Here are three things you can do to prioritize human rights and dignity when it comes to policies and procedures to address allegations of academic or research misconduct:
Use a human-rights-by-design approach to developing, revising, and implementing policies by conducting a comprehensive review of existing academic integrity policies. Update policies to explicitly incorporate human rights principles, ensuring they address fair process, privacy, equitable treatment, and respect for human dignity. It is essential to involve individuals from representative groups in this process.
Provide ongoing training, education, and support to faculty, staff, and students about human rights principles and how they apply to misconduct investigations and case management. Create orientation programs that explain expectations for ethical conduct while respecting diverse cultural perspectives. Offer workshops and resources, peer mentoring programs, and support services.
Focus on continuous improvement and quality assurance of ethics and integrity practices by gathering feedback from students, faculty, staff and relevant stakeholders. Regularly review misconduct case management processes and data to ensure equitable treatment across different demographics.
Implementing human rights principles into misconduct investigations and case management helps to create more effective and sustainable learning environments. This approach prioritizes people over punishment, dignity over draconianism, and compassion over callousness.
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Sarah Elaine Eaton, PhD, is a Professor and Research Chair in the Werklund School of Education at the University of Calgary, Canada. Opinions are my own and do not represent those of my employer.
Earlier this semester, I accepted a new leadership role in the Werklund School of Education as the Academic Coordinator of the Master of Education (MEd) graduate topic in Inclusive Education. (We are accepting applications the 2025-2026 academic year, in case you’ve been thinking about doing an MEd. It is a fully online four-course topic.)
This got me thinking about academic integrity through an inclusive lens. My interest in the connection between social justice, equity, inclusion, and accessibility goes back a few years. In 2022, I partnered with a Werklund graduate student in educational psychology, Rachel Pagaling, and Dr. Brenda McDermott, Senior Manager, Student Accessibility Services to write up a brief open access report on Academic Integrity Considerations for Accessibility, Equity and Inclusion.
We know that academic integrity is a cornerstone of both K-12 and higher education. We want to ensure that learning, assessment, and credentials uphold the highest ethical standards. However, as educators, we can — and should — consider how the principles of inclusive education can strengthen and complement our approach to academic integrity.
Inclusive education means ensuring that all students, regardless of their background, abilities, or learning needs, have equitable access to educational opportunities and can meaningfully participate. Thomas and May sum it up nicely when they say that being inclusive means “proactively making higher education accessible, relevant and engaging to all students” (p. 5). Of course, the same thinking could be extended to K-12 education, too. Applying these inclusive principles to academic integrity means recognizing that diverse learners may express and demonstrate their knowledge in different ways.
Inclusion is not only about students with physical disabilities, developmental disabilities, or neurodivergence, but rather it is about creating conditions where all students can thrive. Associate Professor Joanna Tai and colleagues have a great article on Assessment for Inclusion that helps us think about how to design equitable and rigorous.
The point here is that by fostering an inclusive academic culture, we empower all students to bring their best selves to school and learn with integrity.
Beyond accessibility and cultural responsiveness, inclusive academic integrity also means actively addressing systemic barriers and implicit biases. If certain groups of students consistently struggle with academic integrity issues, it may reveal deeper inequities that need to be examined and addressed. In other words, we can look at the barriers to success, rather than the limitations of our students, as being the problem. As Juuso Nieminen and I have pointed out, even accommodations policies have an underlying assumption that students who need accommodations are out to cheat the system.
If you’re interested in reading more about disability justice to inform your thinking, I highly recommend Doron Dorfman’s article on the fear of the disability con and Jay Dolman’s work on academic ableism.
The benefits of this holistic, inclusive approach to academic integrity are numerous. When students feel respected, supported, and able to succeed, they are more engaged and motivated. This, in turn, leads to better learning outcomes. Moreover, graduates who have internalized inclusive academic integrity will be better equipped to uphold ethical standards in their future careers and communities.
As educators, we have a responsibility to nurture academic integrity in ways that are inclusive, accessible, culturally responsive, and empowering for diverse learners. By applying the principles of inclusive education, we can transform academic integrity from a rigid set of rules into a collaborative, values-driven endeavor that brings out the best in our students and ourselves.
References
Davis, M. (2022). Examining and improving inclusive practice in institutional academic integrity policies, procedures, teaching and support. International Journal for Educational Integrity, 18(1), 14. https://doi.org/10.1007/s40979-022-00108-x
Dolmage, J. T. (2017). Academic Ableism: Disability and Higher Education. University of Michigan Press.
Dorfman, D. (2019). Fear of the disability con: Perceptions of fraud and special rights discourse. Law & society review, 53(4), 1051-1091. https://doi.org/10.1111/lasr.12437
Elkhoury, E. (2024). An Equitable Approach to Academic Integrity Through Alternative Assessment. In S. E. Eaton (Ed.), Second Handbook of Academic Integrity (pp. 1261-1272). Springer Nature Switzerland. https://doi.org/10.1007/978-3-031-54144-5_135
Nieminen, J. H., & Eaton, S. E. (2023). Are assessment accommodations cheating? A critical policy analysis. Assessment & Evaluation in Higher Education, 1-16. https://doi.org/10.1080/02602938.2023.2259632
Pagaling, R., Eaton, S. E., & McDermott, B. (2022, April 4). Academic Integrity: Considerations for Accessibility, Equity, and Inclusion. http://hdl.handle.net/1880/114519
Tai, J., Ajjawi, R., Bearman, M., Boud, D., Dawson, P., & Jorre de St Jorre, T. (Eds.). (2022). Assessment for inclusion: rethinking contemporary strategies in assessment design. Routledge. https://doi.org/10.1080/07294360.2022.2057451
This blog has had over 3 million views thanks to readers like you. If you enjoyed this post, please “like” it or share it on social media. Thanks!
Sarah Elaine Eaton, PhD, is a Professor and Research Chair in the Werklund School of Education at the University of Calgary, Canada. Opinions are my own and do not represent those of my employer.
We are pleased to share the news that our edited book, Fake Degrees and Fraudulent Credentials in Higher Education, has been submitted for publication (Eaton, Carmichael, and Pethrick, eds.) to Springer Nature. The book is slated for publication in early 2023.
Book description
This book addresses an important topic in higher education: credential fraud. This includes, but is not limited to, fake degrees, diploma mills, admissions fraud, and cheating on standardized admissions tests. The book directly addresses fake and fraudulent credentials in higher education. It explores transcript tampering and fraud in varsity athletics and discusses lazy practices in the higher education hiring processes that open the door for professors without proper credentials to get jobs in post-secondary institutions.
The book also discusses how technology is being used to stop the proliferation of fake and fraudulent credentials in a variety of ways, including blockchain technology.
Table of Contents
Here is a sneak preview of the table of contents:
Chapter 1: Fake Degrees and Credential Fraud, Contract Cheating, and Paper Mills: Overview and Historical Perspectives – Sarah Elaine Eaton & Jamie Carmichael
Chapter 2: Admissions Fraud in Canadian Higher Education – Jamie Carmichael & Sarah Elaine Eaton
Chapter 3: Yesterday, Today, and Tomorrow: A Tour of Axact, the “World’s Largest Diploma Mill” – Allen Ezell
Chapter 4: Bridging Today to Tomorrow: A Historical and Technological Review of Credential Exchange in Higher Education within Canada – Joanne Duklas
Chapter 5: Fair play, Fraud, or Fixed? Athletic Credentials in US Higher Education – Kirsten Hextrum
Chapter 6: Corruption in Admissions, Recruitment, Qualifications and Credentials: from Research into Quality Assurance – Stella-Maris Orim & Irene Glendinning
Chapter 7: Avoiding Favouritism in the Recruitment Practice of Turkish Higher Education Institutions Özgür Çelik & Salim Razı
Chapter 8: None of the Above: Integrity Concerns of Standardized English Proficiency Tests – Soroush Sabbaghan & Ismaeil Fazel
Chapter 9: Examining the Problem of Fraudulent English Test Scores: What Can Canadian Higher Education Institutions Learn? – Angela Clark
Chapter 10: There is no culture? A Framework for Addressing Admissions Fraud – Brendan DeCoster
Chapter 11: Security Risks, Fake Degrees, and Other Fraud: A Topic Modelling Approach – Jamie Carmichael & Sarah Elaine Eaton
Chapter 12: Are You for Real? Lessons for the Academy About Professors with Fake or Fraudulent Degrees – Sarah Elaine Eaton & Jamie Carmichael
Chapter 13: Fake Degrees and Fake Degrees and Fraudulent Credentials in Higher Education: Conclusions and Future Directions – Jamie Carmichael & Sarah Elaine Eaton
About the editors
Sarah Elaine Eaton
Werklund School of Education, University of Calgary, Calgary, Alberta, Canada.
Sarah Elaine Eaton, PhD, is an Associate Professor of Education at the University of Calgary, Canada, where she also serves as the inaugural Educational Leader in Residence, Academic Integrity. Eaton’s research focuses on academic ethics in higher education. Her work can be found in the British Educational Research Journal, the Journal of Academic Ethics, the Journal of Educational Thought and Interchange, among other places. She is the Editor-in-Chief of the International Journal for Educational Integrity (Springer Nature) and co-founder and co-editor of Canadian Perspectives on Academic Integrity. In 2020 she received the national Research and Scholarship award from the Canadian Society for the Study of Higher Education (CSSHE) for her contributions to research on academic integrity in Canadian higher education.
Jamie J. Carmichael
Carleton University, Ottawa, Ontario, Canada.
Jamie Carmichael is the Associate Registrar of Scheduling and Systems at Carleton University. She is responsible for the construction of the university timetable, scheduling and administration of examinations, the operation of two examination centres for students with disabilities, a university-wide space management system, and other core student administrative systems. Since 2009, she has received ten service excellence nominations for her work that ranges from information technology projects, team acknowledgment to innovation.
Carmichael’s research lies at the intersection of academic integrity and machine learning, with graduate education in Applied Science in Technology Information Management (Engineering). She has presented or co-presented at national and international conferences and is often called up on by specialized groups in higher education to present on her work.
Helen Pethrick
University of Calgary, Calgary, Alberta, Canada.
Helen Pethrick, MA, is a researcher and educator in Calgary, Alberta, Canada. Research areas include academic integrity in higher education, post-secondary student mental health and well-being, and peer mentorship in educational settings.
This blog has had over 3 million views thanks to readers like you. If you enjoyed this post, please “like” it or share it on social media. Thanks!
Sarah Elaine Eaton, PhD, is a faculty member in the Werklund School of Education, and the Educational Leader in Residence, Academic Integrity, University of Calgary, Canada. Opinions are my own and do not represent those of the University of Calgary.
In this post I offer my recap of this landmark event. I have noted the names and speakers and highlights the Academic Integrity and Contract Cheating: Atlantic Canada Higher Education Forum, held as a virtual event via Zoom, as I remember them. I take full responsibility for any errors or omissions. I was typing in real time as people were speaking, trying to capture the essence of what they were saying. As is my custom when I am documenting academic integrity matters in written form, I have redacted the names of particular companies or commercial entities that were referred to by name orally during the session.
Poster for Academic Integrity and Contract Cheating: Atlantic Canada Higher Education Forum
Before the event I was reflecting that it was 30 years ago this year that I graduated from the institutional host for today’s event. I did a bit of digging in the Saint Mary’s University archives shortly before the event and found it was 30 years and 2 weeks to the day after I graduated from Saint Mary’s University with a BA (Honours) in English, I returned as an alumna to join today’s event.
Event Recap
I noted at one point that we had 87 participants in the virtual Zoom meeting in real time.
The event was opened and facilitated by Dr. Tatjana Takseva Professor and Chair of the Senate Committee on Academic Integrity. Chair of the Academic Integrity Appeals Board (Saint Mary’s University). She introduced herself and welcomed participants. Tatjana provided background information about the online forum. She was very kind and mentioned that she and the team at SMU had been collaborating with me over the past two years on academic integrity matters. She introduced the event with a land acknowledgement recognizing that Saint Mary’s University sits ancestral lands of Indigenous peoples.
Dr. Robert Summerby-Murray, President, Saint Mary’s University, offered introductory remarks to open the forum. He addressed a number of points, and one that caught my attention was his attention to the influence of technology on academic integrity. He noted that in the past, sources might have been limited to what profs put on course outline, but today it is dramatically different for students. “Technology has shifted the landscape… And that has made attributing that information much more complex than ever before.” He also talked about “custom-built essays”, the “commodification of knowledge” and the “commodification of gaming the system”. These points set the stage for an invigorating and provocative discussion.
Tatjana Takseva then spoke about the conditions imposed by the global pandemic and the “scope and ease with which students are able to access so-called ‘academic services’” and the aggressive marketing of these services. She reviewed the format for the event, noting that each discussant will briefly introduce themselves and offer comments on what works well with regards to academic integrity and contract cheating and highlight one or two challenges. The facilitated discussion followed, with discussants speaking in order.
Discussants and Highlights
Jennifer Godfrey Anderson, Faculty of Education, Memorial University of Newfoundland (MUN)
Jennifer spoke about the fourth phase of our academic integrity policy research project. She spoke specifically to the results for Atlantic Canada. She noted that she was not representing MUN, but instead representing our project. Spoke about reviewing the policies of 13 publicly-funded universities. As a side note, we recently presented our results at a peer-reviewed conference and you can check out our slides, which are publicly available.)
David Creelman, Chair of the Department of Humanities and Languages. Chair of Appeals University of New Brunswick (UNB) Saint John
David spoke about hiring three students to review materials from across universities and came up with some resources, one of which was 5 ways to avoid academic misconduct and spoke in the first person which they thought would be more accessible to students.
James Cormier, Associate Professor. Academic Discipline Officer, St. Francis Xavier University (St. FXU)
James shared that at St. FX, they mainly remained open during the pandemic, with 75% of classes in person last year. He talked about how many faculty members are unclear about academic misconduct. They have an entirely faculty-run process for addressing misconduct.
Daniel Downes, Professor of Communication, University of New Brunswick (UNB), Saint John
Daniel talked about the importance of internalizing integrity so that “cheating becomes a non-issue” and having a student-centred approach.
Sarah Elaine Eaton, Associate Professor. Chair of Leadership, Policy, & Governance Specialization, Werklund School of Education, University of Calgary (U of C)
I started by saying, “I feel like I have been invited to Atlantic Canada’s Debutante Ball for Academic Integrity. The fact that this event is not only being hosted by my alma mater, but is led by a professor from the very department where I earned my Honours English degree is very special because I had excellent models of ethical decision-making and acting with integrity when I was an undergraduate student at SMU.”
I spoke about Integrity Hour as our online community of practice for Canadian higher education faculty members, administrators and staff. We have weekly participant-driven conversations on topics related to academic integrity and contract cheating.
I highlighted key challenges for academic integrity as relating to equity, diversity, inclusion, decolonization and Indigenization.
Geoffrey Lee-Dadswell Associate Professor and Provost Committee on Academic Integrity, Cape Breton University (CBU)
Geoffrey spoke about how academic misconduct differs between STEM fields and the humanities. In STEM students are still “handing in handwritten work”. The process for “policing cheating” look different in STEM fields, so students go to homework help sites. He notes that <Company> says the want to ‘help’ with policing. He shared a position paper they use at CBU regarding <Company>.
“Traditional assignments in STEM courses are largely pointless now…” because it is easy to get solutions online. The outcome has to be a change to assessment… “It needs to be about process, not product”. Talks about how students rarely look at feedback. Feedback loops are needed.
Bob Mann, MPA, LLB, University Secretariat and Manager Discipline and Appeals, Dalhousie University
Bob spoke about his role at the university, nothing that he is not an academic. His #1 recommendation is to find the right people to be involved in working on these issues. Not everyone is well suited to academic integrity work.
Bob shared how at Dalhousie they have faculty-level academic integrity officer who are accountable to their deans. He has seen that some individuals require more support than others.
He also gave a shoutout to the law school students at the university who do a lot of work to support and advocate for students in misconduct cases. This “helps our system work”.
Katarin MacLeod, Associate Professor, Chair of the Academic Integrity Committee, St. Francis Xavier University (St. FXU)
Katarin notes that she was the second speaker from St. FX, giving a shoutout to James Cormier who spoke earlier. Katarin noted that at their university they changed their committee name from “academic discipline” to “academic integrity”. This is an important distinction.
She noted that if misconduct matters needs to be reviewed by a committee, there are 4 faculty members meet to consider the evidence and issue a ruling. She shared an informal anecdote regarding the prevalence of contract cheating at St. FX, noting that about 7% of academic misconduct cases have been contract cheating. In some cases, they believe these are a direct result of the kind of assessments being given to students.
Katarin noted that at their university they have already had academic misconduct cases, specifically from the social sciences in which papers have been written by bots (i.e., artificial intelligence).
She noted that they have students complete an AI module. Staring this year, this module is mandatory. She noted that students coming from high school do not understand expectations for academic integrity. In their module will include references to two-eyed seeing. She caught my attention with this wisdom when she urged that it is not acceptable to have “a White settler approach to academic integrity”.
Claire Milton, University Secretary, Senior Legal Counsel, Privacy Officer, Saint Mary’s University (SMU)
Academic integrity has been under the purview of Senate and has been overseen by faculty members who have done “yeoman’s service”, and “off the side of the desk”. They are in the process of hiring an administrator to oversee the process.
Notes that she is a lawyer, but notes that traditional legal ways of solving problems may not work from a pedagogical and academic policy perspective.
Andrew Nurse, Professor of Canadian Studies, Mount Allison University (Mt. A)
Andrew noted that he works closely with Toni Roberts, who was also an invited discussant today. They support the idea of a broader response to academic misconduct.
Academic integrity is a topic that can be easily misconstrued. He is a historian by training and noted that the discourse focuses on the problem, observing that some see the solution as better policing, but that is not necessarily their position.
The data on academic dishonesty is “confused”, noting that that self-report data is especially problematic. As students if they have ever driven faster than the speed limit and if yes, do they consider themselves a criminal? Urges everyone to avoid a “moral panic”.
A focus on policing has resulted in longer and longer policies. He contended that adding contract cheating would add to an already lengthy policy.
Andrew emphasized that it is important to address academic integrity in class. He urged participants to consider how much time they spend in class on integrity and ethical issues. He pointed out that he has observed that faculty often do not feel equipped and knowledgeable enough to have in-class discussions relating to academic integrity. He urged participants to consider a “cultural pedagogical shift” and concluded by speaking to the need to leverage resources that already exist.
Toni Roberts. Purdy Crawford Professor of Teaching and Learning, Mount Allison University (Mt. A)
Outlined three issues they were going to talk about:
Is this a widespread problem? Questioned whether the focus on academic misconduct during the pandemic might be over-stated.
Technology – Do plagiarism detectors work? WRT to online proctoring, students see this as an invasion of privacy. The surveillance approach may not be the way to go. Talks about services that will help students circumvent these technologies.
EDID and UDL – And the intersection of these. Toni asked: How does academic integrity enforce Western ideologies?
They concluded by advocating for educational and pedagogical approaches to support academic integrity, sharing that they offer a whole module on academic integrity in his courses. Toni closed by calling for an adaptation of assessments to promote integrity.
Andy Parnaby, Associate Professor and Dean of Arts and Social Sciences, Cape Breton University (CBU)
Andy opened his comments by saying, “Pedagogy and culture may win, in the end”. He spoke about their presidential task force on academic integrity, sharing some pro-active approaches they take at CBU, including: Charter of academic citizenship.
Academic integrity handbook – Pressbook
Module
Distinguished awards for students for academic integrity
They have really stressed the aspirational and educational aspects of academic integrity.
Andy noted that an institution can’t get anything done unless you are “threading together” multiple different offices and units. They have been able to integrate and focus their efforts at CBU.
He noted a “sticky issue” as being online exams. He acknowledged tensions between those who favour surveillance technologies versus those who favour alternative assessments.
Nicolas Roulin, Associate Professor and Academic Integrity Officer, Saint Mary’s University (SMU)
Nicolas opened by sharing that he is in charge of addressing academic misconduct cases in the Faculty of Graduate Studies. He noted that at SMU, they have a balance between providing light sanctions for first offences, to help students focus on learning.
With regards to contract cheating, he noted that when they look at their cases, he believes they are only seeing the tip of the iceberg. He noted that not all instructors report cheating and then spoke to the factors that lead to student cheating. He noted that collaborating with <Company> is possible, but not always easy and can require an excessive amount of time.
Madine VanderPlaat, Professor. Academic Discipline Officer, Acting Associate Vice-President, Academic and Enrolment Management, Acting Registrar, Saint Mary’s University (SMU)
Madine spoke to the shifts at SMU that evolved over the past three years, nothing how they have moved from a committee approach to their new system. She spoke about how faculty submit a form to the registrar’s office and the case is managed by an academic integrity officer (AIO). They have a template for AIO responses, but also provide additional context for the particular case, which can be helpful. She observed that their new process works much better than their previous system.
Madine also spoke to equity issues, noting that the consequences for international students can have severe repercussions. She noted that cases of academic misconduct in the case of an international graduate student is “even more agonizing” and note the emotional labour involved in managing such cases.
Martin Wielemaker, Associate Professor, Associate Dean Strategic Initiatives, University of New Brunswick (UNB)
Martin opened by acknowledging three stakeholder groups to be considered: students, faculty, and administrators. He noted that at contract cheating is illegal in Australia. Administrators need to be involved in the conversation to effect legal changes down the road.
Martin noted that it is problematic that so many cases go unreported. This creates an issue with faculty members who don’t believe in the process or it is too much work for them, so they do not pursue it. He called for increased resources for faculty. He also spoke about the need to reduce the burden on faculty members to make it easier for them to report and also to support them with how to support academic integrity in the classroom.
General discussion and closing
After Martin spoke, we had about 30 minutes remaining and engaged in a general discussion about the issues raised, with discussants offering additional insights, references and resources.
Tatjana Takseva closed the forum by thanking everyone for attending.
Overall, I found this an energizing event. It is wonderful to see colleagues from Atlantic Canada come together to discuss these topics and contemplate how they would like to continue building their knowledge and professional capacity.
This blog has had over 3 million views thanks to readers like you. If you enjoyed this post, please “like” it or share it on social media. Thanks!
Sarah Elaine Eaton, PhD, is a faculty member in the Werklund School of Education, and the Educational Leader in Residence, Academic Integrity, University of Calgary, Canada. Opinions are my own and do not represent those of the University of Calgary.
Our colleagues in Atlantic Canada have organized their first-ever event on academic integrity and contract cheating. If you can attend, please support them by registering and joining in. I have attached a poster you are welcome to circulate within your own networks. I have also included some of the content from the poster in this e-mail for convenience. I do not know the deadline to register, but I would encourage you to register as soon as possible so the organizers can plan accordingly. Please share this information with your networks.
Academic Integrity & Contract Cheating: Atlantic Canada Higher Education Forum
Wednesday, May 25, 2022
1:00 pm – 3:00 pm Atlantic Standard Time
Saint Mary’s University is hosting a virtual forum on academic integrity and contract cheating in the Atlantic Canadian region.
The forum will be led by members of academic staff with practical experience in the academic integrity process at their institutions. In addition to sharing knowledge and best practices, the conversation will address challenges and lessons learned from the pandemic and increased remote delivery of curriculum. The aim of the event is to begin to develop a shared framework of practice when it comes to increased student reliance on large-scale companies promoting and selling so-called ‘academic services’ to students.
To register for this event, please send an email to:
Marie Harding
marie.harding (at) smu.ca
An access link for the event will be sent to registered participants.
For information about this event, please contact:
Dr. Tatjana Takševa
Professor and Chairperson of the Saint Mary’s University Academic Senate
This blog has had over 3 million views thanks to readers like you. If you enjoyed this post, please “like” it or share it on social media. Thanks!
Sarah Elaine Eaton, PhD, is a faculty member in the Werklund School of Education, and the Educational Leader in Residence, Academic Integrity, University of Calgary, Canada. Opinions are my own and do not represent those of the University of Calgary.
Posted by Sarah Elaine Eaton, Ph.D. 
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