Case Corner

In our last edition we shared the outcome of two cases submitted by students to the IntegrityLine that stemmed from a misunderstanding but resulted in positive outcomes. In this edition, we’d like to share with you another case that was initiated from anonymous IntegrityLine reports submitted by students which resulted in corrective action. This case provides us the opportunity to share an additional resource that was developed this past year to further assist students with the many options available to them for submitting concerns.

Case Overview

Anonymous IntegrityLine reports were submitted by students regarding the behavior of a faculty member who displayed a Student Perception of Instruction (SPI) comment to the class while expressing dissatisfaction with the feedback. According to the reports, this behavior led to the student feeling targeted and unwelcomed, as well as classmates citing anxiety and a loss of trust in interactions with the faculty member. University Compliance, Ethics, and Risk referred the reports to the college to address. Based on the college’s review, the allegations were substantiated and a Letter of Counsel was issued.

Reporting Options

In one of the IntegrityLine reports a student stated that the SPI is the only mechanism they had for expressing their thoughts about a course or how material was taught, that they are intended to be confidential and used for faculty to make improvements to delivery of the content. The student is correct in that the SPI is a confidential and anonymous evaluation of course instruction, but it is not the only vehicle available for students to express concerns about course instruction. In fact, at any time during the course of their studies if a student has concerns, they are encouraged to raise those concerns directly with the faculty member. If the concerns are not addressed, the escalation process for academic issues is to go to the department chair, followed by the dean’s office.

Concerns about inappropriate conduct or unethical behavior should not be submitted using the SPI. Instead, students can submit those using the same process within the college or use one of the multiple avenues available for reporting concerns, including the UCF IntegrityLine. Because there are so many different types of concerns and multiple offices here to assist students, the university formed a committee to develop a website to assist students in identifying where to turn when faced with a situation.  The reporting concerns website was developed and is available at https://www.ucf.edu/contact-ucf/reporting/. This website can also be accessed from the footer of UCF’s homepage.

We appreciate the students who submitted the reports allowing the university an opportunity to address these concerns. If you become aware of a situation that you believe is not in accordance with UCF regulations, policies, procedures, or standards of conduct, please report it through the available reporting mechanisms or submit a report through the UCF IntegrityLine.