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A second-year class in the nursing program at Brandon University will be re-writing a final exam this weekend after a large number of students “compromised” the original.

The university won’t comment on the specific nature of the offence, or who may have been responsible, but in an email statement said the compromised exam was “widely available.”

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There were under 50 students in the class, and all will now be given the chance to repeat the exam with a maximum grade of 70 per cent.

Students can also appeal individually.

Penalties for academic dishonesty range from repeating assignments or exams, receiving a failing grade, suspension, expulsion, a permanent mark on a student’s transcript, or some combination of these.

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The university says integrity is especially critical in a field such as health care, where trusting relationships are central.

It says it worked with the students’ union, faculty members and the students in the class to deal with the “serious infraction.”

University spokesperson Grant Hamilton says there was a special urgency to resolve the issue so students could receive a mark and continue with second-term classes.

Hamilton says a new student-driven examination policy was rolled out this year that highlights academic integrity.

The university is also in the process of finalizing a new academic integrity policy.

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