As Michigan Tech proceeds to online instruction, we offer the following guidance for students about academic integrity in online learning environments. We know many of our students, instructors, and faculty have navigated this before, so we also invite you to email studentconduct@mtu.edu with any suggestions or resources, and we can continue to share those here.
- A reminder to you, the Academic Integrity Policy still applies, as it always has. As is best practice in any learning environment, we have encouraged faculty to be specific about what this means in their particular course or subject area. You can use the Academic Integrity Resource Center as a resource for better understanding how to maintain academic integrity in your academic work.
- As you begin any new learning format, you should openly ask clarifying questions about how and if collaboration and resource-sharing expectations might change given these changes in the learning environment. Changing to an online format is a developing process for everyone, so you should continue to ask questions as you adapt. Faculty have been asked to be mindful and inclusive of Disability Services accommodations and varied internet accessibility. Faculty have been encouraged to say, for example, “The project that I had previously envisioned being a group project can now be done individually, and I will outline the requirements. If you need further modifications for Disability Services accommodations or limited internet access, please let me know that.”
- You are being asked to participate in academic coursework in a variety of ways, including being asked to disclose what technology and time are available to you. Your internet access may be varied, and you may be sharing home space with a variety of family members, so polling software or vocal participation may create challenges. You may be asked to engage with faculty through email, surveys, and formative assessments as the course progresses. This promotes integrity as well as better knowledge acquisition for the ongoing assessment of student learning.
- You should continue to use the Writing Center online resources, which provide excellent information about plagiarism, writing processes, and other essential steps in maintaining academic integrity. Faculty should be clear about citation expectations: “For this assignment, you need to attribute any quotations that you use within the paper. Please see [insert example that faculty select].”
- You should be socially responsible about how and where you conduct your academic work. You should place yourself in a productive space where the temptation or opportunity to compromise your work or the work of others is minimal.
- You should make sure you have enough time to meaningfully do the work, and without any temptation to compare answers. As noted before, faculty have been asked to be inclusive of students with varied internet access and students with Disability Services accommodations.
- If you are not familiar with technology that increases assurances for online integrity, the Academic Integrity Resource Center has some useful resources.
- You should not attempt shortcuts to complete assignments. If you are unable to complete assignments for whatever reason you should inform your instructor.
- If you have questions or concerns about another student’s academic integrity, you should report it to the faculty, or Report A Concern.
We appreciatively acknowledge George Washington University, Ohio State University and West Virginia University, as their resources contributed to this work.