Building UBC’s Academic Integrity Hub

In the April edition of Edubytes, the team welcomes back Academic Integrity Senior Manager, Dr. Ainsley Rouse, to provide an update on UBC’s Academic Integrity Hub, which supports students and faculty in teaching and learning about academic integrity and the implementation of the academic misconduct regulation, and to share new resources available to the UBC teaching and learning community.

Academic integrity has been in the news again; this time in connection to the emergence of generative artificial intelligence tools and their impact on the university landscape. Coverage of academic integrity in the press is no longer unusual. Over the past several years it has become almost commonplace. Still, academic integrity is not only a newsworthy or sensational topic. It is a fundamental part of being an instructor and a student, and UBC is making support for it a part of what it means to teach and learn at the university.

A year ago, the February 2022 issue of Edubytes outlined work underway at UBC to sustain a culture of academic integrity on campus. One year later, the Academic Integrity Hub (AIH) is up and running in the Vancouver Provost’s Office, actively supporting students, instructors and faculties. As a vehicle to promote and advance UBC’s educative approach to academic integrity, the AIH aims to be responsive to the needs of the university community, provide leadership on academic integrity issues and offer a cohesive strategy for UBC.

The AIH resides in the portfolio of the Vice-Provost and Associate Vice-President, Teaching and Learning in the Office of the Provost and Vice-President Academic. We support the full academic integrity cycle from providing resources to teach and learn about academic integrity to offering case facilitation, best practices and information around the academic misconduct process. We engage in awareness initiatives in alignment with milestones throughout the year and offer workshops and events with partners across campus.

To learn about what the AIH offers to the UBC community, the best place to start is on UBC’s academic integrity website. This website is aimed at both students and instructors, and brings together resources, initiatives and information for both campuses. However, the Academic Integrity Hub is not only resources or a website. It is a team of people in the Provost’s Office whose mission it is to support the UBC community and raise awareness around academic integrity. You can reach the AIH team at academic.integrity@ubc.ca

Below are additional resources to support the UBC community – and beyond – in teaching and learning with integrity.

 

Supporting the academic misconduct process

A new diversionary process was introduced into the Academic Calendar in September 2022. It seeks to provide students with a timely, supportive and educative response to academic misconduct through an agreed upon Integrity Plan. The Academic Integrity Hub supports the implementation of the new regulation and is also involved in the direct facilitation of Integrity Plans.

Diversionary process

 

Keeping up to date with the latest academic integrity news

The Offices of the Provost and Vice-President, Academic, at UBC Vancouver and UBC Okanagan are working collaboratively to expand awareness around academic integrity education and provide support and access to resources related to academic misconduct regulations. The newly launched Academic Integrity Digest is a cross-campus newsletter aimed at generating conversations, sharing resources and responding to timely and relevant issues impacting academic integrity for students and faculty at UBC.

Academic Integrity Digest

 

Fostering awareness in the UBC classroom

Do you want to promote academic integrity in your class? The Academic Integrity Hub can help! “Take Five for Academic Integrity” is an in-class awareness campaign that provides materials for instructors to use for a five-minute presentation and discussion with your students. Slides, notes and a video presentation are available for instructors to download directly, or, if you prefer, you can request that academic integrity staff come and talk to your students.

Take five for academic integrity

 

Academic integrity in the era of generative artificial intelligence tools

Conversations around the impacts of generative AI tools are ongoing as their capabilities continue to evolve. New questions and implications arise with every new update. To increase awareness and provide information to UBC instructors and students, the AIH assembled a list of important things to know about the use of generative AI tools in the classroom. Structured as a Q&A, this list will evolve with time, and we encourage you to share your thoughts on what should be addressed.

AI tools Q&A

 

Academic integrity for students

Learning with integrity is a core principle that UBC students must follow throughout their journey and sets the stage for being an ethical professional upon graduation. The student landing page of the academic integrity website brings together information and resources to help students understand academic integrity and why it matters, learn about the stages of the academic misconduct process, and access modules and a detailed FAQ.

Academic integrity for students

 

Academic integrity for faculty

As educators, faculty members play a crucial role in promoting academic integrity among their students and maintaining high standards of academic conduct. The faculty landing page is designed to help instructors promote academic integrity in their courses and address academic misconduct when it occurs thanks to tips for designing assessments and information about the misconduct process.

Academic integrity for faculty


Enjoyed reading about building UBC’s Academic Integrity Hub? Learn about other topics we covered in the April 2023 edition by reading the complete Edubytes newsletter. To view past issues, visit the Edubytes archive.

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