Information that Students give to Akademia College:

• By registering with the College, we create a file in your name. In this file we add the information you give us when you register.
• We hold general information about you, such as your name, address, modules and qualifications studied and fee payments, as well as examinations, assessments and course data and results.
• You may give us information about ‘special categories’ of data, including your racial or ethnic origin, religious beliefs, physical or mental health and any criminal convictions.

Information that is automatically collected:

• Information about you (cookies) are automatically collected when you enter the college’s network. Without this information, connection to the network is not possible, mainly for better service and security.

Information we receive from third parties:

• We may contact local authorities in order to determine your student visa or resident status in Cyprus or to help you in visa procedures.
• We may also contact another organization or educational institution to confirm your qualifications or ask you to contact organizations and/or individuals to submit specific data and/or to certify information you have submitted.

How do we process your personal data?

• We collect and process a wide range of personal data in order to deliver our services and to support you, effectively manage our operations and meet our legal responsibilities.
• We use your ‘special categories’ of data for activities including: monitoring equal opportunities, identifying if you need support (in combination with other learning analytics data), informing academic research, providing you with relevant opportunities, and ensuring that the views of students with specific protected characteristics are represented. Information about any disabilities and special requirements you have will also be used to inform the provision of reasonable adjustments and other provisions for your study.
• You may submit additional ‘special category’ information to us, e.g. medical proof for funding, information about your religion concerning special circumstances needed for an examination, or information relevant to an enquiry or complaint. We only use this information for the purpose for which it was provided.
• We only process the personal data you provide us when we have a legitimate reason to do so such as:
  • Consent has been given by you
  • It is in the context of fulfilling a contract we have with you
  • Compliance with a legal obligation is enforced by the college
  • It is essential to protect your vital interest (humanitarian purposes e.g. medical emergencies, disaster response)
  • Is part of a task performed in the public interest or in the exercise of public authority by the college
  • It is part of the College's legitimate interest

We undertake to achieve a fair and equitable treatment of your personal data, subject to the provisions of the General Data Protection Regulations (2016/679) and any amendments thereto by applying good practices for the protection of your personal data. Security in maintaining your personal information is a basic principle and any transfer within the college aims to support learning, research and the provision of quality higher education to you.

Plagiarism Policy

Introduction

At Akademia College, academic integrity is a core value. Therefore, it is essential to ensure that all students uphold the highest standards of academic conduct. Plagiarism is a violation of academic integrity and is taken seriously by the college. This policy outlines what constitutes plagiarism, self-plagiarism, and collusion at Akademia College, and the penalties associated with such misconduct.

Definition of Plagiarism

Plagiarism is the act of using work or ideas that are not your own without proper acknowledgement from the source/s. This includes copying from a website, artificial intelligence tool, book, thesis, article, or any other source without acknowledging the author(s) using the appropriate academic referencing style.

Types of Plagiarism

Plagiarism may occur in any type of assignment when you:

• Use a phrase, sentence, quote, or paragraph from another source and do not acknowledge the author(s) or source.
• Copy word-for-word directly from a text or other sources without acknowledging the author(s).
• Paraphrase or translate the words from a text or other source very closely without acknowledging the author(s).
• Use research data, documents, questionnaires, transcripts, interviews, PowerPoint slides, data files, statistics, tables, or facts from another person or source without acknowledging the author(s).
• Copy or download figures, photographs, or pictures without acknowledging your sources.
• Copy comments or notes from a lecturer or a fellow student's essay.
• Pay for work from other sources/buy essays and submit it as your own.

Definition of Self-Plagiarism

Self-plagiarism, or auto-plagiarism, occurs when an author reuses substantial parts of their own published work without providing the appropriate references.

Definition of Collusion

Collusion is when two or more students work together on an individual assignment, submitting it as if it was their own work. This is not allowed and is considered unethical.

AI Protocol for Plagiarism Detection

To enhance the detection and prevention of plagiarism, Akademia College employs an AI-driven protocol integrated into the assessment process. The protocol utilises advanced plagiarism detection tools, including machine learning algorithms, to identify instances of potential plagiarism in student submissions. The AI protocol operates in two key ways:

• Moodle Plugin: A Moodle plugin automatically generates a plagiarism report for every assignment submitted by a student. The plagiarism report calculates the overall percentage by cross-referencing online sources and other submissions within the college database. The faculty and administration staff have access to this comprehensive report. Students receive only the overall percentage score generated by the plagiarism report in Moodle. This score is used to determine any necessary penalties.

• PlagiarismCheck Website: All students are provided with login codes to access the PlagiarismCheck website (www.plagiarismcheck.org). Students can proactively check their own work for potential plagiarism before submitting the final draft via Moodle. The AI-driven tool on the PlagiarismCheck website employs sophisticated algorithms to analyse and identify potential instances of plagiarism.

Penalties for Plagiarism and Poor Academic Practice

Categories of Plagiarism

The ACC Akademia College recognizes several categories of poor academic practice and plagiarism, with the first category considered acceptable. The last three categories attract a penalty based on the information below:

• Category 1 Plagiarism: Using material of others and presenting it as your own work without acknowledging the author(s) or relevant source.
• Category 2 Plagiarism: Copying a significant amount of text or material without acknowledging the author(s) or relevant source.
• Category 3 Plagiarism: Copying an extensive amount of text and material without acknowledging the author(s), committing serious plagiarism as an attempt to deceive the marker.

Penalties for Plagiarism, AI Content and Poor Academic Practice

Penalties for poor academic practice, AI content and plagiarism are as follows:

• Reprimand and a written notice to the student, if needed, agree on a session of counselling (Poor Academic Practice) (1%-12%)
• Resubmit or revise and resubmit, the whole or part of the assessment or examination (Category 1 Plagiarism) (12%-20%)
• Amend a mark or grade for the whole or part of the assessment or examination (Category 2 Plagiarism) (21%-25%)
• Fail the student, grade F (Category 3 Plagiarism) (above 25%+)

How to avoid plagiarism?

Avoiding plagiarism is essential to maintain academic integrity and ensure that the work you submit reflects your own understanding and ideas. Here are some tips to help you avoid plagiarism:

• Academic Skills Workshop: The Academic Skills Workshop each semester introduces students to academic writing skills, how to structure an essay, how to cite and reference correctly, how to avoid and check for plagiarism. Student attendance at this workshop is compulsory.
• Explain and analyse ideas in your own words: Instead of simply copying and pasting from other sources, try to explain and analyse the ideas in your own words. This will help you to understand the material better and demonstrate your understanding to your lecturer or professor.
• Use a variety of sources: Using a variety of sources can help you to expand your horizons and provide a broader perspective on your topic. This can also help you to avoid the temptation to rely too heavily on a single source, which can lead to unintentional plagiarism.
• Use quotation marks when citing quotes: If you want to use a quote from another author, make sure to use quotation marks and properly cite the source using the appropriate academic referencing style.
• Develop your own writing style: Developing your own writing style can help you to avoid unintentional plagiarism. By using your own words and ideas, you can ensure that your work is original and reflects your own understanding of the material.
• Understand the rules of academic referencing: Make sure you are familiar with the rules of Harvard Referencing style used in Akademia College. This will ensure that you correctly acknowledge all sources used in your work.
• Check before submitting your work: Check your work with PlagiarismCheck (www.plagiarismcheck.org) before submitting the final draft in Moodle. All students have logins allocated during the first month of studies. Any issues with access, please see the Student Affairs Office. 

By following these tips, you can avoid committing plagiarism and ensure that your academic work is ethical and of high quality. Remember, plagiarism is a serious academic misconduct that can have severe consequences, so it's important to take it seriously and do your best to avoid it.

Conclusion

Academic integrity is an essential aspect of academic life, and plagiarism is a serious violation of this integrity. As a student at Akademia College, it is important to understand what plagiarism is, the different types of plagiarism, and the penalties associated with it. By following the guidelines set out in this policy, including properly citing sources using the Harvard referencing system, you can avoid committing plagiarism and ensure that your academic work is of high quality and ethical.