Academic Integrity Awareness Week | Excel with Integrity: Strategies to help you achieve
The Australian College of Applied Psychology (ACAP) fourth Academic Integrity Awareness Week focussed on the theme of: ‘Excel with Integrity: Strategies to Help You Achieve’ which was a collaborative event between the Directorate of Academic Services, Student Learning Support, Library and Navitas Learning and Teaching.
Academic integrity is fundamental to ACAP’s operations as an academic community. The week (7th -11th October) aimed to discuss strategies to assist students to achieve and excel with integrity. Events throughout the week included a panel discussion, Student Learning Support pop-up booths on campus, targeted messages from the Dean, Discipline Chairs and National SLS Manager, a learning opportunity on using copyright video materials for educational purposes, as well as other themed digital messaging around the campuses.
Students are responsible for demonstrating respect and honesty towards other learners and scholars. It is important to acknowledge sources and be committed to ethical academic conduct. The Dean’s message highlighted the importance of academic honesty, and the importance for students and academic teachers alike of understanding and engaging with their respective responsibilities in their learning and teaching.
Below are some thoughts on Academic Integrity from two of the Discipline Chairs in ACAP.
Academic Integrity is an essential and non-negotiable part of the research process. It applies to both staff and students. ACAP has policies and processes in place to encourage Academic Integrity. All students in the discipline of Criminology are taught to adhere to academic integrity in the completion of their assignments and to seek assistance from student learning support/teaching staff if they are having difficulties .
– Professor Alperhan Babacan | Chair, Discipline of Criminology and Justice
As a science, integrity is a deep-seated value that underpins the conduct and application of our research. It ensures that the knowledge we draw on in our work and study is objective, reliable, and insulates us from bias and fabrication. As practitioners our integrity is central to our conduct. It is a great privilege to work with others, often at the most challenging times of their lives, and they engage with us based on an assumption that we will strive to do the right thing by them. The public’s trust of our research and us as practitioners is based upon this fundamental value.
For students, commencing a course in psychology brings with it the assumption that they value integrity and demonstrate this in their actions. It is also what they expect to see modelled in out interactions with them. It is never too early to show them how to ‘walk the talk’, by taking every opportunity to act with integrity. In the words of Brené Brown: ‘Integrity is choosing courage over comfort; choosing what is right over what is fun, fast, or easy; and choosing to practice our values rather than simply professing them.’
– Professor Kathryn Nicholson Perry, Chair, Discipline of Psychological Sciences
To continue the conversation about promoting academic integrity to staff and students, contact Michaela Munoz, or share your thoughts and ideas via Yammer, Twitter or LinkedIn.
Tips and resources to share with students
By Dr. Georgie Avard, Manager, Design Innovation – Learning and Teaching Services
- Educate yourself about academic integrity and misconduct issues such as plagiarism (including self-plagiarism), contract cheating and other forms of cheating, and collusion. This includes knowing about what penalties there are for academic misconduct.
- Being prepared for your assessments well in advance of the due date to avoid panicking or feeling rushed (and therefore may be tempted to commit academic misconduct)
- Model academic integrity, as students are more likely to exhibit behaviours similar to their peers
- Be wary about websites, companies or individuals who offer to help with assessments – they may disguise themselves as helping you, but in some cases they are scams, and/or can threaten you with blackmail or extortion. There are legitimate sources of help with study skills or assessment help that can be found through ACAP Student Learning Support website
- Don’t share assignments with friends – you may end up in trouble yourself.
By Charles Farrugia, National Student Learning Support Manager – ACAP
Whether you’re a dedicated PC user, or you prefer an iOS or Android device, there are many free and paid programs or apps to suit your needs. For those of you who prefer to use a PC or laptop, a number of resources are available via the ACAP Student Learning Support website including information about studying successfully at ACAP, information about the structure of Assignment Types, referencing using both Harvard or APA styles (including tips to avoid plagiarism and to keep focussed on achieving academic integrity), bringing your written work up to ACAP academic standards requirements, preparing your assignments for submission, presentation skills, honing your critical thinking, reading, and writing skills, and perfecting your skills for exams and quizzes. You can also register for online webinars or workshops or review our webinar recordings. Of course, you can also access all these resources using your phablet, tablet, or mobile phone.
You might also be interested in a number of programs (also available as apps) that can be used to further enhance your academic skills. For example, these time management apps may help if you find your life skidding haphazardly into the void (there are plenty of others too):
If you need help with polishing your grammar try Grammarly, and if you need to check that you have met academic integrity standards, you can try Smarthinking. You can find information on both of these resources on the ACAP Student Learning Support website. Incidentally, whenever you upload an assignment for marking, it automatically goes through Turnitin.
Thinking psychologically? Why not try this app (only for iOS devices):
- PsychExplorer ($US 1.99)
- Do you enjoy using FlashCards? Try this app (only for Android devices):
- Want to change some time wasting habits? Try habatica (online only):
- Want some help with Australasian Legal Information? Try AustLII (online only):
Would you like to build your confidence by working with a small group of students studying psychology with the help of a student peer who has gone through it all and excelled? Try peer assisted sessions for specific beginning psych units. Information here: PASS – Peer Assisted Study Sessions.
Your success is literally in your hands (as you tap the keyboard of your favourite device) to access resources and tips to help you achieve your best!