Code of Conduct

Online Examinations:

Behaviour During the Execution of the Online Examination

Online invigilation will be executed using web-cameras and microphones. It should be noted that normal examination rules apply.
You must read and abide by the following regulations:

• You must know and have a record of your student membership number.
• You must ensure your name is clearly stated on your examination test screen.
• If you have any questions during the examination, you can contact the Invigilator by using the chat function on the SpeedExam Platform.
• This examination is not “open book,” which means you are not allowed to use any study materials, text book(s), and other learning resources.
• Candidates will not be allowed to use or access books, bags, papers (apart from clean scrap paper and mathematical tables), food, drinks, mobile telephones or other electronic devices during the exam. Only the following will be allowed:
  – Pens, pencils and erasers
  – Non‐programmable calculators.
• Students must complete their online examination within the stipulated timeframe.
• This Code is supplemented by the ‘Frequently Asked Questions (FAQ) for Online Examinations’, please refer to the same.

      Temporary Absence

• Students are not allowed to leave the online examination for time during the exam. Students who require an accommodation due to medical problems with prior authorization from IBF (and supported by a completed IBF Disability Request Form and valid supporting documentation from a registered medical facility or physician) may be excused from the exam and requisite provisions will be made. No compensation for time lost will be given in such cases. During this temporary absence, contact must not be made with anyone other than the person accompanying the student.

Integrity of the Examination

• The Institute is committed to ensuring the academic integrity of our programmes and by extension its examinations and assessments. As a student of IBF, when you sit an examination, you must adhere to the values of honesty, trust, fairness and responsibility. Engaging in acts of plagiarism and collusion is unacceptable (please refer to the definition of “collusion” below).
• Prior to sitting your examination, you must review and adhere to this Conduct of Examinations and Assessments Guidelines for Students for Online Examinations, which guides your conduct during your examination. Additionally, each student must complete “The Plagiarism and Collusion Declaration” form and submit to IBF before the examination. “This Plagiarism and Collusion Declaration”, supports this Code of Conduct for Assessments and Examinations and must be adhered to.
• If a student does not adhere to the Institute’s Plagiarism and Collusion Declaration, his/her examination will not be marked and the actions of this student will be referred to the Academic and Quality Assurance Sub-Committee for review where further action will be taken, as per the Conduct of Examinations and Assessments Guidelines for Students. These actions can range from varying possible outcomes (e.g. non-marking of the student’s script, disqualification of the examination, suspension or being removed from the programme and possible disqualification from the course).

           Guidelines to Maintain Integrity of the Examination

• • The examination is an individual one and must be taken completely alone. The examination is designed to test the student based on his or her knowledge and understanding of the course. Students must not engage in acts, which compromises the integrity and authenticity of their examination, which includes acts of cheating, plagiarism and/or collusion.

• • Collusion is defined as “the act of collaborating with someone else on an assessment exercise which is intended to be wholly your own work, or the act of assisting someone else to commit plagiarism” (Maguire, 2003). Any acts whereby a student discusses or consults with anyone regarding any element of the assessment question paper can be deemed as Collusion. Therefore, sharing, showing and/or discussing any element of the examination question paper and/or answers, with anyone is strictly forbidden.

• • Plagiarism is defined as “the practice of using or copying someone else’s idea or work and pretending that you thought of it or created it” (Collins Dictionary,
    2020). Whether it is intentional or not, the use of another person’s thoughts, ideas or words, without providing proper credit to the original author or referencing the original author, and thereby presenting the information as solely your thoughts, ideas and words is deemed as plagiarism. Plagiarism can take the form of words/text, images, diagrams and graphs, just to name a few.
    Plagiarism is not allowed, and any such acts will not be tolerated. Any student’s examination, which contains plagiarized material, will be penalized subject to the review and decisions of the Examiner and Academic and Quality Assurance Sub-Committee.

• • Students are considered to engage in acts of cheating if they access any study materials, textbook(s), and other learning resources (either hard copy or electronic) during the examination.

The ‘Checklist for Online Examinations’, which was shared with students, includes the functions/actions, which are not allowed during the examination, as stated under ‘Online Proctoring’. We remind you that any unauthorized functions (e.g. opening another browser, application, etc.) and/or if notifications pop-up, these will be flagged as suspicious behaviour of possible acts of cheating, collusion and plagiarism and this can result in your examination being suspended or terminated.

Calculators & Mathematical Tables

Financial calculators may be used for the online examination as well as printed mathematical tables. IBF has emailed the mathematical tables to you which must be printed prior to the examination, if you wish to access the tables during your examination.

Malpractice/Misconduct

Students undertaking the online examination will be subject to the rules and regulations of the Institute and as outlined by this Code of Conduct. Any complaints against students
for any form of misconduct and non-adherence to the Code will be referred to the Institute’s Chief Executive Officer, who may refer the matter to the Academic Committee. The incident must be reported on the Institute’s Incident Report Form after the assessment.

Acts of malpractice/misconduct and breaches of this Code of Conduct by students who are sponsored by his/her employer will be reported to the employer.

Any student found guilty of misconduct may be suspended or debarred from membership or from participating in any Institute activity. Students may also have previous examination passes withdrawn.

All work is to be the unaided work of the student. Any breach of regulations resulting in a student’s work not being his/her own is considered to be malpractice by the person[s] involved.

Question Papers

Students are not permitted to share the Question Papers with anyone. Students are not allowed to record and/or save the questions and answers. Students, therefore, cannot screenshot, take photos, audio or video recording of the examination as well as write or note the questions and answers.

END
Revised November, 2020