Malpractice and Maladministration Policy

1. Policy Statement

Malpractice consists of any act, or attempted act, which undermines the integrity and validity of assessment, the certification of qualifications, or the authority of those responsible for conducting assessment and certification. Brussels College does not tolerate malpractice by candidates or by staff in connection with any qualification it delivers, whether awarded by Brussels College itself or by a partner awarding body (including NCC Education or Northwood University).

2. Scope and Application

This policy applies to:

• All candidates registered on a Brussels College program, regardless of the awarding body
• All academic, administrative, and invigilation staff involved in the delivery, assessment, or certification of qualifications
• External examiners, moderators, and any third party engaged in assessment-related activity on behalf of Brussels College

3. Candidate Malpractice (Academic Misconduct)

All work submitted by a candidate for assessment must be the candidate's own. It is an offense for a candidate to be guilty of, or party to, collusion, plagiarism, or any other act which may mislead examiners about the authorship, sources, or development of work presented for assessment. This includes, but is not limited to:

Type	Description
Collusion	Preparing or producing work for assessment jointly with another person, except where group work is explicitly permitted
Plagiarism	Using, without acknowledgement, the intellectual work of others and presenting it as one's own
Impersonation	Having someone other than the candidate prepare submitted work or sit an examination, including commissioning essays from third parties or essay-writing services
Misconduct in examinations	Accessing, or attempting to access, books, notes, unauthorized calculators, mobile devices, or any other material not supplied or authorized by the invigilator
Fabrication of results	Synthesising data or observations in practical or project work, or presenting artificial results to support a conclusion

4. Staff Malpractice and Maladministration

Malpractice by staff is any deliberate activity, neglect, default, or other practice that compromises the integrity of the assessment process or the validity of certificates. Maladministration is any activity, neglect, default, or other practice that results in Brussels College or a candidate failing to comply with the specified requirements for delivery of a qualification. This may include:

• Contravention of examination regulations or failure to correctly follow assessment-related processes
• Alteration of, or disregard for, an awarding body's marking schemes and grading criteria
• Knowingly allowing work that is not a candidate's own to be included in an assignment or other assessed component
• Misusing Special Considerations arrangements such that support has the potential to influence the outcome of an assessment
• Failing to keep candidate records, scripts, or computer files secure
• Falsifying records or certificates, including by alteration, substitution, or fraud
• Failing to keep required records and documents for the mandated retention period
• Failing to adhere to an awarding body's administrative procedures and activity schedules

5. Prevention

Brussels College takes the following steps to prevent malpractice before it occurs:

• Briefing candidates on academic integrity expectations and the consequences of malpractice at induction and before each assessment period
• Using plagiarism-detection tools and moderation checks on submitted coursework
• Maintaining secure storage for examination papers and confidential assessment materials (see the Health and Safety Policy for physical security arrangements)
• Ensuring invigilators are trained and follow awarding-body examination regulations
• Declaring and managing conflicts of interest before assessment begins (see the Conflict of Interest Policy)

6. Reporting and Investigation

6.1 Candidate Malpractice Discovered by the Center

6.2 Staff Malpractice Discovered by the Center

Suspected staff malpractice or maladministration must be reported immediately to the Head of Center. Where the report concerns the Head of Center, it should be reported directly to the Board of Governors. The matter will be investigated under Brussels College's staff disciplinary procedures, and reported in full to the relevant awarding body.

6.3 Malpractice Discovered by an Awarding Body

Where malpractice or maladministration is identified or investigated by NCC Education, Northwood University, or any other awarding body, the Head of Center and all relevant staff and candidates will provide full support and access to records requested for that investigation.

7. Penalties and Sanctions

Depending on the severity of the confirmed malpractice, penalties may include:

• A formal warning recorded on the candidate's or staff member's file
• Loss of marks for the affected assessment component
• Award of a zero mark for the affected unit or qualification
• Disqualification from the qualification or examination series
• Suspension or expulsion, in the case of a candidate
• Disciplinary action up to and including dismissal, in the case of a staff member
• Withdrawal of Brussels College's authorization to deliver the affected qualification, at the discretion of the awarding body

8. Record Keeping

• All reports, investigations, and outcomes relating to malpractice are recorded centrally by the Vice Rector's office
• Records are retained for a minimum of the period required by the relevant awarding body, and in any case not less than the deadline for reviews of marking or appeals plus one year
• Records may be inspected by an awarding body's quality or academic standards team on request

9. Related Policies

This policy should be read alongside:

• Conflict of Interest Policy
• Appeals Policy
• Special Considerations Policy
• Code of Conduct
• Complaint Procedure

10. Contact Information