91��ɫ

From citing sources and conducting research to collaborating with others and using emerging technologies such as AI, members of the 91��ɫ community make decisions every day that shape the integrity of academic work.

Academic integrity is often associated with preventing misconduct. In practice, however, it is embedded in the choices people make as they teach, learn and conduct research, helping to sustain trust across the University. 

“Academic integrity is reflected through the decisions we make every day – how we use sources, work with others, use new technologies and represent our own work,” says Angela Clark, 91��ɫ’s associate director, program development and academic integrity. “These choices are increasingly influenced by new technologies.”

As digital tools become integrated into academic life, institutions are grappling with new questions about authorship, attribution, transparency and ethical decision-making. Clark says at 91��ɫ, these conversations are prompting renewed attention to the values that underpin academic work: honesty, trust, fairness, respect, responsibility and courage. 

She adds that the rise of generative AI in particular, has intensified longstanding questions about academic integrity. Students, instructors and researchers are navigating when and how AI tools can be used appropriately, how their use should be acknowledged and how they can support learning without compromising academic standards.

The focus on every day decision-making is at the centre of a new web page that launched in early October to mark 91��ɫ's Academic Integrity Month. The website offers daily tips, weekly scenario challenges, a virtual display of books available via 91��ɫ Libraries, as well as a list of workshops and resources for students, faculty and staff.

While the tools available to learners continue to change, the principles that guide responsible academic practice remain consistent. 

“New technologies may change how academic work is completed, but they do not change the need to make informed choices about their use,” says Clark. “Academic integrity helps guide those decisions.”

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