Investigation into possible plagiarism

Discussion in 'General study / exams' started by Peter90, Jul 19, 2020.

  1. pjlee01

    pjlee01 Ton up Member

    Many thanks for the clarification. I was on Council for 7 years (from July 2012 to June 2018, and again from July 2019 until end August 2020), and I was unaware that the IFoA could impose sanctions of failing candidates + preventing them from sitting any more exams for 6 months (and in one case 24 months?) without going through the disciplinary process, and I doubt that this was generally known by Council members (with the exception perhaps of those on the Education/Lifelong Learning Board) during that period. Do you (or anyone else) know when were these "Inappropriate Conduct" powers under the Assessment Regulations introduced?
     
  2. pjlee01

    pjlee01 Ton up Member

    I agree that it is concerning that just over a quarter of candidates found the plagiarism and referencing guide unclear.

    More fundamentally, the results look partial/selective. E.g. For sections 2 to 4, what does "Very Satisfied and Satisfied" mean? e.g. does it mean that the percentages shown in those sections are only from those members who put an overall rating for those sections as either "Satisfied" or "Very Satisfied"? If so, isn't the report overstating the satisfaction of members? (Isn't it effectively saying a tautology: "of those who gave us high marks, the average mark was high"? Or have I missed something?). I think the report should show full results, not just of those who are satisfied/very satisfied. (See https://www.reddit.com/r/Actuary_news/comments/osq98c/ifoa_postexam_survey_feedback/ for a similar discussion)
     
  3. Greentea

    Greentea Active Member

    Has anyone who appealed right away heard back from the Institute yet? Can PM me if you don't want to post openly
     
  4. pjlee01

    pjlee01 Ton up Member

  5. Greentea

    Greentea Active Member

    Did anyone successfully appeal RE April 2021 exams?
     
  6. pjlee01

    pjlee01 Ton up Member

    Why isn't the Institute and Faculty of Actuaries being transparent about this? Like almost everything to do with plagiarism and other actions taken against students outside the disciplinary scheme, no statistics are published?
     
  7. Teatoddler

    Teatoddler Member

    Hi, what was the outcome of potential collusion?
     
  8. Ashwin Shrivastava

    Ashwin Shrivastava Active Member

    Probably 1 year ban.
     
  9. pjlee01

    pjlee01 Ton up Member

    For transparency shouldn't the IFoA should publish full statistics (including numbers of outcomes and their type) on:
    • the number of investigations it brings against students under the Assessment Regulations (or whatever the process that is called that is used instead of the Disciplinary Scheme for what it regards as lower level possible misconduct)
    • the number of complaints against it (the IFoA) under its Putting Things Right process (its official process for handling complaints against IFoA staff or the IFoA itself)
    ?
     
  10. pjlee01

    pjlee01 Ton up Member

    For a very interesting case where a student (with the help of her employer who was extremely supportive, probably because they realised that the accusations were probably unfounded/unfair) successfully appealed against a temporary ban from taking the exams, see https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=yZGd15HbIlo. All credit to her for sharing this - she displays great integrity and leadership in my view.

    For calculations estimating the financial loss to students from either a six month (typical for plagiarism) or a two year suspension (possible for collusion), see https://improveifoa.wordpress.com/2...ents-more-severe-than-disciplinary-penalties/: the financial loss may be far higher than you might think, because of the loss of future earnings over the rest of your career. Corrections and amendments to the Excel file are welcome of course.
     
  11. Autodidactuary

    Autodidactuary Keen member

    Has anyone received a plagiarism/collusion letter for the April 2022 exams yet?
     
  12. Ashwin Shrivastava

    Ashwin Shrivastava Active Member

    Yes, already sent out, one of the IG handles posted it.
     
    Autodidactuary likes this.
  13. J123gp

    J123gp Made first post

    Apologies, what are the IG handles you’ve mentioned?
     
  14. Autodidactuary

    Autodidactuary Keen member

    pjlee01 likes this.
  15. Actuary_07

    Actuary_07 Keen member

    Hi
    One of my friends received a plagiarism email post which Ifoa has debarred this person for 6 months.
    Has anyone successfully appealed in such a case? If yes, can you please help me and guide me so I can help my friend. Thank you so much
     
  16. James Bujen

    James Bujen Made first post

    Received a letter for April 23 SP and SA exams. I cannot believe it :( . This is so crazy. I am feeling overwhelmed to the point where i think seeking medical assistance might be necessary. I would greatly appreciate any advice.
     
  17. mavvj

    mavvj Ton up Member

    IF you feel overwhelmed, definitely seek medical assistance.

    Go through your script with a fine tooth comb, try to see why they thought you plagiarised and try to build a case arguing that you didn't.
     
  18. Lindsay Smitherman

    Lindsay Smitherman ActEd Tutor Staff Member

    Hello James: this sounds like a very difficult situation for you and I am sorry to hear that it has become so overwhelming.

    In addition to the other suggestions on this thread, I just wanted to add that all of ActEd's students (ie anyone who has purchased our materials or services) have access to BPP's Safeguarding team. They are specialists in providing assistance to students who are struggling with achieving their learning goals, and that includes helping to protect both physical and mental health.

    If you feel that they could be of some assistance, they can be contacted at safeguarding@bpp.com.

    There is further information available in this thread under Forum help:
    https://www.acted.co.uk/forums/index.php?threads/further-help-and-support-from-bpp.19334/
     
    mavvj likes this.

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