Academic Integrity

The steps and resources here are offered to assist you as faculty in making a preliminary assessment of whether or not a violation has occurred. These facts and evidence should, when time permits, be discussed directly with the student(s) to provide the student with an opportunity to share their thoughts and processes with you so that a final decision can be made on whether or not a violation has occurred.

In any event, if you need additional support in assessing the details you collect, Academic Integrity staff may be able to assist.

Below you will find additional information on:

• Ways in which violations may be found
• Specific advice on types of violations
• Tips for Meeting with Student(s)

Faculty may come across potential violations in a variety of ways:

• Observation of student behaviour during assessments (this may include digital flags while using Respondus Monitoring).
• Turnitin similarity report (where Turnitin has been formally adopted into course assessments) may identify issues with patchwriting, improper citations, and/or student plagiarism.
• Observed similarity between student assessments.
• Reported behaviour / incidents from students/staff/faculty witnesses.
• Observed changes in student writing that do not reflect past participation or assessments.

When you come across potential violations it is important to maintain full documentation of what has taken place, why it is believed to be a violation and how you came to this decision. Where plagiarism is suspected, it is helpful as well to document the original source if known.

Once you have determined there may have been a violation, it is important to meet with the student to discuss your observations. This helps to clarify concerns and possibly identify learning gaps that can be addressed. Where violations take place within a group of students, it is suggested that meetings take place individually to protect student privacy.

At the meeting:

• Remind the student(s) of the academic integrity values that we promote: Honesty, Trust, Fairness, Respect, Responsibility, Courage
• Detail the observations/information you have on the violation 
• Ask the student to respond to the information you have shared with them
• Identify or have the student identify where they are struggling and recommend appropriate services and supports.

At the end of your meeting:

• If you still believe a violation has occurred, share this with the student and let them know you will forward a copy of the violation form and sanctions.
• If you are still unsure, let the student know you will be in touch with the next steps once you have had time to deliberate the situation.
• If you now have more information and do not feel a violation has occurred, simply thank the student for meeting with you.