Academic Integrity Tutorial

Students want to know how to maintain academic integrity. They know that the expectations are different at university than in high school, and they can be different at a Canadian institution compared to past study in other countries.

Some students are taking courses where proof of completion is required or instructors are using the content of the tutorial to meet certain learning outcomes for the course.

• For example, the English department requires the tutorial for any of it’s 100 level courses; the Engineering program includes the tutorial as part of GE102; Pharmacy requires students to complete it as part of orientation, and so on.

• Some instructors want students to get the foundational knowledge about academic integrity in order to understand some of the specific expectations they have.

• Some instructors want students to understand how academic misconduct is handled and the serious consequences that can result.

• Some instructors want students to know about the kinds of skills that help them avoid academic misconduct and the kinds of help available at the University to build those skills.

• Many instructors want all of the above.

• The tutorial was updated during 2024 and in January 2025 will be moved into a Canvas course only.

• Some instructors may not know about that change, please share this webpage with them to point them to this updated information. 

• Self-enrol into the course using the button above. (will be available soon)

• Complete all three modules and pass the associated quizzes. This will likely take about 3 hours.

• A certificate of completion will be generated within the course. You will need to download it and save it somewhere that is easy for you to find again.

• Follow the directions of your instructor about how to present that proof of completion. Some instructors set it up as an assignment in Canvas, and you can upload the certificate there. Check with your instructor.

• Approximately three hours: There are things to read, interactive activities, videos, and practice quizzes as well as the actual module quizzes.  

• If the tutorial was completed it after August 2023, it might be possible to find your certificate. Contact Susan.Bens@usask.ca

Note: It would be beneficial to retake the full tutorial – see the next question for reasons why.

You should now retake the new version, which has more examples and details related to GenAI use, additional examples from more disciplines, and really builds up your ability to ask good questions of your instructors. 

Some things will be familiar and this will mean you can probably go through it more quickly.

Past students have given the advice that the tutorial is worth retaking a refresher every year because as you gain more experience in university, some of the examples and the guidance is more meaningful.

Yes, you can self-enroll and click through the modules. To advance modules, you need to complete the previous quiz. There are only 10 questions each quiz, and they are the best indication of what the students are meant to learn.   

• Beware: The tutorial is designed to be generally applicable to a wide range of students.  It likely is not enough on its own to fully equip or inform your students adequately to follow your expectations. 

Do review the tutorial, so you can see what you want to tell students to pay specific attention to and you can see what might be missing or needing more explanation for your assessments. 

This resource is well-used and many instructors require proof of completion—especially for new students. 

Canvas works better in several respects compared to the Library's Research Guide versions that have been used previously.

• Updates to the tutorial are expected to be frequent (e.g., GenAI) and improvements are ongoing.

• In the past on Canvas Commons, instructors would upload the modules but not check back for changes and then copy their course from year to year -- inadvertently promoting outdated or inadequate information. 

• Explain your reason for requiring the tutorial. It will help you do that if you have taken it yourself or at least reviewed it. 

• Indicate the importance of getting a good foundational understanding about academic integrity in order to develop the skills and habits that maintain it and thereby avoid academic misconduct. 

• Take care not to scare students about this topic. Creating fear and communicating mistrust backfires on instructors. If students become afraid to ask you questions, they often won’t and sometimes that leads to inadvertent academic misconduct that could have been easily avoided by asking you a question.   

• Consider what kinds of academic misconduct errors are commonly made by students or that you are most concerned about.

• If your concern is not specifically addressed in the tutorial, develop your own content or lesson related to that skill or issue to supplement the tutorial.

• Reinforce academic integrity expectations again later in the term. Students are most susceptible to academic misconduct when the pressure is on—they may make inadvertent errors and/or bad coping decisions and need to be reminded of their responsibilities and expectations.

• Recommend students revisit the relevant content or the resources linked through the tutorial.

• Refer to the Faculty tab in the top navigation of this website and contact Susan Bens, Academic Integrity Strategist, for ideas for incorporating this tutorial into your instruction or learning outcomes directly.