Consultations with members of the SFU community have raised a
number of issues concerning academic honesty and integrity. The
following list of concerns is a work in progress and will be updated
periodically. We are listing these concerns without a clear
idea of how widespread they are or whether perceptions are accurate.
Our purpose is to provide some idea of what the task force is
hearing. We also want to help you determine whether an issue you
think is important has already been raised.
If you raised an issue that has been omitted or if you want to draw our attention to an issue not on the list, to comment on an issue, or to make a recommendation with regard to any of these issues, contact the task force at academic-honesty@sfu.ca or the Chair at stevenso@sfu.ca. All communication with the task force is in confidence, within the limits of FOI/POP.
The following lists will be updated periodically. Note that issues attributed to one group may also have been raised by members of other groups.
Issues Raised by Undergraduate Students
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Students |
Organized cheating on assignments and exams that puts honest students at a disadvantage in terms of grades |
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Resources |
The need for a University Writing Centre or Learning Centre that would teach students about plagiarism and how to avoid it |
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The need to help students fill a gap in their academic skill set. Many students do not understanding how to cite and reference the work of others or understand how to avoid plagiarism |
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Culture & Discipline |
A perceived failure on the part of faculty to pursue cases of academic dishonesty |
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Concern that some faculty lack appropriate commitment to academic integrity and ignore infractions |
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Unfair grading practices, such as scaling marks; lack of consistency in assigning grades |
Issues Raised by Graduate Students
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In general |
The need for a stronger culture of academic integrity |
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Resources |
The need for a University Writing Centre |
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The need for information about the policies and procedures regarding academic integrity or about the penalties for academic dishonesty |
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Policies & Procedures |
The need for a policy on who owns research data |
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Culture |
A call for faculty to model the behaviours they expect of their students, to provide a supportive environment, and to ensure reasonable workloads |
Issues Raised by Faculty Members
| In general |
Concern that academic dishonesty is more prevalent now than in the past |
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| Students |
Concern that in-coming students do not understand the University's expectations concerning academic honesty and integrity |
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The need for adequate opportunities for students to develop the skills required to incorporate other people's thoughts and words into their discourse |
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Concern with students using tutors inappropriately or not acknowledging their help |
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| Resources |
The need for somewhere students can go for non-intimidating one-on-one help with writing assignments from people who are not evaluating them |
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The need for more resources to help faculty, TAs, and TMs understand the difficulties students face in their attempts to avoid plagiarism and other forms of academic dishonesty |
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The problem of holding mid-terms in rooms that require students to sit too close together |
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The need for more resources to provide students with the knowledge and skills necessary so that they can avoid plagiarism and other forms of academic dishonesty |
Concern with class sizes that are too large to allow time to pursue suspected cases of plagiarism |
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| Culture |
The need for more commitment to dealing with plagiarism and other forms of academic dishonesty |
Concern that punishments are generally too soft |
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Concern with inconsistent treatment of students who engage in academic dishonesty |
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The need for more consistency across campus in the severity of the punishment for similar offences |
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Concern with hiring practices |
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| Policies & Procedures |
Concern that too many faculty members, Chairs, and Directors are unaware of the appropriate procedures for disciplining students who engage in acts of academic dishonesty |
The need to update policy A30.01, the faculty ethics policy |
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Concern with the amount of time required to take cases to the University Board on Student Discipline |
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The need for a system to keep track of students who commit repeated acts of academic dishonesty |
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Concern that blatant cases of plagiarism are not being upheld throughout the disciplinary process |
| Concern with maintaining due process for all students faced with disciplinary action |
Issues Raised by Teaching Assistants, Tutor Markers, and Sessional Instructors
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Students |
Concern with too much cheating on assignments |
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Resources |
The need for more guidance for sessional instructors on how to handle cases of academic dishonesty |
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The need for more invigilators for exams |
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Policies & Procedures |
The need for more information about the policies and procedures regarding academic integrity and about the penalties for academic dishonesty |
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Concern that there is too much reliance on informal means of dealing with academic dishonesty |
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Culture |
Concern with lax standards in terms of how exams are invigilated |
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The need for more transparency and consistency in assigning grades |
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Concern with faculty or Chairs not pursuing suspected cases of academic dishonesty or failing to follow through in cases where students are caught cheating |
Issues Raised by Staff and Administrators
| In general |
Concern with protecting the integrity of the degrees granted by SFU |
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| Practices |
Concern with courses that use the same assignments and exams semester after semester |
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| Resources |
The need for more information and more places for students to obtain information on how to avoid plagiarism and other forms of academic dishonesty |
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The need for a centralized service to provide faculty with answers to questions concerning policies relating to copyright and intellectual property and for a means of coordinating the people and groups who work in this area |
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Concern that faculty do not understanding what is acceptable usage and what is a violation of copyright for both traditional and digital sources |
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The need for faculty to be better informed about Turnitin.com or other plagiarism-detecting software |
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| Culture |
Concern that high levels of competition and pressures to excel may compel some students to engage in academic dishonesty |
Concern that not all faculty provide appropriate role models to students in terms of their use of copyrighted materials or of their other academic activities |