Academic Integrity in Arts and Science at Queens

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Academic Integrity in Arts and Science at Queens

• John Pierce Brenda Ravenscroft
• Associate Dean (Studies) Associate Dean (Studies)
• Student Services Division
• F200 Mackintosh-Corry Hall
• Faculty of Arts and Science

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Why Review Academic Dishonesty?

• Senate review and new Senate Policy (2006)
• Growing concern for students rights
• Legal challenges
• Experience of individual cases
• Changing contexts for approaching academic
  dishonesty

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Issues under review in Arts and Science

• Terms and definitions
• Nature of penalties
• Recording of penalties
• Process (ease of use vs. fairness)
• Awareness of academic dishonesty

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Academic Integrity

• Definitions

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The Concept of Academic Integrity

• Academic Dishonesty ? Academic Integrity
• Negative ? Positive
• Punishment ? Remediation and Education
• Local violations ? Community Standards
• Moral character ? Error in judgment

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Academic Integrity Definition

• The Center for Academic Integrity (CAI) defines
  academic integrity as a commitment, even in the
  face of adversity, to five fundamental values
  honesty, trust, fairness, respect and
  responsibility. From these values flow principles
  of behavior that enable academic communities to
  translate ideals into action
• The Fundamental Values of Academic Integrity
  (http//www.academicintegrity.org/pdf/FVProject.pd
  f)

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Academic Integrity Practice

• Honesty ? full and fair disclosure of all ideas
  and sources for ideas
• Trust ? allow for free exchange of ideas
• Respect ? take other's ideas seriously
• Responsibility ? adhere to all academic
  guidelines governing intellectual exchange
• Fairness ? distinguish between one's own ideas
  and those of others

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Academic Integrity in Action Setting Expectations

• Promote Academic Integrity in the classroom
• Reinforce the idea that we are all part of an
  academic community and that everyone has a role
  to play
• Model integrity in lectures
• Provide case studies to promote classroom
  discussion
• Provide students with strategies to meet
  challenges to Academic Integrity
• Direct students to online resources (e.g., online
  tutorials)

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Academic Integrity in Action Course Design

• Design courses to encourage academic integrity
• Present clear expectations on assignments
• Use new assignments, tests, exams each year
• Develop staged assignments (that include the
  submission of preliminary work)
• Define or limit resources students may use for an
  assignment
• Require copy of first page of articles or
  resources used
• Balance take-home work against in-class
  supervised assignments

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Academic Integrity in Action Correct Citation

• Correct citation creates integrity in the
  academic community. Key reasons behind citation
  practices
• To acknowledge your dependence on another
  person's ideas or words, and to distinguish
  clearly your own work from that of your sources.
• To receive credit for the research you have done
  on a project, whether or not you directly quote
  or borrow from your sources.
• To establish the credibility and authority of
  your knowledge and ideas.
• To place your own ideas in context, locating your
  work in the larger intellectual conversation
  about your topic.
• To permit your reader to pursue your topic
  further by reading more about it.
• To permit your reader to check on your use of the
  source material.
• (Source Academic Integrity at Princeton
  http//www.princeton.edu/pr/pub/integrity/pages/ac
  knowledge.html)

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Departures from Academic Integrity

• Plagiarism presenting anothers ideas or
  phrasings as ones own without proper
  acknowledgement
• Use of unauthorized materials e.g. possessing
  or using unauthorized study materials or aids
  during a test
• Facilitation enabling anothers breach of
  academic integrity

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Departures from Academic Integrity (con't)

• Forgery submitting counterfeit documents or
  statements
• Falsification misrepresentation of ones self,
  ones work or ones relation to the University

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Academic Integrity

• The Process

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Students Rights

• According to the rules of natural justice,
• The student must know the case and evidence
  against him or her,
• The student must have a meaningful opportunity to
  present his or her case,
• The decision maker must be free from bias or
  apprehension of bias, and
• The decision maker must provide reasons for the
  decision based on evidence and the decision must
  be consistent with the academic regulations.

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Process for Investigating Academic Integrity

• Preliminary investigation
• Notification of investigation (See form at
  http//www.queensu.ca/artsci/integrity/instructor/
  investigation_letter.pdf)
• Meeting
• Finding (See form at
• http//www.queensu.ca/artsci/integrity/instructor
  /findingform.pdf)
• Overall assessment of the departure

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Process Overall Assessment of the Departure

• Contact the Faculty Office
• Previous finding ? Refer to Faculty Office
• No previous finding ? Assess sanction
• Assessing a sanction
• Range of sanctions or remedies
• Possible considerations when assessing a sanction
• Categorizing the finding

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a. Range of Sanctions or Remedies

• The range of sanctions includes the following
• an oral or written warning that such infractions
  constitute unacceptable behaviour
• a learning experience involving a rewriting or
  revision of the original piece of work
• the deduction of partial or total loss of marks
  for the assignment/exam or
• a failing grade (down to a grade of zero) in the
  course.

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b. Considerations when Assessing a Sanction

• Possible considerations include the following
• The extent and seriousness of the departure
• The value of the assignment to the overall grade
  for the course
• The experience of the student (first-year vs.
  upper-year student, concentrator vs. non
  concentrator)
• Possible injury to another student or the
  institution

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3. Categorizing the Finding

• Two types of findings
• A. Level I
• (Kept with the Secretary of the Academic
  Integrity and Conduct Panel separate from the
  students main file)
• B. Level II
• (Kept in the students main file in the Faculty
  Office)

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3. Categorizing the Finding Level I

• A Level I finding is made where
• The sanction will NOT necessarily result in a
  failure in a course
• The student is at an early stage of his or her
  academic career, especially a Year 1 student
• The student has little or no experience in a
  course in a particular department (for example
  first-time experience in a History or Psychology
  Department)
• There is no direct effect on other student(s)

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3. Categorizing the Finding Level II

• A level II finding is made where
• The sanction WILL result in a failure in a course
• The student is in upper year and has taken
  several previous courses in the discipline (for
  instance, a fourth-year student in a
  concentration course)
• There is a direct negative effect on other
  students (e.g. stealing another students paper,
  assignment, lab)

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Levels of Appeal

• Instructor
• Associate Dean (Studies)
• Academic Integrity and Conduct Panel (AICP)
• University Student Appeals Board (USAB)

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Academic Integrity Resources

• Senate Policy on Academic Integrity
• http//www.queensu.ca/secretariat/senate/policies/
  AcadInteg.html
• Academic Integrity _at_ Queens
• http//www.queensu.ca/academicintegrity
• Arts and Science Calendar Regulation 1
• http//www.queensu.ca/calendars/artsci/pg532.html
• Instructor Guidelines
• http//www.queensu.ca/artsci/integrity/instructor/
  guidelines.html
• Arts and Science Faculty Office
• Contact f2deans_at_queensu.ca or Joyce Hunter
  (hunterj_at_queensu.ca) in F200 Macintosh-Corry
  Hall.
• Arts and Science AI Page
• http//www.queensu.ca/artsci/integrity/index.html