Plagiarism is presenting work or ideas from another source as your own, with or without consent of the original author, by incorporating it into your work without full acknowledgement. Plagiarism is an act of serious academic misconduct at Harcourts Real Estate Training Centre (HRETC) which attracts considerable consequences including course cancellation without refund, re-submission of assessments, additional marking fees and/or suspension from future enrolments for up to two years. Additionally, students who share their own work with another student and/or do another student’s work for them and/or have anyone else do their work for them will also be deemed to have committed Plagiarism and be investigated and subjected to all the same penalties specified in this policy.

A student SHALL NOT:

• plagiarise another student’s work as their own;
• share any part of their own work with any other student at any time;
• use previously submitted work or parts thereof to gain competency in units of competency; or
• copy or use the work of any other author and represent it as their own without appropriate acknowledgement (see for example, reference guide).

A student MAY REFERENCE (and/or directly quote) from:

• HRETC learning materials ; and
• any material, that is taken from another print source including but not limited to, legislation, articles, books, websites IF they adhere to appropriate referencing conventions (see for example, reference guide: (see for example, reference guide).

COLLABORATION between students involves engaging in activities with one another which assist their mutual learning and understandings of how to complete assessment questions. Collaboration does not include sharing completed assessments (in whole or in part) with other students and/or completing any part of any assessment for any other student at any time.

Students MAY COLLABORATE with one or more fellow students on the following conditions:

• each student completes and submits their OWN work in their own words and style;
• no student shares their work with another student at any time (including in verbal or in written form);
• all students are enrolled in the same course and are studying at the same time;
• all students are credited / named on each assessment submitted; and
• all students to submit their assessment/s at the same time.

An example of permitted collaboration: 2 or more students discussing content and determining together how best to approach an assessment question.

An example of non-permitted sharing: 2 or more students comparing their answers to questions and assessment tasks.

Consequences of Plagiarism

All cases of academic misconduct are taken seriously by the HRETC. Each one will be investigated by HRETC trainer/assessors and the HRETC Manager.

Consequences of Plagiarism may include one or more of the following:

• course cancellation by the HRETC with no refund of fees;
• re-submission of one or more unit assessment/s;
• additional marking fees; and
• suspension of student enrolment into any course offered by the HRETC for two years.

Responsibilities

Student roles and responsibilities:

• understand this policy and procedure and clarify/seek assistance if unsure;
• write assessments in own words;
• correctly reference all reference/ information sources; and
• do not share own work with any other student.

Trainer/assessor roles and responsibilities:

• informing students of this Plagiarism Policy;
• investigate all cases of suspected academic misconduct and document evidence, findings and communications;
• educate learners on methods to avoid Plagiarism; and
• report Plagiarism cases to the HRETC Manager.

HRETC Manager roles and responsibilities:

• review evidence of academic misconduct cases with trainer/assessors; and
• decide on student consequences in consultation with trainer/assessor.

Procedure

Where a trainer/assessor believes a student has committed Plagiarism:

• inform the student by email as soon as possible (within 48 hours) and ask the student to respond within 48 hours;
• mark the assessment as not satisfactory and provide feedback acknowledging the issues;
• prepare a written report on the Plagiarism and attach it to the student’s assessment; and
• refer the case to the HRETC Manager for next steps/appropriate action.

The HRETC Manager in consultation with the trainer/assessor will determine if Plagiarism has occurred.

If the learner is found to have plagiarised:

• the HRETC Manager will notify both the student and their trainer/assessor in writing of the consequences to be applied and document this in the student’s file. This notification will also state the student may appeal the decision within 14 days in writing to help@realestatetrainingcentre.com; and
• the trainer/assessor will implement the consequences as outlined in the notification.