower indicating they are not calculated into the cumulative GPA. For purposes of academic honors, however, all grades on the transcript will be calculated into the GPA.

Students may take advantage of the academic renewal option only once during their academic studies at Ensign College.

Academic Standing

Students are required to achieve a 2.0 or higher cumulative GPA to graduate with an Ensign College degree or certificate and to maintain good academic standing. Students' academic standing is determined and adjusted at the end of each semester with the following categories: Good, Warning, Probation, and Suspension.

• Good: A student is considered to be in good academic standing any time their cumulative GPA is 2.0 or higher.
• Warning: A student is placed on warning after the first semester their cumulative GPA falls below 2.0. Students placed on academic warning are encouraged to meet with the Student Success team to develop an improvement plan.
• Probation: A student is placed on academic probation after the second consecutive semester their cumulative GPA falls below 2.0. Students placed on probation are required to meet with the Student Success team to establish or revise an improvement plan. A registration hold will be placed on the student's account until they meet with the Student Success team. Students are required to meet with their Success Advisor before registering for each semester until their cumulative GPA meets or exceeds 2.0. 
• Suspension: A student will be suspended after the third consecutive semester their cumulative GPA falls below 2.0. Students on suspension will be required to sit out for one semester and must complete additional requirements outlined by the Student Success team to be considered for readmission. Students returning after suspension do so on a probationary status and must maintain a 2.0 term GPA every semester thereafter to continue at the College.
• Academic Dismissal: Students who return after being academically suspended and fail to achieve a 2.0 term GPA will be academically dismissed. Students who have been academically dismissed may re-apply to attend Ensign College no earlier than two years from the date of their dismissal. In addition to submitting an application, a student in this situation will also need to submit an appeal to the Academic Standards Committee to be considered for readmission. Students should connect with a Success Advisor in the Student Success Center to pursue this process. 

The Office of the Registrar will notify students the week after grades are officially posted notifying them of their current academic standing. Students may also view their academic standing in MyEnsign.

Attendance and Absence from Class

Students are responsible for class attendance. No absences, whether approved by the College for participation in College-sponsored activities or necessitated by sickness or other personal emergencies, are “excused” in the sense that the student is relieved from classwork assigned during the absence. To ensure continuity, students must make up missed work. In most cases, repeated absences will result in a lower grade or failure. The Institute of Religion Department has a 75% minimum attendance requirement regardless of the reason.

Class Protocol

Students are expected to participate in class regularly, complete assignments by due dates, come to class prepared to participate actively and constructively, and display a professional attitude. Research has proven that students adhering to these guidelines earn significantly better grades and persist to graduation.

Computer Crime

Any person who knowingly and without permission accesses or attempts to access any college computer, computer system, computer program, or network without prior authorization is committing computer fraud.

Copyright Infringement and Repeat Infringers Policy

Ensign College respects the valid intellectual property rights of third parties and requires all users of College computer systems or servers (including but not limited to computer networks, online, internet, web, and related services) to comply with local, federal, and international laws, including copyright laws. Users of the College’s computer systems or servers may not store or disseminate material of any type or in any format (including but not limited to music, movies, television shows, software, photographs, video productions, or any other material protected by copyright, trademark, and/or patent law that can be conveyed electronically) on the College’s systems or servers in any manner that constitutes an infringement of third-party intellectual property rights, including rights granted under the U.S. Copyright Laws. 

The College reserves the right to conduct inquiries to determine whether the activities of any user or account holder of the College’s computer systems or servers appear to be infringing. The Designated Agent, in consultation with the College Office of Information Technology and the Office of the General Counsel at Brigham Young University, may investigate claims and notifications of copyright infringement. If Ensign College determines that any users have infringed the copyrights of others, such users, subscribers, and/or account holders will be contacted and appropriate action will be taken. Ensign College will follow College policies and procedures for an administrative review and determination of appropriate sanctions.

In accordance with the Digital Millennial Copyright Act and other applicable law, Ensign College may terminate, in appropriate circumstances, access to College computer systems, electronic networks and/or services provided to any user or account holder who is a repeat infringer.  Appropriate circumstances may exist where:

1. a user of College computer systems or networks or account holder has been found by a court of competent jurisdiction to have infringed the copyrights of a third-party on multiple occasions, i.e., a repeat infringer;
2. the College has received multiple valid, effective, and uncontested notifications alleging that a user or account holder of the College’s systems or networks has committed copyright infringement using the College’s systems or networks; or
3. a user has engaged in flagrant abuse of access to the Internet using the College’s systems or networks (e.g., willful commercial piracy or malicious attempts to destroy the value of copyright works).

Further, where the College has actual knowledge that any material residing on a system or network controlled by the College at the direction of a user is infringing, the College shall act expeditiously to remove or disable access to the material.

Users violating the College's copyright and infringement policies may be subject to the full measure of disciplinary action up to and including warnings, suspension, and termination of College status and/or employment where applicable. The College expressly reserves the right to terminate or suspend the user’s or account holder’s computer and network access if the College, in its sole judgment, believes that circumstances relating to infringement of third-party intellectual property rights warrant such action. These policies are in addition to and do not affect or modify any other rights the College may have under law or contract.

Course Sharing Policy

To better serve students by providing additional course offerings, Ensign College will extend opportunities for students to complete a select number of BYU-Idaho online courses.

The relevant Ensign College faculty will review and approve the shared BYU-Idaho courses for content, outcomes, and assessments.  BYU-Idaho course prefixes, numbers, and titles will be changed to reflect the Ensign College course identification and numbering system.

The courses will be listed in the Ensign College catalog and on the student transcript as Ensign College courses with a notation in the course description informing students that the courses will be offered through the BYU-Idaho online system.

Transcription of the BYU-Idaho courses will be completed at Ensign College.

The courses will be delivered to Ensign College students through the BYU-Idaho online system, utilizing their Learning Management System (LMS).  The courses will be taught by BYU-Idaho faculty.  Ensign College students will be required to adhere to the BYU-Idaho academic calendar, policies, course standards, and honor code.

Disruptive Behavior

Ensign College provides a wholesome academic, cultural, social, and spiritual environment for students. Disruptive behavior is behavior that significantly interferes with the educational process, the educational environment (including housing); or the administrative functions of the College. The determination of whether conduct rises to the level of disruptive behavior is determined on an individual case-by-case basis with reference to the relevant facts and circumstances. Disruptive behavior may include, but is not limited to intimidating, threatening, harassing, or violent behavior; abuse of administrative processes; abuse of College or individual resources; disregard or non-compliance with established policies and procedures or medical advice; or the probable likelihood of engaging in conduct or actions that may endanger the health, safety or welfare of any individual. Disruptive behavior may also include physical acts, oral or written statements, gestures, or expressions that communicate direct or indirect threats of harm or disruption. Disruptive behaviors and actions are inconsistent with the values of Ensign College. 

Email as an Official Method of Communication

Official College messages to all students will be sent through Ensign College email.  Students are responsible for information received through their Ensign College email account.  Students are expected to regularly check their email accounts for official information.  This policy is to ensure that important Ensign College communication is received in a timely and consistent manner.

Students are responsible for all information sent to them through email.  The student’s email address is their (NetID@Ensign.edu) and password.

Off-Campus: go to mail.Ensign.edu, enter your Church of Jesus Christ Account credentials and click login.

Emergency Leave of Absence

In the event of unusual circumstances such as serious illness or injury, students may be granted a leave of absence from their program of study.  To qualify for a leave, students must submit in writing to the Appeals Committee a formal request that such a leave be granted.

If the leave is for illness or injury, a doctor’s statement is required confirming the student’s inability to continue school at the present time. Students who receive federal financial aid may also need to appeal to regain eligibility if they are unable to meet the minimum Satisfactory Academic Progress standards (SAP). If a student wishes to appeal this disqualification, they will need to submit copies of the appeal, the doctor’s statement, and the decision of the Appeals Committee to the Financial Aid Office for inclusion in their financial aid file.  If the leave period expires without the student returning to school, s/he will be withdrawn effective the date the leave was granted.  Students may obtain only one leave during a 12- month period.

Entertainment and the Media

In For the Strength of Youth it teaches us to, “choose wisely when using media, because whatever you read, listen to, or look at has an effect on you. Select only media that uplifts you. Do not attend, view, or participate in anything that is vulgar, immoral, violent, or pornographic in any way. Do not participate in anything that presents immorality or violence as acceptable. Take care that your use of media and entertainment does not dull your sensitivity to the Spirit or interfere with your personal relationships with others. Do not communicate anything over the internet or through text that would be inappropriate to share in person. Obey the laws that govern sharing music, movies, and other copyrighted items” (pp 11-13).

Exceptions to College Academic or Graduation Policy

Students wishing to appeal any Ensign College academic policy must submit the Exception to Academic Policy form found on the Ensign College website. Situations may include dropping classes or withdrawing from school after published deadlines. All petitions must be submitted within 90 calendar days from the last day of the semester for which the student is requesting the exception to academic policy. The petition process is meant to accommodate students with extenuating circumstances or emergencies beyond their control that may impact their academic records. Only Ensign College academic policies can be appealed; federal guidelines and/or requirements cannot be appealed through this committee.

Grievance Policy and Procedures

There may be an occasion when a student may feel his or her work has been evaluated unfairly or inadequately by an instructor.  In this situation, the resolution is best accomplished when the student first pursues the matter formally and directly with the course instructor involved.

Students taking BYU-Idaho Online courses through course sharing: https://www.byui.edu/9-student-online-grievance-policy

Ensign College courses: 

1. The Instructor.
   1. The student must initiate the grievance with the instructor within 30 calendar days from the last day of the semester in which the alleged unfair or inadequate evaluation took place.  If the student brings the grievance to the attention of the instructor and it is not resolved to the student’s satisfaction, or if the student feels strongly the instructor will not deal with grievance fairly, or if the instructor is no longer at the College, the student can choose to take the matter to the Program Chair.
      If the student does not communicate with the instructor, within 30 days, the grievance process cannot advance. At this point, the student has lost their right to appeal any further.
2. Program Chair.
   1. The student would need to then submit in writing their grievance to the Program Chair no later than 30 calendar days from the last day of the semester in which the alleged unfairness or inadequate evaluation took place.  The Program Chair will consider the grievance, review the matter with the instructor and the student, and notify the student and the instructor of the decision in writing within 30 calendar days after the original grievance was submitted.  The Program Chair will also communicate the decision to the Dean of Applied Sciences or the Dean of General Education.
      It is the student’s responsibility to show compelling evidence of the grievance.  The student should be prepared to show academic work, grading rubrics, instructor comments or any other artifacts that strengthen their case. Coming unprepared to a grievance meeting will most likely result in a delay in the process.
3. Dean of Applied Sciences or Dean of General Education & Review Committee.
   1. In the event the student is dissatisfied with the decision by the Program Chair, the student can make an appeal to the Dean of Applied Sciences for program-specific classes or the Dean of General Education for general education classes.  The appeal should be submitted in writing no later than 30 calendar days after the date of the Program Chair’s letter of decision.  The written appeal should include documentation and details of the grievance.  The instructor and the Program Chair will also be asked to submit individual written statements on the grievance submitted.

The Dean will work with a review committee that includes the Director of Curriculum and other Ensign College ad hoc members as deemed necessary to review the appeal.  They will also interview the instructor and the student.  The decision of the committee (its majority vote) will be made within 30 calendar days after the appeal is submitted and will be final and not subject to an appeal.  The student and the instructor will be notified in writing within 10 calendar days of the committee decision.

Honor Code Grievance https://www.ensign.edu/investigation-and-administrative-review

Honors

Students with outstanding academic records are recognized in two ways: The Dean’s List and the Honor Roll. Students who complete at least 12 credit hours per semester, and who attain a 3.7 (3.69 does not round) semester GPA or higher, qualify for the Dean’s List. Students who complete a minimum of 30 credit hours and attain a cumulative GPA of 3.7 or higher qualify for the Honor Roll.

Internships

Purpose 

Finding a good job is the number one reason that students, parents, and the public value higher education. Gallup research shows that graduates who had a relevant job or internship experience while in school were more than twice as likely to acquire a good job immediately after graduation than their peers who did not complete an internship (see Busteed and Auter, “Why Colleges Should Make Internships a Requirement,” 2017). Internships give Ensign College students opportunities to apply lessons learned in the classroom, develop professional skills in a real-world environment under supervision from an employer, and interact with a faculty member through associated academic coursework. In addition, internships expand a student’s professional network.

Definition 

An “internship” is an academic, curriculum-based, practical work experience in a particular field of study that enhances student learning and development of professional skills. An internship is not a component of a course; rather, it is an applied work experience that includes related academic assignments. An internship requires the supervision of a professional who supervises the work of the intern/employee. Except for rare expectations, the supervisor should not be a relative of the student. 

Internship Requirement 

To graduate from Ensign College, degree-seeking students are required to complete at least one internship related to a certificate or degree studied at Ensign College.  

A student earning an associate degree is required to complete one internship. A student earning a bachelor’s degree is required to complete at least one internship. A student earning only a certificate is not required to complete an internship unless specified as a certificate requirement. A student who applies directly to a bachelor’s degree program is required to complete only one internship unless their program of study requires two internships. If an associate degree program includes two certificates, completion of only one internship is required. 

A student who graduates with an associate degree and later enrolls in a bachelor’s degree program at Ensign College will be required to complete two internships—one at the associate degree level and one at the bachelor’s degree level unless otherwise noted. 

Ensign College internship experiences must meet these standards:  
1. Relates directly to a student’s certificate or degree program.  
2. Provides the student with supervised practical application of previously studied theory.  
3. Focuses on real-world projects and problems serving employers or clients who are external to the college. 
4. Is administered through enrollment in an academic internship course. 
5. Internships are supervised by experience providers rather than faculty.

Ideally, internship experiences will expand a student’s professional network and business relationships. 

College-Wide Capabilities (CWC) 

An internship experience at Ensign College should include further development of the College-Wide Capabilities that are related to skills that employers are seeking in good candidates, namely:  
1. Teamwork and Leadership  
2. Communication  
3. Technical Skills  
4. Problem Solving  
5. Professionalism

Time Commitment - Minimum Hours and Weeks 

A minimum of 70 hours of total work in the internship experience is required, with a minimum of 10 hours of work per week for 7 weeks in a row. Other scheduling arrangements are acceptable if the minimum requirement is met (for example, a student may complete 40 hours of work per week for 14 weeks).  

Most internship providers expect interns to work 20-40 hours per week for at least one semester.  
Students must enroll for a minimum of 1 credit hour.

Readiness Testing

Math

Successful completion of PathwayConnect placement test scores, ACT/SAT scores, or a transcript showing college transfer credits are required to register for any math class.

An updated Ensign College readiness test is required if previous ACT, SAT, or placement test scores are more than 18 months old.

Students must complete placement testing or have approved transfer credits/AP scores before registering for a second semester at Ensign College. Those who have not met this requirement will be unable to register until a placement test is taken.