Katy Larkin is Assistant Dean of Students and Director of Student Conduct and Community Standards.
As we have rapidly transitioned to remote instruction, you may be concerned about maintaining academic integrity in your newly online classes. There are many reasons why students may choose to commit acts of academic misconduct. These may include: pressure to achieve, misunderstanding academic integrity, and environmental factors. In this rapidly changing environment, students may be feeling additional pressure to succeed while juggling competing interests and responsibilities. It is important to recognize that there is no security measure that ensures 100% prevention of academic misconduct, regardless of the mode of delivery. We hope the following recommendations can be used to promote academic integrity and mitigate the risk of misconduct in the remote environment.
Beginning of Term: Outline clear, specific expectations regarding academic integrity in writing (i.e. syllabus) and verbally. We recommend spending a portion of a class session covering expectations and consequences, and answering questions students may have. Be sure to address the following:
- Tell your students that you will report all suspected cases of academic misconduct to the Office of Student Conduct and Community Standards
- Be clear about the consequence for academic misconduct in your course (e.g. “if you do not adhere to these expectations regarding academic integrity, you will receive a failing grade for this course”)
- Clarify if and how students are permitted to collaborate with each other on coursework
- For assignments and assessments, clearly outline what, if any, resources students are permitted to use
- Specify whether students are permitted to record your class sessions
Academic Integrity Assignment: Consider asking your students to complete an assignment to reiterate your expectations and promote understanding of academic integrity. A few example assignments include:
- Complete the UMGC Academic Integrity Tutorial and send your certificate of completion to your instructor
- Write a 500 word discussion post responding to this prompt: “What does Academic Integrity mean to you?”
Throughout the Term: Continue to promote academic integrity throughout the term and consider the following recommendations:
- Consider utilizing non-testing methods of assessment to prevent the unauthorized use of materials
- Do what you can to reduce pressure and anxiety for your students – please read this Inside Higher Education article when you have time
- Explore creative ways to encourage student engagement with the material such as Zoom study groups, discussion posts, and online polls (click here for more ideas)
- Whenever possible, consider ways to get to know your students and for them to get to know you – Partnership in the pursuit of learning, grounded in trust, is by any measure the most effective single mechanism to promote academic integrity
- Refer students of concern to the Office of the Dean of Students for support
- Feel free to consult with a Student Conduct Coordinator regarding academic misconduct issues – send an email to conduct@uoregon.edu to schedule a Microsoft Teams appointment
Want to read more about these recommendations? Check out these resources:
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