Honesty. Honour. Ethics. Integrity.
These are qualities that we value in all aspects of our lives. We rely upon our family members and friends being honest with us, because that is the root of mutual trust. We hope that our political leaders will be scrupulously ethical so that they will strive to work with dedication on our behalf. We want our sports heroes to exhibit integrity to avoid scandalous episodes of cheating.
And the need for such conscientious behaviour is essential in academics too. Earning a diploma or a degree when one has somehow cheated or “cut corners” – plagiarism, buying an essay, improperly obtaining answers during an exam – devalues the worth of one’s scholastic achievement, damages the reputation of one’s educational institution, and may ultimately interfere with one’s post-graduation employment opportunities.
“The only person you’re cheating is yourself.”
“Anything worth doing is worth doing well.”
“You’ve got to learn it to earn it.”
St. Clair College has attempted to emphasize the academic integrity message for decades using these slogans. Are these messages getting across? Do students truly know what academic integrity is, or why it is so important? What constitutes a transgression, and why should students strive to practice honesty in all of their academic pursuits?
St. Clair – along with hundreds of other colleges, universities and secondary schools throughout the world – is now involved in a comprehensive study on this topic, coordinated by the International Center for Academic Integrity.
Included in that research effort is an on-line survey, to examine the academic integrity mindset of students around the world.
At St. Clair, the participation in this survey is being overseen by the college’s Centre for Academic Excellence, and promoted by the Student Representative Council and Thames Students Incorporated.
To encourage student involvement in the survey process, those St. Clair agencies are offering a bursary raffle. Take part in the research survey, and you will be entered into a draw for one of 20 bursaries valued at $250.
Thank you for participating in this important exercise. It will help to foster an enhanced atmosphere of academic integrity at St. Clair College, and bolster the quality of your education.
Here is the link to the survey: https://research.academicintegrity.org/s3/SCC