Fostering Academic Integrity with Students
We recommend that all instructors take the time in their courses to touch upon the importance of academic integrity, consequences of academic misconduct, and what resources students can access if they struggle in their coursework.  

Research has shown that when instructors consciously develop a culture of academic integrity in their classrooms, students are more likely to adhere to principles of academic integrity. Here are some helpful ways instructors can build academic integrity principles in their coursework: 

Syllabus Statement

A statement in a course syllabus specifically related to academic integrity helps to lay the groundwork early in the course and set expectations for students as to the policies they are expected to adhere to.  

If you review the course syllabus with your class, perhaps expand on the policy along with some examples of academic integrity violations that you have personally experienced during your time as an instructor.  

Further examples of introducing this concept to students in the beginning of coursework can be found in Langara’s Academic Integrity Toolkit.

Information about including an academic integrity statement in the syllabus can be found here: 
Curriculum Resources (TCDC) 
Creating an Academic Integrity Declaration in Brightspace (Video)  

Further Reading:  
Maintaining Academic Integrity: General Tips 

SCAI Module in Brightspace

The Office of Student Conduct and Academic Integrity (SCAI), in collaboration with TCDC and EdTech, have created a module template which Langara instructors can integrate into their courses in Brightspace.  

The module reviews the policies that students are required to adhere to and requires students to complete some reflection work and two checklists before being able to access the course. Instructors can utilize this module and adapt it as needed for their course.  

More information on finding this module template, including instructions on adding the template to a course in Brightspace, can be found in the Brightspace Instructor Template course in Brightspace. Instructors can go into the Instructor Template Course, navigate to the “Week 1 Course Orientation” module in the course content, where the following material can be found: 

    • Student Conduct 
    • Student Conduct Checklist 
    • Academic Integrity 
    • Academic Integrity: Reflection Exercise 
    • Commitment to Act with Integrity  

Further Reading:  
Perspectives V: Maintaining Academic Integrity Online through Fostering a Culture of Academic and Educational Integrity (TCDC Article)  

Use Academic Integrity Checklist or Pledges

Very similar to the Brightspace Module, instructors can develop checklists restating academic integrity requirements before students are able to access assignments or assessments.  

There is a checklist template available in the Brightspace Instructor Template course. Instructors can go into the Instructor Template Course, navigate to the “Week 1 Course Orientation” module in the course content, where the following material can be found: 

    • Student Conduct Checklist 
    • Commitment to Act with Integrity  

More information on Academic Integrity checklists or pledges can be found here: 
Academic Integrity Checklist (Spark: York University)  
Creating an Academic Integrity Declaration in Brightspace (Video) 
Maintaining Academic Integrity: General Tips

Assessment Design

Assessment Design has been shown to be a vital tool to help foster academic integrity in the classroom. Much of this topic will be found in the Preventing section of this website, however there are some general ideas to consider when designing your course: 

    • Create assessments that require a higher order of thinking 
    • Create assessments that ask students to provide personal experiences 
    • Ensure assessments are authentic and meaningful to student’s future careers 

Build Student-Instructor Relationships

Students may feel more committed to learning when a relationship has been established with their instructor and they feel engaged with the learning environment.

Teddi Fishman, director of the International Center for Academic Integrity at Clemson University recommends “entering the learning space early to chat with students during synchronous sessions, asking questions such as “How are you doing?” and “What did you do this weekend?” She also recommends using gestures. “I type into the online classroom ‘smiles’ and ‘waves’ and ‘say hello to so-and-so’ so that they understand it as a place that is like their face-to-face classroom, and I think that can help establish that rapport.” 

For instructors who do not hold synchronous classwork, they can still help establish this communication through the creation of informal spaces to allow for interaction to create an environment beyond graded assessments.  

The Virtual Learning Supports team has also developed a Toolbox of Tips to Foster Engagement, which walks instructors through some suggestions to encourage student engagement throughout the planning process when organizing a course, during the semester, and at the end of the semester. 

Encourage a Learning Community

Create an online community for students, where they feel comfortable making mistakes and asking questions. This allows for a level of trust between students and their instructors, where students feel comfortable being themselves, rather than feel a need to consistently and immediately attain a high level of understanding or mastering of the course content.  

Further Reading:
Teaching in Higher Ed Podcast: EdTech’s Role in Helping Student Feel Engaged, Safe, and Productive 
Academic Integrity Seminar: Ten Principles of Academic Integrity for Faculty 
Psychology Today: Integrity in the Classroom  

Act as a Role Model

Take the time to cite your own sources properly in your lecture materials, presentations, Brightspace content, and in handouts. This will help build on an understood culture of academic integrity, in addition to allowing students to see citation in action.  

Information on how to formally cite materials in PowerPoint slides can be found here: 
WikiHow: How to Cite Images in PowerPoint 

Discuss Grace or Extension Policies with Students

Several instructors have noted that they explain to students that they would rather receive an assignment or assessment a day or two late, rather than handed in on time and plagiarized.  

If instructors choose to enact an extension policy or grace policy in their course, they should ensure that this is clearly communicated to students. One example of a grace policy suggested by one instructor detailed:   

    • Students are provided with one “life happens extension” for smaller assignments or assessments (not applicable to exams) 
    • The extension must be requested before the due date and it is not necessary to provide a reason for the request for an extension 
    • Students who do not request this extension in the semester are awarded bonus marks 

Instructors are recommended to decide on a grade or extension policy that best applies to their course.

Discuss Academic Integrity in the Wider Context

Instructors may choose to exhibit to students that academic integrity is a part of the larger component of personal integrity. As noted in the Encouraging Academic Integrity through a Preventative Framework toolkit: 

“Students may be more likely to adopt the principles of academic integrity if they can place the concept in a wider context. If they accept that integrity is a foundational human trait, it will aid in their understanding that integrity extends beyond the walls of the academy. 

Students operate within a wider system that includes others they encounter on campus and relationships they have outside of the academic environment, including those with current and future employers. With guidance, students will understand that their reputation with these individuals and the degree of respect these individuals may hold for them is based on whether they see the student as honest, fair and trustworthy.” 

Instructors may find it helpful to explain the positive aspects of integrity, how integrity will affect students now and in their future careers, and to explain academic integrity in the context of the subject matter they are engaged in.  

There are fun ways to help encourage this conversation as well. Dr. Amanda White created an online board game about academic integrity that may also be of interest to instructors. Encourage students to play the game and learn how academic integrity affects all students and their communities. 

Further Reading:
Imagine a World Where Grades Are for Sale (Ryerson University) (Video) 
Turnitin: Three Things You Students Don’t Know About Academic Integrity 
Integrity in and Beyond Contemporary Higher Education: What Does it Mean to University Students? 
Purdue OWL: Contextualizing Plagiarism
Academic Integrity Toolkit: Help Students Understand What Academic and Professional Integrity Looks Like in Your Discipline 

Encourage Students to Complete the Langara Student Success Course

The Langara Student Success Course is designed to help students with the leap from a high school educational environment to a post-secondary educational environment and reviews the expectations of students in this new environment. Upon completion, students will: 

    • know what to expect in a college classroom 
    • have the tools to be successful in their studies 
    • have strategies to study effectively 
    • have new organizational and time management skills 

The ability of students to learn to study effectively and manage their time appropriately in the post-secondary environment is directly linked to their ability to uphold the principles of academic integrity.  

Further information can be found here:  

Ask Students to Complete the Library Tutorial on Avoiding Plagiarism

The Library’s tutorial on Avoiding Plagiarism is a brief guide designed to help students understand resources available at Langara and elsewhere that will help them understand and avoid plagiarism. 

Instructors may recommend the tutorial to their entire class or can point specific students who are struggling with the concept of citation, paraphrasing, etc. in their assignments.  

Access the tutorial on avoiding plagiarism.

Share Resources, Campaigns, and Worksheets with Students

Research has shown that many students turn to cheating or plagiarism when overwhelmed in their semester. It is often in the busy “crunch points” of the semester when students are overloaded with the amount of assignments and assessments they face.  

Instructors are recommended to share student resources and helpful worksheets with students throughout the semester – specifically at the beginning of the semester, as well as while introducing or discussing upcoming assignments or assessments.  

When students are more aware of the on-campus resources available, they may be less likely to reach out to third-party resources who do not prioritize the principles of academic integrity.  

Additionally, as campaigns are developed by the College, instructors are encouraged to share these with their students in person or online. Continued messaging of the importance of academic integrity in post-secondary environments while help to foster a culture of academic integrity throughout the College.   

Student Academic Integrity Handbook 
Connecting Students with Resources
Langara College: Academic Integrity Wheel 
Handouts and Materials for Students  

Sources

Creating a Culture of Academic Integrity 
Promoting Academic Integrity in the Online Classroom