Academic Integrity Awareness Week | What are the fundamental values of Academic Integrity?

ACAP’s fifth Academic Integrity Awareness Week focused on the theme of ‘Fundamental Values – What they mean for Academic Integrity’ and aimed to affirm ACAP’s continuing commitment to academic integrity, honesty and promote ethical research and scholarship amongst the staff and student community.

As part of the event, Student Learning Support Advisors in Brisbane, Sydney, Melbourne, and Perth attended selected classes to discuss the importance of Academic Integrity with students and to elicit responses from them about their use of the fundamental values when completing assessments and in their ongoing studies with ACAP. Popups were also opened on each of these campuses during which students were encouraged to seek support from the Advisors on the topic of academic integrity or academic writing skills. A number of positions were also presented during the week about the fundamental values and what they mean to the application of academic integrity:

Having academic integrity means that you always courageously use your integrity established on the fundamental values of honesty, trust, fairness, respect, and responsibility when you write your assessments, sit your exams, or conduct yourself while you are studying. In short, to make sure of academic integrity means ensuring that every piece of work you submit is your own, and that you have properly cited and referenced all sources that you have used.

– The Library Team

You are working towards a degree in a particular discipline (e.g., psychology, counselling, social work, or criminology). You are awarded a degree on the basis of demonstrating that you have developed a breadth and depth of understanding in your discipline area and are able to apply your knowledge and skills to the real world. If you have taken short cuts along the way such as presenting the work of others, without due acknowledgement, then the value of your degree is diminished. Indeed, the value of the degree for all students studying hard towards this qualification is also diminished, as is the value of the institution where you completed your studies.

– Vikki Knott (Discipline Lead Psychological Sciences Brisbane)

Embracing academic integrity can only be successfully attained when the environments in which we study and work, defend ethical standards by prescribing any behaviours that are at odds with academic integrity principles (Fishman, 2013)… A process of ongoing education (e.g., academic skills workshops, orientation, class activities, library resources, the use of Turnitin, web resources, such as the Student Learning Support website and relevant publications such as the Student Handbook) is provided to students and staff alike (ACAP, 2019). Using a proactive approach, ACAP is committed to preventing academic misconduct (e.g., plagiarism, ghost writing, recycling) and promoting academic integrity.

– Charles Farrugia (National Student Learning Support Manager)

Academic and other staff were invited to share their messages on different themes around academic integrity. Here are some of the key messages that were shared by various staff:

To continue the conversation about promoting academic integrity to staff and students, contact Charles Farrugia at Charles.Farrugia@acap.edu.au, or share your thoughts and ideas via Yammer, Twitter or LinkedIn.