Academic integrity is a shared responsibility across VCC. While the institution provides the policies that uphold fairness, instructors shape the learning environments, classroom culture, and assessment practices that help students act ethically. Students, in turn, participate as responsible members of an academic community—thinking critically, acknowledging sources, and completing their work honestly.
Students may commit academic misconduct for many reasons. Pressures related to grades, work, finances, family responsibilities, or immigration status can make students feel overwhelmed or desperate. Students may misunderstand expectations, especially in a digital environment where tools like grammar aids, search helpers, and generative AI systems are embedded into everyday apps. Some students take shortcuts because they do not fully understand academic integrity, feel disconnected from the learning experience, or are unsure how to manage their workload. Recognizing the complexity of these factors can help us approach integrity holistically and design learning experiences that reduce both the motivation and confusion that can lead to academic misconduct.
At its core, academic integrity reflects values of respect, relationality, and reciprocity, including respect for diverse ways of knowing and responsible engagement with knowledge (Gladue, K. 2020, Indigenous Academic Integrity).
This page offers practical guidance and resources to help you design, embed, and uphold academic integrity—especially in a digital and GenAI‑enabled learning landscape. For a quick guide and overview of upholding academic integrity, UBC also has a one-pager resource. CTLR is also here to help support your work in upholding academic integrity.
The digital environment offers new opportunities and challenges: online solution banks, contract‑cheating services, and increasingly capable generative AI tools. At the same time, student misconduct continues to be shaped by familiar factors such as academic and personal pressures, time constraints, unclear or misunderstood expectations, uncertainty about what tools or supports are allowed, and feelings of disconnection from the course or assessment.
GenAI tools are now embedded in everyday applications (e.g., Copilot, Google Search, writing and grammar aids), and students may use them without realizing that these features count as “AI” or that their use may be restricted in your course. The VCC Guidelines for Generative AI in Teaching & Learning emphasize the importance of early, explicit conversations and clear boundaries so students understand what responsible and ethical AI use looks like in your learning environment. The guidelines also contain sample language for AI permission levels and use in your course syllabi.
Instructors play a central role in creating meaningful learning environments where integrity is expected, understood, and supported.
Clarify Expectations, Including AI Use
- Orient students to VCC Academic Integrity, and integrate this knowledge through activities in your course (e.g. case studies and peer discussions during class). Ensure that students understand not only that there is are institutional policies, but also that they can get support from the VCC Library and Copyright Librarian for citation and sourcing. You can also request VCC Library workshops for your class on academic integrity.
- Explain the acceptable boundaries of tool use, including chatbots, grammar checkers, translation tools, and embedded AI features in common apps.
- Use the VCC AI Permission Levels in the VCC Guidelines for Generative AI in Teaching & Learning to clearly communicate what AI use is allowed in your course.
- Add explicit syllabus statements using the model language provided in the VCC Guidelines for Generative AI in Teaching & Learning.
- Explain and engage with students throughout your course on why certain AI uses support or undermine learning in your discipline. This is a key aspect of building digital literacy.
Model Transparency and Ethical Use
If you use GenAI to support teaching tasks (e.g., draft rubrics, generate examples, refine materials), follow VCC expectations for:
- Human oversight – review all output for accuracy and harm reduction
- Transparency and attribution when sharing AI‑generated teaching materials
- Responsible and privacy‑protective use – use only low‑risk information and avoid uploading confidential data
Naming your decision making and choices for students helps to build a shared culture of integrity.
Sustain a Learning Community of Integrity
- Discuss assessment/assignment purpose and relevance.
- Offer clear definitions and examples of academic misconduct (e.g., what constitutes plagiarism or unauthorized collaboration, what would be considered misuse of GenAI).
- Invite student questions about ethical decision‑making, citing sources, and responsible use of digital tools
- Actively embed academic integrity education into curriculum, using storytelling, real-life examples, scenarios, and regular reminders. This can help students internalize academic integrity standards.
- Recognize that integrity is relational and that students are more engaged when they feel respected, connected, and supported.
Assessment design strongly influences student behaviour. When assessments are meaningful, authentic, and transparent, students are more likely to engage with honesty. For more information, explore these resources:
Before Assessments
- Reinforce expectations around collaboration, citation, and AI use.
- Provide practice questions, checklists, or brief review activities.
During Assessments
- When appropriate, vary questions or use randomized banks in quizzes.
- Consider open‑book or application‑focused assessments.
- For online tests, use institutionally supported tools such as Safe Exam Browser.
Maintain Trust
Avoid hidden prompts or AI‑detector tools. Note that VCC prohibits uploading student work into unapproved AI‑detector systems due to privacy, equity, and reliability concerns.
CTLR Support for Instructors
- Assessment redesign consultations
- AI‑resilient assessment strategies
- Workshops on academic integrity, GenAI, and digital literacy
- Sample prompts, lesson plans, and teaching guides
Key Resources and Support for Students
Direct students to:
- Academic Integrity Policy & Procedures (note that as the instructor, you will need to follow the policy and procedures when there is suspected academic misconduct – reach out to your department leader and/or the Office of Student Conduct when needed)
- Student Academic Integrity site
- Library & Learning Centre (citation, research, writing support)
- Arbiter of Student Issues and Students’ Union Advocate (for student support)