Who is responsible for academic integrity?

Originally published in the Learning and Teaching weekly newsletter (internal publication) at Saskatchewan Polytechnic. 

Like so many things, the answer is everyone. Although learners are obviously responsible for integrity in the materials that they submit, along with the assessments that they complete, faculty can support learners by discussing (early and often) the values of integrity and honesty. One of the most effective ways to do this is to model integrity in everything that we do. Here are some examples:

• Using evidence from external sources to complement or support your course materials.
• Textbooks
• Journal articles
• Blogs, newsletters, newspapers, and magazines
• Video content
• Information from vendors or trade associations/organizations
• Codes of conduct from professional organizations or governing bodies
• Reputable online information
• Adding references on all learning materials
• Provides reference examples 

If you are interested in discussing academic integrity, join our group of likeminded individuals. The Academic Integrity Community of Practice (CoP) is predominately a discussion; everyone is given time to speak and share. The goal of a CoP is to generate ideas and collaborate with colleagues to find solutions to issues in their teaching or work. This CoP will focus on academic integrity issues. We'll highlight collaborative ways to find proactive and equitable solutions and offer support for faculty and staff who are seeking assistance to empower their learners and aid in their academic success at Sask Polytech. 

This CoP is led by two ILDC Facilitators, Tasha Maddison (Saskatoon Campus) and Selinda England (Moose Jaw Campus). This CoP will be delivered virtually on the second Tuesday of every month from 3-4 p.m. All are welcome. Click here to register.

At our next CoP, we will be focusing on faculty responsibility. As you start to think about your responsibilities, ponder this quote "Former Vanderbilt Dean of Students Madison Sarratt (1888-1978) once said “Today I am going to give you two examinations, one in trigonometry and one in honesty. I hope you will pass them both, but if you must fail one, let it be trigonometry, for there are many good men in this world who cannot pass an examination in trigonometry, but there are no good men in the world who cannot pass an examination in honesty” (Patel, 2016, para. 1). This is such a powerful statement on the roles of integrity, honesty and trust, play in post-secondary institutions.

Reference

Patel, A. (2016, April 15). Honesty - The Vanderbilt community. Vanderbilt University. https://admissions.vanderbilt.edu/vandybloggers/2016/04/honesty-the-vanderbilt-community-creed/#:~:text=I%20hope%20you%20will%20pass,pass%20an%20examination%20in%20honesty.%E2%80%9D

Ed Tech

I have been thinking a lot about week 5, which focused on graphic design elements and education technology tools. This is a topic that I am very passionate about as it is ripe with potential inequities. The digital divide was exacerbated during COVID when all learners were forced to rely on digital technology to access every component of their courses. Some learners faced incredible barriers due to these technology requirements. Space and sharing amongst households was also an issue for many. In my house, if a video game was being played in one room, it seriously effected my Zoom meeting in another.  

The other aspect of ed tech that I would like to note here is that as educators we need to be aware of what we are asking our learners to do. Are we going to use this tool throughout the semester, or only one time? Did we review the terms of use, and understand how our learners information is going to be used and stored? Is it supported by our institution? Are there privacy concerns?

Couple of examples here:

• My institution has a specific list of software that they support for operational or educational use. We are welcome to use other tools, but are essentially on our own if we need assistance. Fair enough! As a member of a support department, I try to model best practice and choose, whenever possible, tools that are supported by my institution.
• I try to be mindful of not choosing a tool, just for the sake of having a tool in my class. I start with the outcome, the content and then choose a tool if appropriate or necessary.
• I am concerned about privacy and storage of data, and as such have decided against the use of certain tools. 

Recently, I was responsible for adapting an existing course on ed tech. The main assignment for the course asks learners to analyse a software choice from the perspectives of functionality, ease-of-use, support, equity, safety, and ethics. I believe it is good task for instructors as it forces them to think about the consequences of their choice of software. 

Resources

The third module in the Instructional Design course from Library Juice Academy covered the creation of learning outcomes and the use of supplemental materials.  

Learning materials fall into several categories:

• The traditional commercially published textbook model.  Many publishers are making their packages more lucrative by including learning objects, such as PPT, test banks, instructional videos, etc.  These additional items leave me wondering if they take teaching out of instruction and out of the institution.  The instruction materials covered by the publisher rely on use of the textbook from start to finish.  The instructor becoming dependent on what is available from the publisher and at the will of updates/edits/adaptations that are made by said company.
• Library resources is a viable alternative, removing many copyright restrictions.  Library resources can be embedded in class materials through a permalink.  When an instructor used a permalink to share content, the library can capture accurate usage statistics.  Also, providing references increases awareness of this type of information and how it can be used as search clues for retrieving content.
• OER is another option that is gaining traction in post-secondary institutions.  OER allows for more flexibility and versatility of instruction, as the instructor can pick and choose what works for them and their teaching activities. 

This module included some basic information about accessibility: 

• Visual - screen readers, considerations of font and colour variances 
• Hearing - save chat transcript, consideration synchronous vs. asynchronous courses and how that might effective the needs of your students.  Ask yourself, what arrangements need to be made in advance?  

A good source for further information on this topic is: https://webaim.org.  This is a very important topic and I encourage you to delve deeper into it.   

Poll Everywhere

I was at a keynote at the Academic Leadership Workshop (SKPolytech) earlier this spring where the speaker used Poll Everywhere to add interactive elements to her presentation.  I was well aware of this project, as several of my colleagues had been working with the speaker to get this all up and running.

Frankly, I was prepared to be underwhelmed.  I have used clickers before and didn't really imagine that I was in for a "wow, that is so cool" moment, but boy was I wrong.

The live display of data is impressive.  To see the totals move as someone inputs their data is incredibly cool. To have immediate feedback from the audience either through a text or through a website is amazing and also simple (for both the presenter and for the participants).  My favourite feature was the word cloud.  The speaker asked us to describe what Saskatchewan Polytechnic means to us?  It was incredible to watch as the word cloud formed and then dynamically changed as more people contribute their ideas.  In a matter of moments you could see what was resonating with the audience.  And words that you may have anticipated but noticed were missing or not as prevalent is also interesting to observe.

So... I took a huge risk.  Normally copyright librarians are risk adverse, but I definitely do not embrace that sentiment in my teaching.  I had a presentation the very next day and I thought that the word cloud would be the perfect way to determine the temperature of the audience on the issue of copyright compliance.  So I taught myself how to use it!!!!  In about 30 minutes.  The software is highly intuitive and easy to use.  It was also fun.  And I received a lot of very positive, very enthusiastic feedback.  I highly recommend it!

Outcomes and not just activities

I recently had a discussion with the organizational development specialist for the library in regards to personal development plans.  I stated that I had been compiling a list of my activities each month for my branch head - mainly so that she would know what I had been up to! 

The organization development specialist suggested that I also focus on the outcomes of my activities; i.e.: how was I making an impact.  Initially I thought that would be a next to impossible task... but then....

Since the first day of school I have been posting a note outside the library with an interesting fact about our collection or the services that we offer.  On September 12th, I posted a note about the Engineering ebook collection and some of the ways in which to access that collection.  Within minutes, a professor came into the library questioning how he could access the collection and how the materials could be used.  Today, as I was writing down a new fact, I was approached in the hall by a grad student who also wanted to know how to access ebooks.  Not only did my sign have an impact, but I made myself more visible to at least two patrons.  I was also able to create a teachable moment for these two individuals, showing them how to access these materials through the catalogue or directly through one of our vendors.

Now if only every day was like that!

Advocate for accountabilty - notes from a conference presentation

The last presentation I attended on June 2nd at WILU was Jane Forgay's session on "Library Instruction: Success in an Age of Academic Accountability". She provided an overview of a model for library instruction that she facilitates within the History department at her institution.

Her instruction is curriculum driven, acknowledges provincial and institutional educational standards and targets complusory courses within the first year of study. The model is broken into smaller components that occur throughout the semester and are weighted in the final course grade. Her model will build upon this foundation throughout the student's university career with additional courses provided each year. The success of her program lies in the fact that she has a strong library advocate within the History faculty.