Camosun College's Academic Integrity Policy, outlines the College's academic expectations for all students, upholding the six fundamental values of the International Center for Academic Integrity (ICAI) :
Camosun College is committed to building the academic competency of all students and seeks to empower students to become agents of their own learning and to promote academic belonging.
Camosun College's Academic Integrity Policy outlines the academic expectations for all students and articulates the College's values and principles with respect to upholding the highest standards of academic integrity. The policy helps guide students, faculty and administration in their decisions involving academic integrity. The policy describes:
The reputation of the College is formed and its accreditation is maintained through the respect and adherence to these principles.
Camosun recognizes the multiple and nuanced understandings of academic integrity that are prevalent across cultures.
All students are expected to inform themselves of the standards of academic integrity here at Camosun.
Below are some ways Camosun College's academic integrity expectations may differ from other cultural experiences:
| Camosun's expectations for academic integrity | Possible contrasting cultural experiences |
| Student assignments and tests are largely individual unless specifically assigned as group work by the instructor | In some cultures academic work may always be considered collaboratively, including sharing exam answers and written assignments |
| Students are expected to cite their sources and acknowledge where they got their information | In some cultures knowledge may be seen as shared property and therefore giving credit to an individual is not considered |
| Students are expected to create original work | In some cultures mimicry or memorization may be seen as signs of respect |
| Students are expected to demonstrate their knowledge and respect academic integrity in a variety of assignment formats | In some cultures education is very exam-centered and written homework assignments may be seen to have less importance |
Summarized from:
As a Camosun student, academic integrity means making ethical decisions, asking questions, and following instructions - even when faced with difficult situations. Following the six core values of integrity: honesty, trust, fairness, respect, responsibility, and courage. Here are some examples of actions that demonstrate academic integrity:
You demonstrate honesty by:
following your instructor’s guidelines and expectations for assignments and testssubmitting original work and completing individual assessments independentlyYou demonstrate trust by:
being dependable and reliable in your work, commitments and actionsfollowing your instructor’s directions and completing work by the set deadlineYou show respect by:
consistently and accurately citing the work of others in your assignmentskeeping academic materials and instructor’s intellectual property private (e.g., class slides, assignments, tests, etc.), and not sharing these without the instructor’s permissionYou demonstrate fairness by:
treating others equally without self-interest or prejudicefollowing the College's standards and not trying to gain unfair advantages in assessments, mid-terms or tests (e.g., copying someone else’s answers, using your phone to look up information during an exam, etc.)You demonstrate responsibility by:
completing individual and group work to the best of your abilities and being accountable to yourself, your instructors, your classmates, and the CollegeSeeking help if you are struggling or are not sure of expectationsYou demonstrate courage by:
being brave and standing up for what is right, even in challenging situations. If you think someone has committed an academic offense or is violating a rule, you alert you instructor, Dean, or a staff memberMoreover, academic integrity skills, such as citing, paraphrasing, or summarizing, take practice. Know that you can ask for help along the way. See the Academic Integrity Supports page for people and resources to help you.
Thanks to the University of Waterloo Office of Academic Integrity for permission to use and adapt this content
Many thanks to Assiniboine Community College for their generosity in sharing the content of their Academic Integrity Guide for Students to support the creation of this Camosun guide. Their content has been modified and adapted to support Camosun students and to reflect the Camosun College Academic Integrity policy.
