Strengthening
Academic Integrity in
Canada:
Implications for British Columbia
British Columbia Academic Integrity Day (BC-AID)
Hosted by Thompson Rivers University (TRU)
October 18, 2019
Sarah Elaine Eaton, PhD, Educational Leader in Residence
and Assistant Professor, University of Calgary
Twitter: @DrSarahEaton

Today’s Slides: Freely and Openly Available

http://hdl.handle.net/1880/111151

Development of academic integrity in
Canada
Research in Canada

Overview

Recent developments
Implications for British Columbia

What’s next?

Foundational Academic Integrity Research in Canada
 National study of academic misconduct in Canada
 Study of 11 Canadian higher education institutions showed over half of
undergraduate students and about one third of graduate students selfreported to have engaged in one or more instances of serious cheating or
plagiarism
 Evidence suggested that these self-reported data may have understated the
problem.
 Most common forms of cheating included collusion, cheating on tests or
exams, and plagiarism.
 46% of faculty and 38% of TAs reported ignoring incidents of academic
misconduct.

 These finding are similar to those from the U.S.A.
 (See: Christensen Hughes & McCabe, 2006a.)

Key message:
Development
of academic
integrity in
Canada

Canada is not immune
to academic misconduct

Development of
academic
integrity in
Canada

Student judicial affairs and
academic integrity
research are their infancy
in Canada, compared to
other countries (Eerkes,
2010; Eaton & Edino, 2018)

First Canadian
conference on
Student Judicial
Affairs (CCSJA)
was held in Banff,
hosted by the
University of
Alberta (Eerkes,
2010, p. 106).

CCSJA participants
voted to formalize
their association
and become a
division of the
Canadian
Association of
College and
University Student
Services (CACUSS)
(Eerkes, 2010, p.
106).

CCSJA renamed
Canadian
Academic Integrity
and Student
Judicial Affairs
(CAISJA) and
became a division
of CAUCUSS (B.
Usick personal
communication,
Oct. 12, 2019)

CAISJA’s name
changed to
Student Conduct
and Academic
Integrity (SCAI),
under CACUSS
(McKenzie, 2018).

Academic Integrity
Council of Ontario
(AICO) launched Ridgley, Miron, &
McKenzie, 2019)

1998

2007

2008

2009

2009

Development of academic integrity in Canada:
1998-2009

Canadian
attendees of
International
Center for
Academic
Integrity (ICAI)
conference
decided to form
a nationwide
group
(McKenzie,
2018)

ICAI Canada
became a
branch of ICAI
(McKenzie,
2018).

Alberta
Academic
Integrity
Symposium,
hosted by
MacEwan
University and
the University
of Alberta
(MacEwan
University, n.d.)

Inaugural
meeting of the
Academic
Integrity InterInstitutional
Meeting (AIIIM)
(McKenzie,
2018)

Launch of
journal,
Canadian
Perspectives on
Academic
Integrity

Academic
Integrity
Colloquium
(Trinity Western
University,
2018)

2013

2014

2014

2017

2018

2018

Development of academic integrity in Canada:
2010-2018

Academic Integrity Research in Canada

 Strengthening the research agenda of educational integrity in
Canada: A review of the research literature and call to action.
International Journal of Educational Integrity, 14(1). (Eaton &
Edino, 2018).
 Origins and impetus for this work: Feedback from 2017 failed
research grant application:
 “Academic integrity is an administrative issue, not a research topic.
The researcher should consider a different topic.”
 “Your literature review lacks evidence to show that academic
misconduct is even an issue in Canada. If you really believe it is an
issue, you need to publish a literature review to show there is a
legitimate need for research.”

 56 Canadian research publications on academic
integrity topics between 1992-2017.
 No works found prior to 1992, with our search criteria.

Academic
Integrity
Research in
Canada:
Findings

Figure 1: Publication output by year 1992-2017

Academic
Integrity
Research in
Canada:
Findings

Study type

# of
Studies

%

Descriptive / Qualitative

31

55.4%

Analytical / Quantitative

25

44.6 %

Total

56

100%

Table 1: Research publications by study type

Academic
Integrity
Research in
Canada:
Findings

Publication type

# of
Studies

%

Peer-reviewed journal articles

30

53.6%

Theses and dissertations

12

21.4%

Conference presentations

9

16.1%

Non-referred articles and reports

3

5.3%

Book chapters

1

1.8%

Grey literature (Scholarly essay)

1

1.8%

Total
Table 2: Publication type

100%

Academic
Integrity
Research in
Canada:
Findings

Majority of the research
focused on students.

Limited research at a
national level (Christensen
Hughes & McCabe 2006a,
2006b; Eaton, 2017;
MacLeod, 2014).

Little evidence of graduate
students who had done their
thesis on academic integrity
went on to develop
sustained programs of
research.

Little evidence of largescale, multi-institutional
research or collaboration
across provinces.

Little evidence of research
being funded (2 SSHRCs
since 2003 (1 English: Taylor,
Usick, & Paterson, 2003 and
1 French: Peters, 2015).

Academic integrity
researchers in Canada have
been largely disconnected
from one another and
working in isolation.

Results were comprehensive,
but not exhaustive due to
strict key word search.

Review was conducted only
in English. (Eaton & Edino,
2018)

Academic
Integrity
Research in
Canada:
Limitations

Need to connect: Form communities of practice,
networks and research collaborations.

Need for both applied and academic research.

Need research that is collaborative and inclusive –
multi-institutional, large scale, and national in scope.

Academic integrity work must be funded – Research,
advocacy, student supports, professional
development.
Need opportunities for graduate students – to learn
and then to develop a sustainable career, be it
professional or academic.

Academic
Integrity
Research in
Canada:
Key
messages
from
literature
review

Development
of academic
integrity in
Canada: 2019
Recent
Developments

Canadian
Symposium
on
Academic
Integrity
(Eaton,
Lock, &
Schroeder,
Eds., 2019).

Manitoba
Academic
Integrity
Network
(MAIN)
formed.

Alberta
Council of
Academic
Integrity
(ACAI)
launched.

First
research
study
published
with
partners
from 3
provinces
(Stoesz,
Eaton,
Miron, &
Thacker,
2019).

Master of
Education
Certificate
(4 course
topic) in
Academic
Integrity
approved
at
University
of Calgary
(Start: 072020).

British
Columbia
Academic
Integrity
Day (BCAID).

April

May

July

Aug

Oct

Oct

 Need for academics, policy makers, and
professionals to partner.

Reflections
on recent
work:
Key
messages

 Essential for efforts to be documented
and permanently and publicly archived.
 Contributions must be recognized in
both informal and formal ways both by
peers and by those in leadership
positions.
 Need to create opportunities for people
to take an active role in the work.

Implications
for British
Columbia

 Build on the good work that has already been
done:
 Academic Integrity Colloquium at Trinity
Western University (TWU, 2018; Upton,
2017)
 UBC – Large-scale, multi-year SoTL project
(McNeill, 2019)

Summary of
Key
Messages

1. Canada is not immune to
breaches of academic
integrity.

2. Need to connect: Form
communities of practice,
networks and research
collaborations.

3. Need for both applied
and academic research.

4. Need for research that is
collaborative and inclusive
– multi-institutional, large
scale, and national in
scope.

5. Academic integrity work
must be funded –
Research, advocacy,
student supports,
professional development.

6. Need opportunities for
graduate students – To
learn and then to develop a
sustainable career, be it
professional or academic.

7. Need for academics,
policy makers, and
professionals to partner.

8. Essential for efforts to
be documented and
permanently and publicly
archived.

9.Contributions must be
recognized informally and
formally.

10. Need to create
opportunities for people to
take an active role in the
work.

Next
steps?

 Canadian Symposium on Academic Integrity: Program and Abstracts.
(2019). In S. E. Eaton, J. Lock, & M. Schroeder (Eds.). Calgary, Canada:
University of Calgary.

 Christensen Hughes, J. M., & McCabe, D. L. (2006a). Academic
misconduct within higher education in Canada. The Canadian Journal
of Higher Education, 36(2), 1-21. Retrieved from
http://journals.sfu.ca/cjhe/index.php/cjhe/article/view/183537/183482
 Christensen Hughes, J. M., & McCabe, D. L. (2006b). Understanding
academic misconduct. Canadian Journal of Higher Education, 36(1), 4963.

References

 Eaton, S. E. (2017). Comparative analysis of institutional policy
definitions of plagiarism: A pan-Canadian university study.
Interchange: A Quarterly Review of Education, 48(3), 271-281.
doi:10.1007/s10780-017-9300-7
 Eaton, S. E., & Edino, R. I. (2018). Strengthening the research agenda
of educational integrity in Canada: A review of the research literature
and call to action. International Journal of Educational Integrity, 14(1).
doi:https://doi.org/10.1007/s40979-018-0028-7
 MacEwan University. (n.d.). Academic Integrity Symposium: "On the
Same Page". Retrieved from
https://www.macewan.ca/wcm/MacEwanEvents/ACADEMIC_INTEGR
ITY_SYMPOSIUM

 MacLeod, P. D. (2014). An Exploration of Faculty Attitudes Toward
Student Academic Dishonesty in Selected Canadian Universities.
(Doctor of Education). University of Calgary, Calgary, Canada.
Retrieved from http://hdl.handle.net/11023/1370
 McKenzie, A. M. (2018). Academic integrity across the Canadian
landscape. Canadian Perspectives on Academic Integrity, 1(2), 40-45.
doi:https://doi.org/10.11575/cpai.v1i2.54599.g42964

References

 McNeill, L. (2019). Pedagogies of academic integrity: Reciprocal
learning for faculty, institutions, and students. Paper presented at the
Society for Teaching and Learning in Higher Education, Winnipeg,
MB.
 Ridgley, A., Miron, J. B., & McKenzie, A. (2019). Building a regional
academic integrity network: Profiling the growth and action of the
Academic Integrity Council of Ontario. Paper presented at the Canadian
Symposium on Academic Integrity, Calgary, Canada.
http://hdl.handle.net/1880/110308
 Stoesz, B., Eaton, S. E., Miron, J. B., & Thacker, E. (2019). Academic
integrity and contract cheating policy analysis of colleges in Ontario,
Canada. International Journal for Educational Integrity, 15(4), 1-18.
doi:https://doi.org/10.1007/s40979-019-0042-4
 Trinity Western University. (2018). Academic Integrity Colloquium
2018. Retrieved from
https://academicintegrity01.wixsite.com/trinitywestern

 Thank you to Thompson Rivers
University for the opportunity to
share this work at the British
Columbia Academic Integrity Day
(BC-AID), 2019.

 Special thanks to:
Acknowledgments

 Tod Denham, TRU, for the
invitation and the arrangements for
this talk;
 Brandy Usick, who provided details
that affirmed and informed the
historical timeline; and
 Todd Maki, for proofreading and
design advice.