1. Academic integrity at UB: Report & recommendations
May 16, 2017
Faculty Senate
Elaine R. Cusker, Senior Associate Dean, Undergraduate Education
James Jensen, Professor, Environmental Engineering; Co-Chair Teaching Learning Committee

2. Academic Integrity at UB Today
Current governing requirements:
Undergraduate and Graduate policies
Professional school requirements
Education:
Students – orientation & courses; inconsistent and sporadic
Faculty – varied by unit; largely by experience
Culture:
Espouse values
Uneven understanding and enforcement
Limited commitment

3. Academic Integrity – 2015-2017 Committee
Academic & Student Affairs and University Libraries Leadership:
Appointed 28 member university faculty, staff, student committee to develop a plan to enhance Academic Integrity at UB – fall 2015.
Charged to:
Devise and complete a study of the University to identify critical areas of concern regarding the state of academic integrity.
Consider current methods and programs for promoting academic integrity at UB; are these approaches creating a culture of integrity.
Recommend specific programs for promoting and enforcing academic integrity.
Review and assess current faculty senate academic integrity policies to determine effectiveness.
Prepare a final report that recommends a plan to promote a culture of integrity and reforms, as needed, to the current policies.

4. Committee Work
Process: Utilized the International Center for Academic Integrity (ICAI) guide to assess campus and develop ideas
Subcommittees: Surveyed, best practices, faculty, student, and professional schools
Survey: Conducted ICAI survey spring >4,000 student and 400 faculty participation
Focus groups: Engaged students, faculty, professional schools
Best Practices: Identified approaches at peer institutions

5. Common Themes – Survey & Focus Groups
Education: Students and faculty - principles and policy
Consistency: Preparation, enforcement, penalties
Guidance and support: Assist faculty
Policy: Simplification, equity, and remediation
Reporting: More systematic and centralized

6. Common Themes - Best Practices
Samples schools: Rutgers; UNC; Hunter; UC-Irvine & San Diego, UCLA, Washington, Iowa, Virginia Tech, Kansas, Oklahoma, Baylor, McGill, Stony Brook
Dedicated, centralized resources that provide:
Structure for and adjudication of cases or appeals,
A method for reporting cases (typically electronic),
A repository for reporting and insuring transparency,
Educational and orientation programs,
Academic integrity tutorials for students; tools for faculty,
Remediation programs, and
Support and guide faculty, students, and sometimes parents.

7. Committee’s Recommendations:
Detailed proposals (available online) for:
1. Comprehensive orientation for students and faculty on academic integrity generally and the governing policy:
2. Establishment of a centralized Academic Integrity Office to support academic integrity instruction and enforcement;
3. Revised policy:
Simplify for more accessible and applicable use
Delineate recommendations for appropriate penalties for similar infractions
Include remediation to expunge a student’s record for certain infractions
Centralize the hierarchy for reviews and appeals;
Provide simplified, systematic methods for communication and centralized reporting

8. Path Forward Implementation – simultaneous process:
I. Faculty Senate role:
Policy: Faculty Senate review and adopt revisions
II. Administration role: administration, support and programming
Establish UB Office of Academic Integrity
Education and Orientation: Develop programs and resources for students and faculty

9. Resources & Discussion
I. All the material from the committee may be reviewed at the Reports’ Website – UB IT log in required:
Academic Integrity Committee – Final Report (Spring 2017) (PDF)
Academic Integrity Committee – Final Report - Appendices (Spring 2017)
Appendix 1: Members Academic Integrity Committee (PDF)
Appendix 2: Subcommittee Reports (PDF)
Appendix 3: Survey Report (PDF)
Appendix 4: AI Policy (PDF)
Appendix 5: AI Flowcharts (PDF)
Appendix 6: Draft Statement (PDF)
Appendix 7: Draft AI Plan (PDF)
II. Recently revised Academic Integrity Resource – for students and faculty
III. Questions and Discussion