UW’s Office of Academic Integrity updated its publicly available academic integrity module geared towards undergraduate students called the Undergraduate Academic Integrity Module (UG AIM). The course is online and completion of it is not tracked. Its estimated completion time is an hour. The course focuses on how values such as trust, courage, fairness, respect, responsibility, and honesty, are applicable to the everyday life of a student. Through completion of the module, students should develop a meaningful understanding of what academic integrity looks like, ensuring continued academic success.

How was the UG AIM created?

A grant received in 2018 by e-Campus Ontario permitted the development of the UG AIM. The module was first developed as a mobile application, but later was altered to a web format.

Why was the module created?

When asked about the motivation behind creation of the updated academic integrity module, Amanda McKenzie, director of the Office of Academic Integrity, stated that, “Recently, the Office of Academic Integrity updated the format and graphics for this module as they had become dated. Students benefit from having a foundation of integrity and knowledge of academic scholarship as they progress through their studies.”

What does the module discuss?

If you’ve taken any course at UW, you’re likely already familiar with Policy 71 (Student Discipline) which is discussed in every course and course outline. It outlines both academic and non-academic offences and the processes for penalties, reporting, and appeals. The new academic integrity module describes Policy 71 and defines possible academic offences. From there, you can learn more about the six fundamental academic integrity values that UW has adopted. Each value includes the chance to explore real-world scenarios that touch on that value and includes a video and brief questionnaire to test your knowledge. Once you’ve reviewed the scenarios and questionnaire, you can complete the final quiz. The quiz requires a minimum grade of 80 per cent to pass, although your grade will not be recorded and students are not sent their scores. The quiz can be repeated indefinitely. 

To date, the Office of Academic Integrity continues to support the development of academic integrity modules and student success.

More details can be found here: Academic Integrity Learning Modules | Academic Integrity | University of Waterloo

You can access the module by visiting: Academic Integrity for Undergraduate Students.