TEACHING TIPS EDUCATIONAL DEVELOPMENT CENTRE
PROMOTING ACADEMIC INTEGRITY
IN THE CLASSROOM
Understanding the student perspective is critical in promoting integrity in the classroom. Your
approach can prevent the five most commonly reported student excuses for misconduct. Some ways
that you can promote a culture of academic integrity at Carleton include:
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Familiarizing yourself and your students with Carleton’s Student Academic Integrity policy
Talking about how you check for plagiarism and providing specific examples for students
Discussing how citation shows respect for other scholars and the meaning it personally holds
for you as a member of the scholarly community
Being a good role model. Cite sources in your lectures and PowerPoint presentations
Changing your assignment formats and topics each time you teach a course term
If academic misconduct does occur, try not to personalize an individual student’s cheating behaviour.
Some students in your class may not understand specific citation techniques or examination practices
because the rules for your discipline may be different than the ones they learned in high school or in
their major discipline. A small number of students can also be the victims of another student’s
deception or be caught in a situation where they fear of revealing a classmate’s academic misconduct.
“I didn’t know what academic misconduct was!”
 Go beyond a blurb in your course outline that few students actually read.
 Review correct methods for citation, paraphrasing, etc. Remain positive and non-threatening.
Your goal is to teach correct methods, not scare them.
 Discuss moral/ethical issues in class.
 Stress importance of honesty to the intellectual community.
 Highlight legal issues [copyright/intellectual property rights]
 Give assignments to teach best-practices [i.e., a “safe place” to make a mistake with citations
and learn from it before the “real-deal” assignment].
 Model good conduct in your lecture, cuLearn, and other course materials.
“The prof gives assignments just to make us do work.”
 Be sure the assignment does have meaning. How does it achieve learning objectives for
course? What new knowledge/skills/value does it promote? How does it link with other course
activities? Does it have unique goals/outcomes?
 Tell students what they will get out of doing the assignment. Go beyond content.
 Ensure grade weighting reflects value of learning outcomes.
 Discuss consequences of missed learning opportunities. Stress your desire for their overall
success in the course.
“I had no idea how to do what needed to be done to complete the assignment.”
 Assess students’ prior skills/knowledge and set realistic goals.
 Teach skills set required for assignment and/or provide support needed.
 Go over your assessment of required skills with students.
 Direct struggling students to appropriate resources [e.g., library, CCS, SASC, etc.].
 Show how paper-mill assignments fail to meet your expectations.
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TEACHING TIPS EDUCATIONAL DEVELOPMENT CENTRE
“There is too much work in this course. I had to copy to get the work done on time.”
 Estimate the time they can devote to your course. Be realistic. [2 hours outside class for every
1 hour in class]
 Determine length and duration of assignment to fit with weighting in course.
 Tell them how long assignment should take. Be aware that you may underestimate.
 Identify strugglers early. Direct them to appropriate support.
“I won’t get caught. If I do, the prof won’t be able to do anything about it!”
 Be consistent.
 Know and follow university policies and guidelines.
 Ensure TAs know their responsibilities and feel supported in reporting suspected cases.
RESPONDING TO SUSPECTED ACADEMIC MISCONDUCT
Academic misconduct allegations are serious and the student’s confidentiality is imperative. All
suspected cases of student academic misconduct must be reported to the faculty dean. You may be
tempted to handle the incident yourself, however, doing so only undermines the process. Inform the
student that you suspect they have engaged in academic dishonesty and that you have informed the
dean’s office and instruct them to contact the University Ombuds Office. After forwarding the details
of the suspected misconduct to the dean’s office, do not discuss the case with the student, colleagues
or staff. However, it is reasonable to discuss the case with your teaching assistant if they are involved
in marking.
HANDLING MISCONDUCT DURING TESTS AND EXAMS
If you observe a violation of examination regulations or one is reported to you by other proctors and, in
your opinion, there is sufficient evidence to lay a complaint against the student, follow these steps:
1. Do not accuse the student or prevent them from finishing their exam.
2. Keep any material confiscated from the student.
3. If a proctor observed the violation, obtain a written report of the incident from him/her. The
report should include: date, time, examination, room number and building, student’s name and
I.D. number, seating position, a statement of what was observed and what was done.
4. After the student has completed the examination, advise the student that he/she has
committed an instructional offense and that you will be reporting the case to the dean for
consideration.
5. Inform the student to contact the University Ombuds Office for assistance.
6. Write your own report of the incident.
7. Forward all reports and supporting materials to the dean’s office as soon as possible.
For more information on academic integrity, read Carleton’s Student Academic Integrity Policy as
well as the Instructor’s Guide on the Student Affairs website.
P:613-520-4433 E:edc@carleton.ca O:410 Dunton Tower W:carleton.ca/edc