Join us for Academic Integrity Month!
Academic Integrity Month is a York-wide event, taking place throughout the month of October 2022. Join us for a variety of seminars, panel sessions and activities geared towards promoting academic integrity across York and fostering student success. Each week includes a specific theme and features a distinguished main speaker.
- Theme 1 - Academic Integrity: A Foundation for Excellence
- Theme 2 - Academic Integrity & the Learning Environment (A week featuring workshops and activities for Instructors and Teaching Assistants)
- Theme 3 - Succeeding with Integrity (A week featuring workshops and activities for Students)
- Theme 4 - Responding to Academic Misconduct
Theme 1 - Academic Integrity: A Foundation for Excellence
(Week of October 3 - October 7)
Academic Integrity Month kicks off this week with a keynote presentation by Dr. Eaton who has written and presented extensively on academic integrity. All are welcome!
| Date & Time | Session Title and Description | Speaker | Registration |
| Tuesday, October 4, 12:00-1:30 pm | Academic Integrity: A Foundation for Excellence (Keynote presentation) Join us for an evidence-informed keynote covering the technological, social, and cultural realities that demand new approaches to academic integrity. Dr. Eaton will look at how and why academic misconduct has proliferated during COVID-19 and what steps we can take to ensure the integrity in our courses, programs, and the credentials we award going forward. We also consider how equity, diversity, and inclusion in conversations about academic integrity and student success. | Dr. Sarah Eaton, Associate Professor, Werklund School of Education, University of Calgary and editor-in-chief of the International Journal for Educational Integrity | Recorded presentation Presentation slides |
Theme 2 - Academic Integrity & the Learning Environment
(Week of October 10 - October 14)
Faculty members play a vital role in promoting academic integrity on campus. This week's sessions aim to challenge assumptions and promote more supportive and inclusive learning environments. Faculty members across the institution are welcome!
| Date & Time | Session Title and Description | Speaker(s) | Registration |
| Tuesday, October 11, 12:00-1:00 pm | Changing the Conversation: Accessible and Inclusive Frameworks for a Culture of Academic Integrity (presentation) Join us as we discuss the intersection of academic integrity and equity, diversity, and inclusion. We will explore how “academic integrity” often plays a gate-keeping role, one that perpetuates barriers for students. How can we as individuals and institutions productively change the conversation about misconduct and rethink how we can create the conditions that support integrity? The session will unpack some of the dominant assumptions about academic misconduct that often stand in the way of learning. | Dr. Laurie McNeill, Professor of Teaching, English Language and Literatures, University of British Columbia | Recorded presentation |
| Tuesday, October 11, 1:00-2:00 pm | Increasing Student Learning Through Alternative Assessments (workshop) Join us as we explore how alternative assessments can be used to foster engagement and increase student learning. In this context, we will examine successful examples from the Faculty of Science and discuss practical concerns such as academic integrity and implementation strategies in large classrooms. Participants will consider how key concepts might apply to their own teaching contexts and come up with a concrete assessment idea for one of their own courses. Note: This workshop is open to all members of the Faculty of Science as well as anyone else who is interested in attending. | Katharina Pabst, Educational Developer, Teaching Commons, York Ashley Nahornick, Education Development Specialist, Faculty of Science, York | Register (Zoom) Note that registration for this workshop will close on October 7, 2022, 11:59 pm |
| Wednesday, October 12, 11:00 am- 12:00 pm | Is all Plagiarism Really Plagiarism? Understanding & Mitigating Students' Plagiaristic Writing (presentation) Why does plagiarism seem so much more complex than other forms of dishonesty? In this workshop, explore plagiarism as an issue related to student development as academic writers. We will discuss common reasons for plagiarism in writing-based assignments, with an emphasis on where and how our students get off-track. Through hands-on activities, we will identify and create strategies to mitigate plagiarism, support students, and ease the burden posed by plagiarism on faculty. | Dr. Stevie Bell, Associate Professor and Undergraduate Program Director, Writing Department, York Dr. Jessica Sutherland, Professor, Faculty of Health, York | Recorded presentation |
| Wednesday, October 12, 3:00-4:00 pm | Fostering a Culture of Academic Integrity Join colleagues from across the Faculty of Health to explore creating a culture of integrity and strategies for reducing instances of academic misconduct. All members of the York community are welcome to attend! Please contact Lisa Endersby (lendersb@yorku.ca) with any questions regarding the panel session. | Panelists: Nicolette Richardson (Associate Professor, Teaching Stream, School of Kinesiology & Health Science) Lynda van Dreumel (Assistant Professor, School of Health Policy & Management) Iris Epstein (Assistant Professor, School of Nursing) Abdul K. Mohammed (Student Success Coordinator, Calumet & Strong Colleges) Moderator Lisa Endersby (Educational Developer, Teaching Commons) | Zoom link |
Theme 3 - Succeeding with Integrity
(Week of October 17 - October 21)
This week is all about students! Attend an online presentations (see below) and/or participate in workshops and events taking place across the university that can help strengthen your academic skills and help you gain confidence as a scholar.
Take part in a Virtual Scavenger Hunt that connects you to the many services at York that will support you along your journey. By answering a few questions, you will be entered into a draw to win one of five $50 e-gift cards to the York University Bookstore! The Hunt is available from October 17 to 31. The first step is to register for the scavenger hunt. Once you have registered, you will receive instructions for the activity. Good luck!
| Date & Time | Session Title and Description | Speaker(s) | Registration |
| Tuesday, October 18, 12:00-1:30 pm | Academic Integrity: How to Stop Worrying and Love Citations (workshop) Join us and learn about practicing Academic Integrity and using citations. This workshop prepares you to be an active participant in conversations within your scholarly community and in your professional career. We’ll discuss the “how's” and “whys” of citation and teach you the skills you need to succeed at York and beyond. | Dana Craig, Director, Student Learning and Academic Success, York University Libraries Jesse Baker, Librarian, York University Libraries Angela Clark, Academic Integrity Officer, Office of the Vice Provost Academic | Register |
| Wednesday, October 19, 1:00-2:00 pm | Academic Wellness Resources for Students (presentation) Join us for a discussion about mental health and academic performance. Learn how questions of academic misconduct may prevent students from continuing their studies or negatively impact their education and career choices. The Academic Wellness Project (TAWP) addresses these important issues. Learn more about TAWP and resources available for students. | Dema Talib, The Academic Wellness Project, Former York student within the Faculty of Health | Zoom link (SSO authentication required) |
| Wednesday, October 19, 3:00-4:00 pm | The Great Plagiarism Mystery: How to be Original in a World where Everything’s already Been Said (panel session) Undergraduate students are invited to this student-led panel discussion about plagiarism. Why is plagiarism so scary, so difficult to understand and avoid? What can students do to learn their instructor’s expectations for engaging with sources and citing them? This session will provide you with practical advice and support and serve as a safe space for your all the questions you’ve ever wanted to ask about plagiarism. | Moderator: Dr. Stevie Bell, Associate Professor and Undergraduate Program Director, Writing Department, York | Recorded presentation |
| Various dates | Academic Skills: Student Workshops During the week of October 17, Learning Skills Services will offer a variety of workshops on the skills you need to achieve your academic goals. These include: - Starting off Strong - Time management - Reading and Note-taking - Study Strategies that Work - Critical Thinking | Offered by Learning Skills Services | Register |
| Sessions offered throughout the week | LA&PS: Student Workshops 1. Peer-Assisted Study Sessions (PASS) help LA&PS students succeed in challenging courses. During this week, PASS leaders will include an academic integrity activity during group learning sessions. 2. The Student Numeracy Assistance Centre at Keele (SNACK) provides support to students in LA&PS courses that involve math, stats and Excel. During this week, SNACK leaders will include an academic integrity activity during group learning sessions. 3. The Writing Centre is offering two citation workshops this week (students across all Faculties are welcome): “Sources are People” and other Citation Mysteries (Oct. 17: 12:30-2:00 pm) Citing with Zotero (Oct. 19: 10:00-11:30 am) | Offered by student support services in LA&PS | Register through: PASS SNACK Writing Centre |
Theme 4 - Responding to Academic Misconduct
(Week of October 24 - October 28)
This week’s sessions explore ways to respond to suspected cases of academic misconduct that include policy compliance and include connecting students to resources on campus that provide support, advice and foster wellbeing.
| Date & Time | Session Title and Description | Speaker(s) | Registration |
| Monday, October 24, 10:00-11:00 am | Tough in principle and soft in practice: The reasons why students cheat and why institutions struggle to consistently enforce policy compliance (presentation) The academic integrity issue is often presented as a dichotomy of mutually exclusive choices— there are right actions and wrong actions, and academic standards are either upheld or ignored. There is a common view that there is a line, assumed to be self-evident and clear-cut, that should not be crossed. In this session, we will discuss why this view is incongruent with the empirical reality of the world. We will posit the academic integrity problem as a set of dilemmas faced by students, parents, employers, faculty and staff. We will then examine the reasons why students cheat and conclude with examples of disparity between policy and application. | Dr. Alexander Amigud, Senior Research Fellow, Tecnológico de Monterrey, México | Presentation Slides Recorded presentation |
| Tuesday, October 25, 10:00-11:00 am | Best Practices in Responding to Academic Misconduct (panel session) This panel session focuses on balancing consequences with compassion when dealing with students who have violated the academic honesty policy. Topics include evaluating individual student circumstances, leveraging the incident as a teachable moment, and exploring restorative justice practices. | Panelists: Garret Keown, Manager, Student Academic Integrity, Achievement & Awards, Lassonde; James Pratt, Interim Director, Student and Community Engagement, AMPD; Shawn Yuen, Student, LA&PS; Kai Zhuang, Assistant Professor, Lassonde; Moderator: Angela Clark, Academic Integrity Officer; Office of the VPA | Recorded presentation |
| Wednesday, October 26, 10:00-10:45 am | Q&A: Senate Policy on Academic Integrity If you are a faculty member who would like to learn more about the Senate Policy on Academic Honesty, this session is for you. Presented by York’s legal counsel, different aspects of the process for investigating and resolving suspected cases of academic dishonesty will be addressed. If you have specific questions about the policy, you are encouraged to submit them beforehand to: academicintegrity@yorku.ca. | Joanna Rainbow, Counsel, Office of the Counsel, York University | Register for this Zoom webinar |
| Wednesday, October 26, 1:00-2:00 pm | We Tried It And It Works! Academic Integrity Workshops (presentation) Learn more about a LA&PS and the YUL pilot that offers Academic Integrity workshops as educative or remedial options for our students. Learn how to make it available to more students in different Faculties. If you are an Associate Dean or a faculty member who is interested in learning how to offer a learning opportunity in response to a breach, this session is for you! | Dana Craig, Director, Student Learning and Academic Success, YUL Marc Anderson, Learning Technology Support Specialist, LA&PS, York University Angela Clark, Academic Integrity Officer, Office of the VPA | cancelled |
We hope to see you there! If you have any questions, please contact academicintegrity@yorku.ca.