Being Responsible for Academic Integrity
As a student, you are responsible for understanding academic integrity guidelines and putting them into practice. This section provides you with strategies for taking initiative and seeking out support.
Taking Initiative for Responsible Learning
Although students are responsible for understanding academic integrity guidelines, it may not always be clear how to keep on top of these guidelines when they may differ between courses and between assessments. For instance, as you will learn in the following sections of this module, you may encounter different guidelines on when it is appropriate to collaborate with other students, and different guidelines on the use of generative artificial intelligence (GenAI) tools. Below are some proactive strategies to help meet the academic integrity expectations within each of your courses.
- Arrive on time for your classes so that you won’t miss any important announcements and any information about upcoming assignments and tests.
- Read through the course syllabus for each course. Course syllabi often include the learning outcomes for the course, a list of readings, and a schedule of tests and assignments, among other information. Here you will often find an instructor’s expectations for assessments in their course as well as information about their office hours and how they prefer to be contacted by students.
- Review assignment guidelines and rubrics for every assignment. Here you will find expectations for each individual assignment along with information on how assessments will be evaluated and the skills you are required to demonstrate.
- Check eClass regularly for updates from your instructor. As well, you can find information on the scheduled tests and assignments for your course in eClass.
Reaching Out for Help
If you have reviewed the course syllabus and the information on eClass and you still have questions, ask for clarification from your instructor or TA.
- If there’s a Teaching Assistant (TA) assigned to your section, determine if you should approach the TA or your instructor with your question. Your course syllabus may provide information on circumstances where it is more appropriate to reach out to your TA instead of your instructor. If this information is not included in the syllabus, and your class is large, start with your TA. If they cannot answer your question, they will direct you to the instructor.
- Ask your instructor if there is no TA assigned to your course, or if you think that the question is one that is more appropriate for the instructor. Although students can find approaching their instructor intimidating, asking questions is an important part of the learning process. Furthermore, instructors appreciate it when students ask for help as they want their students to understand and to succeed. To approach your instructor with a question, you can ask them before or after class if it’s a quick question, or you can send them an email containing your question. Other options include visiting them during their office hours for questions about course content or preparing for tests and assignments or requesting a one-on-one meeting for matters that are more in-depth.
Connecting with Support at York
To help strengthen your academic skills and better cope with the demands of student life, make use of on-campus academic support services. The Getting Help resource on SPARK provides descriptions of these supports and information on how to access each.
By familiarizing yourself with your instructor’s expectations in each of your courses, actively seeking clarification when in doubt, and using available resources such as faculty office hours and academic support centers, you demonstrate both responsibility and a commitment to academic integrity.
