Colorado Community Colleges Online

Faculty Frequently Asked Questions

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Review this page to learn about strategies for promoting academic integrity in courses.
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How do we promote academic integrity at an organizational level?

We promote academic integrity at an organizational level by

1. Publishing clear policies and procedures for maintaining academic integrity that articulate both faculty and student responsibilities in the Student Handbook and Faculty Handbook.
2. Including the Student Academic Integrity tutorial and Student Handbook in the standard course policies page of each course.
3. Securing student logins and password to access online courses using the Course Authentication and Participation Policy (CAPP).
4. Enforcing the Academic Integrity Policy for students through support with the Division Chairs, instructional designs, encouragment to report every violation, and by collaborating with students' home colleges for disciplinary action.
5. Incorporating academic integrity strategies in professional development opportunities.
6. Availability of originality checking software for written assignments.

How do we provide student support for maintaining academic integrity?

The Academic Integrity Policy and a link to the student tutorial about academic integrity are available to students in the standard course policies page and Student Handbook. The tutorial includes case studies clarifying types of violations. Faculty are encouraged to use the originality checking software for written assignments, include activities about the ethics of originality in coursework, and work collaboratively with the student, Division Chair, and home colleges for disciplinary actions.

Why should I use rubrics to grade coursework?

The use of detailed rubrics that provide grading criteria and expected performances at various level for coursework are valuable resources to faculty and students. The rubric acts as a checklist and guide for students about what is expected in coursework. Additionally, the rubric acts as a guide for faculty to ensure consistent evaluation of coursework.

Including a link to the course policies page and mentioning violations of academic integrity are not tolerated in the rubric is advised. Including the course policies page in the rubric serves as a reminder to students while completing coursework of the repercussions of violations on grades (e.g., plagiarism, unauthorized collaboration, and so forth).

How can I reduce cheating in online quizzes?

Using a a large test bank of questions that produce a randomized set of questions with randomized answer delivery per student for each attempt of a quiz may reduce the ability of students to share answers. Using reasonable time limits per question, showing only one question at a time, and opening quizzes for a limited time-frame may deter students from considering unauthorized collaboration or other methods of looking up answers during quizzes. Requiring forced completion of quizzes also prevents students from re-entering a quiz once it begins and may discourage cheating.

How can I design assignments that discourage academic integrity violations?

There are numerous strategies to discourage violations of academic integrity in written assignments.

1. Using a bank of assignments and deliver unique assignments each term or in alternating terms.
2. Require students to provide an annotated bibliography of sources used in writing assignments.
3. Use assignments that require problem solving to make borrowing from existing essays or other sources a less likely option.
4. Discourage last minute changes in topics for research or other written assignments.
5. Use cumulative assignment structures that require topic approval, outlines, and drafts of written assignments.
6. Require collaboration and a project plan for task-based written assignments.
7. Use peer review in the early stages of a writing assignment to improve accountability for the progression of a topic idea or project plan.
8. Include a debriefing discussion about problems experienced during project or essay writing assignments to gain insight to the student's progress with written assignments and improve accountability for originality in assignments.

Why should I include ethics as part of course discussions or assignments?

Providing students an opportunity to ask questions about the Academic Integrity Policy or explore ethics as it relates to their education is a useful strategy. A "What is Academic Integrity?" discussion early in the term brings the topic to the forefront of students' minds and helps improve their awareness of the instructor's commitment to integrity in education.

In many disciplines, including a discussion of ethics can be tied to the curriculum in a topic based strategy. For example, in math courses, discussing how mathematicians arrive at proofs and formulas in collaborative ways may be useful as can a discussion of why a hypothetical student might decide to cheat on an exam. Exploring time management strategies, authorized collaboration, and reasons why completing one's work individually promotes originality in coursework and deeper learning are all effective strategies for courses.

In science and humanities courses, exploring an ethical issue in relation to the course content can open a discussion of academic integrity that reinforces the course content. Embedding ethics as a consideration in relation to course topics is highly effective for promoting consideration of personal ethics by students.

How can I engage students about academic integrity?

Referring students to the course policies and handbook in assignment instructions and specific discussions is effective. Students are made aware of the policy, the procedures and disciplinary actions related to violations, and have an opportunity to ask questions before assignments are due. Additionally, the WCET Best Practices (2009) recommendations to promote student engagement with academic integrity are useful and include

1. Ask students for their input on how to create a community of integrity at the start of the course. This establishes the students as stakeholders in the community and the process of its formation.
2. Develop and ask students to commit to a class honor code.
3. Write a letter to students about integrity and post it in the course and invite discussion.
4. Ask students to reflect on the academic integrity policy in the discussion board and/or include a lesson on avoiding plagiarism. 

How can I design collaborative assignments to encourage academic integrity?

Creating assignments that involve collaboration in early phases or throughout assignments can be effective for deterring academic integrity violations. The WCET Best Practices (2009) document also recommends instructors "Foster a community of integrity by choosing authentic learning tasks that require group cohesiveness and effort." To achieve this, assignments can focus on individual work mixed with collaboration and the use of peer review to increase accountability for each group member's contributions.

I cannot document that a student violated academic integrity, what do I do?

A follow-up conversation by phone with students after an assignment is submitted is effective. Asking the student to clarify their steps to solving a problem or a point made in an assignment can provide valuable information about the student's level of involvement in the coursework. Without documentation of the violation, no disciplinary action can follow. However, the conversation with the student may deter future acts that lead to suspected violations.

Where can I send students to learn about academic integrity?

Students have access to the academic integrity resources from the course policies page in every course. Encouraging students to review these resources and demonstrate their awareness of the resources, policies, and procedures is effective. For example, asking students to submit a website and annotate it describing how it will be useful to them during assignments. The Student Research & Writing Toolkit provides ample resources about academic integrity in research and writing.

How can I set an example for students about academic integrity?

If a faculty uses copyrighted works or summarizes without providing citations, it sets a negative and conflicting example for students. When participating in online discussions, faculty can include citation and otherwise demonstrate the same types of rigor and quality expected of students.

 

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