Academic Integrity

Academic Integrity

Academic Integrity is a complex and nuanced topic and is confusing to many students. In our regular instruction and reference interactions at the library, librarians speak to students about properly citing resources to avoid plagiarism, but don’t delve into what academic integrity is or why it is important.  

Although it is linked on every class syllabus and Blackboard page, many students have never looked through the Douglas College Academic Integrity Policy and many more have yet to complete the Academic Integrity module. Additionally, students' experiences with academic integrity education and expectations varies widely.  

There are dozens of predatory contract cheating websites that target students by offering “plagiairism-free” help and tutoring “support” and students regularly seek these services out for help with assignments and exams¹. Research has found that students aren’t as concerned about contract cheating as educators are and that they don’t understand the risks; it is also clear that many educators aren’t discussing this issue with students². While much of the academic research into this topic is coming out of Australia, there is evidence that this is a significant problem in Canada^3,5 and many researchers recommend preventative, not punitive, measures to combat academic dishonesty⁴.  

Academic Integrity presentations by a librarian are about 20 minutes long, depending on the level of discussion and the number of questions. Please see the following notes or jump to the form below to book a class.  

Note:  

• While we are happy to speak to your students about this topic at any point in the semester, we find that this is a topic best covered early in the semester before students begin handing in assignments and are exposed to committing academic dishonesty, whether accidentally or on purpose.   
• Though we can combine a discussion about academic integrity into a regular research and citation session, we recommend that it is covered separately for two reasons: 
  • There is a lot of material to cover during our research and citation sessions without adding the large topic of what academic integrity is and why it matters   
  • Research sessions are usually tailored to help students complete specific class assignments but we want students to realize academic integrity is a topic that will affect them throughout their academic career, regardless of subject.  

Sources

1. Lancaster, T. (2019). Social media enabled contract cheating. Canadian Perspectives on Academic Integrity, 2(2), 7-24. https://doi.org/10.11575/cpai.v2i2
2. International Center for Academic Integrity. (October 21, 2020). International Day of Action Against Contract Cheating. https://academicintegrity.org/images/pdfs/19987_ICAI-IDoA-Resource-Guide-and-Tips_R1.pdf
3. Eaton, S.E. (2018, July 24). Contract cheating: A Canadian perspective. BMC Research in Progress Blog. https://blogs.biomedcentral.com/bmcblog/2018/07/24/contract-cheating-a-canadian-perspective
4. Eaton, S.E. & Edino, R.I. (2018). Strengthening the research agenda of educational integrity in Canada: A review of the research literature and a call to action. International Journal for Educational Integrity, 14(5), 1-21. https://doi.org/10.1007/s40979-018-0028-7
5. Academic Integrity Watch. (July 22, 2020). Exploring Course Hero tutoring [video]. YouTube. https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=tJj2Ylt4mOM&feature=youtu.be

>Form