Each week, the Faculty Collaborative for Teaching will bring you an easy-to-implement tool that you can use immediately in your classroom teaching. The goals of these tips will be to add to your teaching toolbox, share resources on teaching, and alert you to upcoming teaching and learning opportunities from the Faculty Collaborative.

TUESDAY TEACHING TIP: HAVING A CONVERSATION ABOUT ACADEMIC INTEGRITY

None of us looks forward to the conversation in which we explain to a student what we noted as plagiarism in their most recent work. Often, the response from students is “I didn’t know that was plagiarism.” Earlier and more frequent discussions about plagiarism and other academic integrity violations can help prevent and clarify these conversations.

This week, we challenge you to talk to your class about academic integrity -- it won’t take long, and students tend to respond well to transparency in the classroom. 

Here’s one way to do it 

• Have an open conversation early in the term

• Clearly define academic integrity, emphasizing its importance both to you and to their learning experience. Give examples relevant to the work they will do in your course this term.
• Describe concretely why it matters: Explain how academic integrity impacts not only their grades but also their overall education, future career opportunities, and their development as ethical people.

• Share your personal experiences

• In your initial conversation, discuss your own experiences with academic integrity or its absence. Share ethical dilemmas you’ve faced in your academic career and how you’ve responded.
• Connect it to teaching and research: Explain how concerns about academic integrity might affect your field and your own scholarship and teaching.

• Highlight the value of learning

• Discuss the significance of learning: Engage students in conversations about what they are learning in your course and why it matters.

• Connect to research and writing standards

• Explain your expertise: Most students know little about faculty work beyond teaching. Share your area of expertise, the role of research in your career, and how citing and being cited by other academics matters.
• Emphasize the value of citation: Help students understand why proper citation is crucial in academia.

• Offer yourself as a resource

• Remember that tip about Office Hours? This is a great opportunity to reinforce the value of having students drop in to your office to discuss their work and answer any questions. If they aren’t clear about the boundaries around any assignment, remind them that you are always available--in class, before and after class, and in your regular office hours.
• Make this an on-going dialogue and remind students that you are available to assist them before they submit an assignment. 

Remember, open dialogue and clear communication are key.  If you feel new to or uncomfortable about this conversation, check out the resources noted below or contact the Faculty Collaborative.

By discussing academic integrity openly, you can continue to position yourself as an educator instead of an enforcer of the university’s policy on academic integrity. 

Additional Information

• Check out the SCU Library’s Libguide for more information along with some useful resources to assist you in your classroom.

DID YOU DO IT?

Let us know how it went. We would love to hear your feedback about how you implemented today’s Tuesday Teaching Tip in your classroom. Click here to fill out our 3-question survey.

WANT TO READ OR LEARN A LITTLE MORE?

• Faculty Collaborative DRT page on Teaching Academic Integrity
• Faculty Collaborative DRT page on AI in the Classroom (and what about academic integrity?)
• Instructional Technology Workshops on AI in the classroom (self-paced course and summer workshops).
• University of Oregon - Communicating for Academic Integrity

This week’s Tuesday Teaching Tip was prepared by Justin Boren and Patti Simone on behalf of the Faculty Collaborative with a little help from Microsoft CoPilot (a generative AI tool).

Missed a teaching tip? Read them all here:

• Teaching Tip #1 - Reflection (January 30, 2024)
• Teaching Tip #2 - Mid-Course Evaluation (February 6, 2024)
• Teaching Tip #3 - Beyond Think-Pair-Share (February 13, 2024)
• Teaching Tip #4 Grading–Good for them and good for you? (February 20, 2024)
• Teaching Tip #5 - Inclusive Teaching (February 27, 2024)
• Teaching Tip #6 - Mindfulness and Self Care (March 5, 2024)
• Teaching Tip #7 - Syllabus Design (March 12, 2024)
• Teaching Tip #8 - Assignment Design (March 19, 2024)
• Teaching Tip #9 - Orienting Students (April 2, 2024)
• Teaching Tip #10 - Office Hours (April 9, 2024)
• Teaching Tip #11 - Accessibility Check In (April 16, 2024)

And check out our full calendar of CAFEs and other Faculty Development and Faculty Collaborative events.