How Phishing Scams Exploit Academic Integrity Fears

September 3, 2026

An Instagram post caught my attention this week. A University of Alberta student described being phished through a fake accusation of academic misconduct.

https://www.instagram.com/reels/Dcl1uJnubqD

The scam did not rely on advanced technology. It did not require artificial intelligence or an elaborate hacking scheme. The scammer needed one thing: a strong feeling, delivered before the target had time to think.

That should concern anyone who works with students.

The Emotional Attack

Cybersecurity training focuses on information, such as: 

  • Do not click unfamiliar links.
  • Check the sender’s address. 
  • Watch for unexpected attachments. 

These are important tips that everyone should follow.

There’s a second part, that is just as important to pay attention to: how a person feels in the moment they read a message. As Guy Curtis and Amanda White point out in their recent research article, an allegation of academic misconduct can cause students distress and anxiety.

Fear produces urgency. Sympathy produces a desire to help. Excitement makes a person overlook details they would otherwise catch. Embarrassment stops a person from asking a friend or colleague whether something looks right.

None of this requires a scammer to outsmart the target’s technical knowledge. The scammer only needs to get past the target’s pause button, and feelings do that work quickly.

Once a person thinks, ‘I need to do this right now,’ the scammer has already won half the exchange.

Why This Matters for Students

Consider the situations a university student faces in a given semester. Tuition deadlines. Financial aid. Scholarships. Housing applications. Job offers. Academic standing. A friend who needs help fast. None of these topics is suspicious on its own. Students encounter them constantly, which is exactly why a scammer can use any one of them as a disguise.

A student who reads a message claiming that something important is at risk rarely stops to ask, ‘Is this a phishing attempt?’ The more immediate question is, ‘How do I fix this?’ That question is the trap. The scammer counts on the student staying inside it.

Urgency as a Weapon

Fraudsters have relied on manufactured urgency for a long time. Consider these common tactics: You have only a few minutes. Your account will close. Pay immediately. A friend needs help right now.

Urgency changes the question a person asks. Instead of ‘Is this legitimate?’, the target asks ‘How fast can I resolve this?’ The scammer controls that shift, and once it happens, careful judgment tends to disappear.

Students cannot reasonably treat every email or text with suspicion. That approach is not realistic, and it is not sustainable. What do to instead: when a message produces a strong emotional reaction, pause. The stronger the reaction, the more the pause matters.

Where Colleges and Universities Fit In

This is not only a student problem. Universities invest in cybersecurity training. Students learn about phishing, password hygiene, and multifactor authentication. That training is necessary, but it does not address scams built specifically to manipulate emotion.

When we teach cybersecuirty, we must include an emotional literacy component. Students should learn to notice when a message is working to make them afraid, guilty, excited, embarrassed, or suddenly responsible for solving an urgent problem. Orientation sessions, residence programming, and digital literacy initiatives are reasonable places to build this in.

The guidance itself is simple. If a message makes a person feel they must act immediately, they should stop. Then they should verify the request through a channel they already know is legitimate, not the phone number or link the message provides. The university website, the student portal, the bank, the employer: these sources exist independently of the suspicious message, and they are the ones worth contacting.

One extra minute, spent verifying, separates a student who avoids a scam from a student who becomes its next case study.

Rethinking Phishing Awareness

Fraud prevention cannot stop at spotting suspicious technology. The scammers doing the most damage right now often look ordinary. Scams arrive through platforms students already trust and tell a believable story. They contain no typos, no broken links, nothing that trips a spam filter.

The strength of the scam comes from something else entirely: an accurate read of how people behave under emotional pressure.

When considering cybersecurity we must account for psychology, as well as technology. Students do not need a degree in information security to protect themselves. They need the instinct to notice the feeling first and pay attention to it before acting. Panic, urgency, fear, excitement, guilt, an overwhelming pull to help someone right away. Any of these is reason enough to stop.

Step back. Verify independently. Then decide.

The scam rarely starts the moment someone clicks a link. It starts the moment a message succeeds in making a person react before they think.

Closing Remarks

An allegation of academic misconduct can cause students to panic and feel all kinds of emotions, including anxiety and terror. Those of us who work in education need to attend as much to our students’ well being, dignity and humanity as much as holding them accountable for their behaviour. 

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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.

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Dignity, Grief, and the Case of Jason Arday

August 16, 2026

I have been quiet about the case of Dr. Jason Arday, who previously worked at Cambridge University and left his job following allegations of plagiarism and questions about other claims in his life story. The reason is not lack of interest in the case, but rather because my family recently lost my brother and we have been mourning.

Aaron Edward Eaton: A Brief Background on Recent Events

First, a personal statement. A couple of weeks ago the Royal Canadian Mounted Police (RCMP) (Canada’s national police) issued a missing person alert for my brother. Once the RCMP released the alert on social media, the matter immediately became public. We received messages of support from around the world.

On August 3, my brother was found deceased and this was also publicly announced on social media and via a newspaper article. I won’t go into the details, but suffice to say that the phrase, ‘found deceased’ is often a euphemism for ‘died by suicide’. Society hides behind vague and passive language rather than being direct about what really happened. I’ve never been fond of circumlocutions, but society has its rules.

Although we have deeply appreciated the support, having a private family matter become public changes the experience. Emotional energy is directed into reading, replying, and also taking a step away from technology to process quietly.

In any case, my lack of response about the Arday case was not due to indifference, but rather because I was focused on family matters.

Jason Arday: ‘Found Deceased’

I did not know Jason Arday. I have no basis on which to conclude whether misconduct occurred in his academic work, and that question is not the subject of this post. News of his passing hit me in a visceral and raw way. My deepest condolences to his family and friends. As is so often the case when someone is ‘found dead’, those left behind have many questions, deep grief, and sometimes, a feeling that it didn’t have to end the way it did. I can only imagine that Dr. Arday’s family and friends are experiencing with the level of public spectacle we have seen.

So, I will not be weighing in on questions relating to misconduct allegations. What concerns me are different questions: What do we, as a society, owe a person who is being investigated for misconduct during — and after — an investigative process? A related question also hovers: How can we ensure that a person’s dignity is preserved in the process of a misconduct investigation?

A Resignation Is Not a Verdict

Dr. Arday resigned his professorship at the University of Cambridge on August 5, 2026, after weeks of public scrutiny over plagiarism allegations and questions about other claims in his life story [McArthur, 2026]. He was found dead at his home in south London nine days later. Prime Minister Andy Burnham called the death “a tragedy on so many levels”. Arday’s family said that “the campaign of misinformation was too much for Jason”.

Iryna Pavlova, writing for our Postplagiarism blog, makes a valuable observation: reading the resignation as proof of guilt and reading it as proof of persecution involve the same error, which is treating an outcome as though it settles a question not yet answered by a thorough and fair investigation. I would add a further question to Iryna’s: Why should we let public persecution stand in for fair process? (Short answer: We shouldn’t.)

What a Process Without Dignity Looks Like

Article 11 of the Universal Declaration of Human Rights establishes a presumption of innocence until proven guilty. Article 12 protects a person against arbitrary attacks on their honour and reputation.

The Universal Declaration of Human Rights applies to all persons, everywhere. Full stop.

An individual alleged to have engaged in misconduct should be investigated by professionals with the skills and training to undertake the matter in a fair and just way. Being judged in the public sphere, with dozens if not hundreds or even thousands of people chiming in as armchair judges, turns due process into a public spectacle. A misconduct investigation, carried out in a professional and dignified manner, and a public trial by social media are not the same venue. Treating them as equivalent lets institutions (and quite frankly, members of society) off the hook for their own conduct.

Comment sections do not offer due process. Let me be clear: this is not an argument for shielding scholars from scrutiny. It is an argument for insisting that scrutiny happens in a manner that does not deprive individuals of their human rights.

Call to Action

A human‑rights‑by‑design approach to misconduct policy does not soften findings of wrongdoing; it separates the question of what happened from the question of how a person is treated while questions remain open (Eaton, 2024). I have yet to find a university or college anywhere that has explicitly adopted a human-rights centred approach to misconduct policy or process. I am not talking here about due process or procedural fairness. I am talking about misconduct policies and procedures that intentionally and explicitly commit to upholding human rights as a foundation for due process. (If you know such an institution, drop me a note.)

Institutions can commit to clear and private procedures rather than adjudication by the media. When we allow public persecution to prevail, we discard dignity and human rights.

Institutional leaders can communicate with the accused promptly. No one should wait in uncertainty for weeks. Institutional leaders should provide mental health and wellbeing support throughout the process, at no extra cost to the individual. Counsellors should be available alongside the investigation, not after it. We, as members of higher education institutions and as members of society, can also exercise restraint. We can wait for a review to conclude before we comment publicly, rather than posturing and pontificating. In Arday’s case, many people did not show that restraint.

Whatever the historical record eventually shows about Arday’s scholarship, the record already shows how his case was handled while questions remained open, which has been deplorable. The way in which the matter has been handled deserves as much scrutiny as the plagiarism allegations themselves.

May Dr. Jason Arday rest in peace. May his family, friends, and those who cared about him find solace and healing.

References

Ahmed, A. (2026, August 15). Tributes paid to Jason Arday after former Cambridge professor’s death. The Guardian. https://www.theguardian.com/uk-news/2026/aug/15/jason-arday-tributes-paid-to-former-cambridge-professor

Eaton, S. E. (2024). Future-proofing integrity in the age of artificial intelligence and neurotechnology: prioritizing human rights, dignity, and equity. International Journal for Educational Integrity, 20(1), 21. https://doi.org/10.1007/s40979-024-00175-2

Hui, S. (2026, August 15). UK’s leader calls for reflection after the death of former Cambridge professor accused of plagiarism. Associated Press. https://apnews.com/article/britain-jason-arday-cambridge-death-burnham-b9e2463ca6b474ac90cc6196ed668238

McArthur, T. (2026, August 14). Jason Arday, ex-Cambridge professor at centre of plagiarism row, found dead. BBC News. https://www.bbc.com/news/articles/c1j1ye6n30no

Pavlova, I. (2026, August 12). Beyond “Did He Plagiarize?”: What the Jason Arday Case Reveals About Academic Integrity in a Postplagiarism Era. Postplagiarism Blog. https://postplagiarism.com/2026/08/12/beyond-did-he-plagiarize-what-the-jason-arday-case-reveals-about-academic-integrity-in-a-postplagiarism-era

Red Deer Advocate Staff. (August 4, 2026). Missing Red Deer man found deceased. Red Deer Advocate. https://reddeeradvocate.com/2026/08/04/missing-red-deer-man-found-deceased/

United Nations. (2021). Universal Declaration of Human Rights. https://www.un.org/en/about-us/universal-declaration-of-human-rights

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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.

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ChatGPT is in classrooms. What now?

February 2, 2026

“What should we be assessing exactly?” This was a question one of our research participants asked when we interviewed them as part of our project on artificial intelligence and academic integrity, sponsored by a University of Calgary Teaching Grant.

In an article published in The Conversation, we provide highlights of the results from our interviews with 28 educators across Canada, as well as our analysis of 15 years of research that looked at how AI affects education. (Spoiler alert: AI is a double-edged sword for educators and there are no easy answers.)

Alt text: Screenshot of The Conversation website showing a blurred smartphone screen with the ChatGPT app icon. Overlaid headline reads, “ChatGPT is in classrooms. How should educators now assess student learning?”
Screenshot from The Conversation.

We emphasize that, “in a post-plagiarism context, we consider that humans and AI co-writing and co-creating does not automatically equate to plagiarism.” Check out the full article in The Conversation.

You can check out the scholarly paper that we published in Assessment and Evaluation in Higher Education that goes into more detail about the methods and findings of our interviews.

I’d like to give a shoutout to all the project team members who worked with us on various aspects of this research: Robert (Bob) Brennan (Schulich School of Engineering, University of Calgary), Jason Weins (Faculty of Arts, University of Calgary), Brenda McDermott (Student Accessibility Services, University of Calgary), Rahul Kumar (Faculty of Education, Brock University), Beatriz Moya (Instituto de Éticas Aplicadas, Pontificia Universidad Católica de Chile) and the student research assistants who helped along the way (who have now all successfully graduated and moved on to the next phase of their careers): Jonathan Lesage, Helen Pethrick, and Mawuli Tay.

Related posts:

What Should We Be Assessing in a World with AI? Insights from Higher Education Educators – https://drsaraheaton.com/2025/11/25/what-should-we-be-assessing-in-a-world-with-ai-insights-from-higher-education-educators/

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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.

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Decriminalizing the Language of Academic Integrity

October 2, 2025

The first time I heard about decriminalizing the language and processes we use to address cases of plagiarism and other forms of academic misconduct; I was riveted. It was at an academic integrity conference in Richmond, Virginia and the lead presenter was Dr. James Earl Orr, who presented together with students on how a developmental and supportive approach to academic misconduct case management can help lead students towards academic success while still holding them responsible for their behaviour.  James Earl Orr, writing together with Karita Orr, published an excellent article on using restorative practices to resolve academic integrity violations.

When I was writing the University of Calgary’s academic integrity Handbook for Academic Staff and Teaching Assistants, I took the opportunity to apply what I had learned from listening to Dr. Orr at conferences and reading his work by including a section on how to decriminalize the language we use to talk about academic misconduct.

Academic integrity violations are rarely criminal in nature and yet, much of the language we use when addressing plagiarism and academic cheating is legalistic, setting the stage for criminalizing student behaviour. One step towards taking a more learner-centred approach to misconduct is to decriminalize the language we use to talk about breaches of academic integrity.

Front cover: Student Academic Integrity Faculty Handbook
Front cover of the Student Academic Integrity Faculty Handbook, published by the Taylor Institute for Teaching and Learning at the University of Calgary

The following is an excerpt from the University of Calgary’s academic integrity Handbook for Academic Staff and Teaching Assistants that provides practical guidance on how to do this:

“We know that words matter and the language we use is important. A full list of terms related to academic misconduct is available in our policy. It should be noted that the terms “academic integrity” and “academic misconduct” are not interchangeable.

Academic integrity is about acting ethically in teaching, learning and research contexts. We do not report, investigate or manage cases of academic integrity. We report, investigate and manage cases of academic misconduct.

Academic misconduct is what happens when individuals do not act with integrity. This is currently the language used in our policy and procedures. When speaking and writing about academic misconduct, we can use the terms “breaches of integrity or “violations of integrity” as synonyms for academic misconduct.

At the University of Calgary we take a proactive approach to academic integrity, including in the language we use and in keeping the focus on teaching, learning and fairness to students. In our conversations with students and others, it can be helpful to use the language of integrity that focuses on education and support” (Eaton, 2022, p. 13).

See the table below, which is also an expert from our handbook (with a few minor updates):

The language of academic integrity

Preferred
language		Language
to avoid 		Explanation
Hold responsible Guilt
Guilty
The words “guilt” and “guilty” do not appear anywhere in our
polices or procedures. We do not find students guilty of academic misconduct, but instead we hold them responsible for their
behaviours.
Sanctions
Consequence
Outcome		Punish
Punishment
When disciplinary actions are taken in response to academic
misconduct, we do not use the terms “punish” or “punishment”
in our institutional documents. We opt instead for “sanctions”,
“discipline,” “consequences” or “outcome” which can include educational responses depending on the misconduct.
Hearing Trial 
The University of Calgary does not conduct trials related to
academic misconduct.
In other countries, various forms of academic misconduct can be
considered an offense under the criminal code and students may
be required to attend a criminal trial. That is not the case at the
University of Calgary or anywhere in Canada.
In the case of an appeal, a hearing might occur. In rare cases, an appeal case might escalate to an externally reviewed case in court, but these proceedings are not administered by the university itself.

When I talk about taking a postplagiarism approach to academic integrity I am talking about disrupting historically adversarial and antagonistic approaches to misconduct that pit students against their teachers. It is time to move past crime-and-punishment approaches to student misconduct where students are the villains and teachers are the heroes. When we talk about postplagiarism we talk about social justice and student success as being intertwined, and we focus on students as stewards of the future, who will be best equipped for an increasingly complex world when they understand the importance of ethical decision-making, both in theory and in practice.

Postplagiarism does not mean anything goes, and nor does it mean that we turn a blind eye to misconduct. Postplagiarism is about finding socially just ways to address misconduct include relationally, restoration, and the preservation of dignity and human rights. When we decriminalize language related to student misconduct, we are taking a step towards dignity and   student success.

Our University of Calgary’s academic integrity Handbook for Academic Staff and Teaching Assistants is an open access handbook with a Creative Commons license. This means you can share and adapt the material, providing the original work is properly attributed.

If this is helpful to you, please share this with others.

References and Further Reading

Eaton, S. E. (2022). Student Academic Integrity: A Handbook for Academic Staff and Teaching Assistants. University of Calgary, Taylor Institute for Teaching and Learning Guide Series. https://taylorinstitute.ucalgary.ca/resources/student-academic-integrity-handbook

Eaton, S. E. (2023). Postplagiarism: Transdisciplinary ethics and integrity in the age of artificial intelligence and neurotechnology. International Journal for Educational Integrity, 19(1), 1–10. https://doi.org/10.1007/s40979-023-00144-1

Eaton, S. E. (2025). Global Trends in Education: Artificial Intelligence, Postplagiarism, and Future-focused Learning for 2025 and Beyond – 2024–2025 Werklund Distinguished Research Lecture. International Journal for Educational Integrity, 21(1), 12. https://doi.org/10.1007/s40979-025-00187-6

Orr, J. E., & Hall, J. (2018). Student-led case adjudication: Promoting student learning through peer-to-peer engagement. 25th Annual International Center for Academic Integrity (ICAI) Conference, Richmond, VA.

Orr, J. E., & Orr, K. (2023). Restoring honor and integrity through integrating restorative practices in academic integrity with student leaders. Journal of Academic Ethics, 21, 55–70. https://doi.org/10.1007/s10805-021-09437-x

Orr, J. E., & Orren, S. (2018, March 4). The Development & Implementation of a Campus Academic Integrity Education Program. 25th Annual International Center for Academic Integrity (ICAI) Conference, Richmond, VA.

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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.

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2025-2026 Postplagiarism Speaker Series: Navigating AI in Education

September 26, 2025

Join us for an innovative speaker series exploring how artificial intelligence is transforming education, academic integrity, and the future of learning. The 2025-2026 Postplagiarism Speaker Series brings together leading researchers and educators from around the world to examine how we can navigate the integration of AI tools in educational settings while maintaining ethical standards and fostering authentic learning. This series is hosted by the Centre for Artificial Intelligence Ethics, Literacy, and Integrity (CAIELI), University of Calgary.

What is Postplagiarism? Postplagiarism (Eaton, 2023) refers to our current era where artificial intelligence has become part of everyday life, fundamentally changing how we teach, learn, and create. Rather than viewing AI as a threat to academic integrity, the postplagiarism framework offers practical approaches for embracing AI as a collaborative tool while preserving the values of authentic learning and ethical scholarship.

Series Highlights: This multi-part series features international experts who will share research-based insights and practical strategies for educators, administrators, and policymakers. Topics include foundational concepts of postplagiarism, assessment redesign, policy development, and innovative teaching approaches that prepare students for an AI-integrated world.

Who Should Attend:

  • Faculty and instructors across all disciplines
  • Educational administrators and policymakers
  • Graduate students in education
  • Academic integrity professionals
  • Anyone interested in the future of education and AI

Format: Each session combines research presentations with practical applications, offering attendees actionable insights they can implement in their own educational contexts. Sessions are hybrid so participants can attend either in person or online. Sessions are open to the public and free for everyone to attend.

The series showcases the groundbreaking postplagiarism framework developed at the University of Calgary, which has gained international recognition and been translated into multiple languages. Participants will gain cutting-edge knowledge about navigating the challenges and opportunities of generative AI in education.

Time: All sessions are held 12:00 p.m. (noon) to 13:00 Mountain time. Please convert to your local time zone.

Session 1 : Postplagiarism Fundamentals: Integrity and Ethics in the Age of GenAI

A promotional image for an AI Speaker Series event hosted by the University of Calgary. The background is orange with a geometric pattern. The text reads: 'AI Speaker Series, Sept 17, Dr. Sarah Eaton, University of Calgary, Postplagiarism Fundamentals: Integrity and Ethics in the Age of GenAI.' A blurred image of Dr. Sarah Eaton appears on the right. The CAIELI (Centre for Artificial Intelligence Ethics, Literacy and Integrity) logo is in the bottom left corner.

Date: September 17, 2025

Description: Join us to learn about the award-winning postplagiarism framework that has been translated into half a dozen languages and has received worldwide attention. Postplagiarism  refers to an era in human society in which artificial intelligence is part of everyday life, including how we teach, learn, and interact daily. (Eaton, 2023). Learn more about the six tenets of postplagiarism and how you can apply them to support students’ success.

Speaker: Dr. Sarah Elaine Eaton, University of Calgary

Bio: Sarah Elaine Eaton is a Werklund Research Professor at the University of Calgary. She researches academic integrity and ethics in educational contexts. Her work on postplagiarism marks her most important contribution to research, pedagogy and advocacy.

Check out the recording here.

Get a copy of the slides here.

Session 2: Smart or Shallow? Postplagiarism, Trust, and the Future of Learning with GenAI

A promotional image for the AI Speaker Series at the University of Calgary featuring Dr. Rahul Kumar from Brock University. The event is scheduled for October 1 and will discuss "Smart or Shallow? Postplagiarism, Trust and the Future of Learning with GenAI." The image includes a blurred-out photo of Dr. Rahul Kumar in a suit, standing outdoors with greenery in the background. The bottom section mentions CAIELI (Centre for Artificial Intelligence Ethics, Literacy and Integrity).

Date: October 1, 2025

Description: In the postplagiarism era, GenAI compels educators to confront a fundamental choice: should it be trusted as a complementary tool that enhances learning, or as a competitive tool that undermines it? This talk explores how cognitive and affective trust explain the differences among student, educator, and employer perspectives on AI’s role in education. Drawing on David C. Krakauer’s distinction between cognitive artifacts, Kumar argues that academic integrity now requires more than attribution or authorship. It requires deliberate pedagogical practices that guide learners to use AI in ways that enhance, rather than diminish, human intelligence.

Speaker: Dr. Rahul Kumar, Brock University

Bio: Dr. Rahul Kumar is an Assistant Professor, Department of Educational Studies, Brock University. In his research he focuses on the disruptive force of GenAI on education. Its effect on academic integrity and how to cope with it. Though most of his work has focused on higher education, he has also undertaken research projects on how secondary school teachers are dealing with GenAI in their classrooms and schools.

Register here: https://workrooms.ucalgary.ca/event/3939984

Session 3: Assessment in a Postplagiarism era: The AI Assessment Scale as a framework for academic integrity in an AI transformed world

Date: October 15, 2025

Description: Developments in Generative AI are leading us closer to the concept of ‘postplagiriaism’, with traditional concepts of academic integrity being fundamentally challenged by these technologies. This lecture explores how the AI Assessment Scale (AIAS) offers a pragmatic response to this upcoming paradigm shift, moving beyond futile attempts at AI detection towards thoughtful assessment redesign. In a world where AI-generated content is becoming indistinguishable from human work, the AIAS (Perkins et al., 2024) provides a five-level framework that acknowledges this new reality whilst maintaining academic authenticity.

Rather than treating AI as a threat to be policed, the AIAS embraces it as a tool to be thoughtfully integrated where appropriate. From ‘No AI’ assessments that preserve foundational skill development, to ‘AI Exploration’ tasks that prepare students for an AI-saturated workplace, this framework offers educators practical strategies for the postplagiarism landscape. This talk will demonstrate how institutions can move from an adversarial ‘catch and punish’ mentality to a collaborative approach that recognises both learning integrity and technological advancement. The session will challenge traditional academic integrity paradigms and offer actionable insights for this new era of university assessment.

Speaker: Dr. Mike Perkins, British University Vietnam

Bio: Dr. Mike Perkins heads the Centre for Research & Innovation at British University Vietnam, Hanoi. He is an Associate Professor and leads GenAI policy integration and trains Vietnamese educators and policymakers on this topic. Mike is one of the authors of the AI Assessment Scale, which has been adopted across more than 250 schools and universities worldwide, and translated into 20+ languages. His research focuses on GenAI’s impact on education, and has explored various areas within this field. This has included AI text detectors, attitudes to AI technologies, and the ethical integration of AI in assessments through the AI Assessment Scale. His work bridges technology, education, and academic integrity.

Register here: https://workrooms.ucalgary.ca/event/3925369

Session 4: Designing for Integrity: Learning and Assessment in the Postplagiarism Era

Date: November 19, 2025

Description: In the postplagiarism era, where generative AI and related technologies are embedded in how ideas are produced and shared, academic integrity must be reimagined. Rather than treating plagiarism as a violation to be detected and punished, integrity becomes something to be intentionally cultivated through the design of both learning and assessment. This talk will explore how postplagiarism challenges traditional notions of authorship, originality, and attribution, inviting educators to move beyond rule enforcement toward fostering creativity, responsibility, and agency. I will discuss how aligning learning activities with authentic, meaningful assessment can reduce plagiarism incentives while preparing students for ethical participation in a world where human and AI contributions are intertwined. Participants will be encouraged to rethink not just how we assess, but why—and to envision integrity as a shared, evolving value in the age of AI.

Speaker: Dr. Soroush Sabbaghan, University of Calgary

Bio: Dr. Soroush Sabbaghan is an Associate Professor and the Educational Leader in Residence in Generative AI at the University of Calgary’s Taylor Institute for Teaching and Learning. His work centres on human-centred design and the creation of human–AI collaborative environments, exploring the ethical, theoretical, and pedagogical implications of generative AI across K–12 and higher education. Drawing on research, teaching, and international collaborations, he examines how AI is reshaping notions of authorship, originality, and scholarly practice. Soroush is the editor of Navigating Generative AI in Higher Education: Ethical, Theoretical and Practical Perspectives, a collection that invites educators to critically engage with AI while maintaining care, dignity, and agency as core values. In his work, he encourages institutions to move beyond compliance-based approaches toward fostering creativity, responsibility, and adaptability in a hybrid human–AI world—principles that are at the heart of the postplagiarism era.

Register here: https://workrooms.ucalgary.ca/event/3939986

Session 5: Teaching Postplagiarism Tenets Through AI-Enhanced Creative Problem-Solving Model

Date: January 14, 2026

Description: While the concept of postplagiarism has gained increasing attention in the past two years, much of the discussion remains focused on writing tasks, leaving a gap in understanding how this framework applies to broader creative processes. Even less focus has been placed on strategies for teaching its tenets. This presentation bridges that gap by applying the Creative Problem Solving (CPS) model, enhanced with narrow AI tools such as chatbots, to explore how postplagiarism can be taught and understood in diverse creative contexts. By mapping the stages of CPS to postplagiarism’s key tenets, the session reveals nuanced connections between the two frameworks and offers what may be one of the earliest structured models for explaining current human–AI co-creation practices.

Speaker: Fuat Ramazanov, Acsenda School of Management

Bio: Fuat Ramazanov is the Program Director at Acsenda School of Management and a doctoral student at the University of Calgary. His doctoral research examines undergraduate students’ perceptions of the interplay between human and AI creativity throughout the creative process. A strong advocate for teaching for creativity, Fuat promotes approaches that cultivate creative thinking skills in students. His interests include innovative approaches to teaching, pedagogy in the age of AI, and the theory and application of postplagiarism framework.

Register here: https://workrooms.ucalgary.ca/event/3939987

Session 6: From Policy to Practice: A Postplagiarism Readiness Framework for AI Integration in Higher Education

Date: January 28, 2026

Description: This workshop introduces a readiness framework based on the six tenets of postplagiarism to critically assess institutional policies guiding faculty in using generative artificial intelligence. Participants will explore how the framework can be applied as a diagnostic tool to evaluate whether existing policies provide sufficient guidance, identify gaps, and support ethical, transparent, and future-ready integration of AI into teaching and learning. The session will combine conceptual grounding with practical analysis, offering participants strategies to strengthen policy and practice alignment in the age of AI.

Speaker: Dr. Beatriz Moya, Pontificia Universidad Católica de Chile

Bio: Dr. Beatriz Moya is an assistant professor at the Institute of Applied Ethics and the Pontificia Universidad Católica de Chile in Santiago, Chile. In her research she focuses on the intersection of academic integrity, educational leadership, and the Scholarship of Teaching and Learning (SoTL).

Register here: https://workrooms.ucalgary.ca/event/3939988

Session 7: A Transformative Model for Learning Academic Integrity in the Postplagiarism Era

Date: February 11, 2026

Description: The Postplagiarism framework has gained considerable attention, reshaping the landscape of academic integrity and ethical decision-making in education and research. This paradigm shift encourages educators to embrace the potential of artificial intelligence integration in transforming the competencies students need for their careers and communities. In this presentation I focus on two of the postplagiarism tenets:  enhanced human creativity and the disappearance of language barriers. I will showcase preliminary findings of my doctoral research on academic integrity. As we recognize students’ diversity, these two postplagiarism-tenets provide a framework for fostering creative communication and accessible educational environments while disappearing potential obstacles within a transformative model for learning academic integrity.

Speaker: Bibek Dahal, MPhil, University of Calgary

Bio: Bibek Dahal, MPhil is a PhD Candidate in higher education leadership, policy, and governance at the Werklund School of Education, University of Calgary, Canada. Bridging Southern epistemologies and justice-centered transformative research, his scholarship focuses on academic integrity and ethics in global higher education. His doctoral study investigates a transformative model for learning academic integrity in international higher education.

Register here: https://workrooms.ucalgary.ca/event/3945787

Session 8: Designing Authentic Assessment in the PostPlagiarism GenAI Era: Making Judgement Visible

Date: February 25, 2026

Description: GenAI shifts academic integrity from detection to design by asking educators to assign work only students can do. Aimed at educators, this workshop presents the 3Cs framework (construct, collaborate, create), developed in secondary classrooms and adapted for teacher education. Sharma will introduce amplified intelligence as a lens and centre capability-agnostic design so tasks remain valid as GenAI tools evolve. Practice is anchored in six postplagiarism tenets: hybrid human and AI writing becomes normal, creativity is enhanced, language barriers diminish, control may be delegated but responsibility cannot, attribution remains important, and definitions of plagiarism are evolving. Participants examine how purpose sets permissions for GenAI use and translate that stance into prompts, checkpoints, and reflections that make process as visible as product. Classroom-tested examples provide assessment patterns and syllabus language for disclosure, verification, and boundaries. Outcomes: visible judgement, honoured student agency, reduced outsourcing.

Speaker: Dr. Sunaina Sharma, Assistant Professor, Brock University

Bio: Dr. Sunaina Sharma, is an Assistant Professor in the Department of Educational Studies at Brock University, Ontario, Canada, specializing in secondary education and curriculum development. With 23 years of experience as a secondary teacher and 10 years as a program leader, she is deeply committed to creating a space for secondary students and educators to share their voices. Her recent research examines Ontario secondary school teachers’ responses to the proliferation of generative artificial intelligence (GenAI), focusing on their questions, concerns, and instructional needs. Dr. Sharma’s research on digital technology and student engagement underscores that engagement arises not from the digital tools themselves but from students’ ability to construct knowledge through their use. Her work contributes to ethical GenAI adoption and advances effective pedagogical practices in educational settings.

Register here: https://workrooms.ucalgary.ca/event/3945789

Session 9: The SETA Framework for Integrity Education in the Postplagiarism Era

Date: March 4, 2026

Description: Technological  Innovations are fuelling the call for changes in how students are taught and evaluated at all levels of the system. One visible change is a new focus on academic integrity, as the use of generative AI tools such as large language models (LLMs) have rendered the traditional discourse regarding plagiarism as obsolete, inadequate for the new environment. This presentation focuses on the  support, education for integrity, teaching and learning, and assessment (SETA) framework. It identifies the various elements that are necessary in educating students for academic integrity within the GenAI-enabled environment. It focuses on the role of policies and their importance in creating the context within which academic integrity education takes place, and includes the punitive element which is necessary in instances where students choose to act contrary to the requirements of the academy.  This discussion includes data gathered from students and librarians who participated in a 20 hour training for the development of academic integrity from across the Caribbean.

Speaker: Dr. Ruth Baker-Gardner, University of the West Indies, Jamaica

Bio: Dr. Ruth Baker-Gardner is the foremost voice on academic integrity in the Caribbean. She is a lecturer in librarianship at the University of the West Indies, Mona Campus in Jamaica. Dr. Baker-Gardner is author of Academic Integrity in the Caribbean which was awarded the Principal’s Research Award for outstanding Publication in the Book Category. She was also awarded the International Center for Academic Integrity Exemplar for Academic Integrity Award and the European Network for Academic Integrity Outstanding Researcher Award. Her latest publication Academic Integrity meets Artificial Intelligence, the Case of the Anglophone Caribbean, examines the region’s readiness for artificial intelligence use by examining its academic integrity structures and practices.

Register here: https://workrooms.ucalgary.ca/event/3945790

Session 10: Postplagiarism Perspectives: Comparative Insights from K-12 and Postsecondary Research

Date: March 18, 2026

Description: As generative AI technologies reshape educational landscapes, academic integrity must be reconceptualized across both K–12 and postsecondary contexts. Drawing from two doctoral research studies, this presentation explores the complex interplay between technological adoption, ethical formation, and institutional change.

The first study examines K–12 administrators navigating pedagogical and ethical uncertainties introduced by human-AI collaboration. Employing the Technology Acceptance Model, Innovation Diffusion Theory, and the 4M Framework, this research explores how administrators balance AI integration with pedagogical values during ‘AI arbitrage’, the liminal space where early adopting students outpace institutional adaptation.

The second study explores how CPA-accredited accounting programs embed ethical competencies through assessment, particularly regarding AI-enabled misconduct. Employing Rest’s Four-Component Model of Morality, Biggs’ Constructive Alignment, and an Integrity–Assessment Alignment Matrix, this research examines professional ethics education amid technological disruption.

Together, anchored in Eaton’s postplagiarism concept, these complementary theoretical lenses provide comprehensive analytical approaches to understanding educational transformation across the learning continuum.

Speakers: Naomi Paisley & Myke Healy

Bio: Naomi Paisley is a Chartered Professional Accountant (CPA) with over 20 years of experience in accounting, audit, and taxation. She currently teaches at the Southern Alberta Institute of Technology (SAIT), where she develops and delivers curriculum in financial reporting, assurance, and Canadian tax. Naomi is also a co-author of nationally adopted Canadian auditing and accounting textbooks and collaborates on the integration of evolving standards, DEI, ESG, and Indigenous perspectives in accounting education. As a doctoral candidate in the EdD program at the University of Calgary’s Werklund School of Education, her research explores how CPA-accredited undergraduate accounting programs prepare students for ethical challenges in the profession, particularly considering AI-enabled misconduct. Her study uses Rest’s Four-Component Model of Morality and Biggs’ Constructive Alignment to analyze ethics education and assessment practices in accounting programs. Naomi’s work supports the alignment of academic integrity initiatives with the expectations of the accounting profession and CPA Canada.

Myke Healy is an educational leader with over 20 years of experience in K-12 teaching and administration. He currently serves as Assistant Head – Teaching & Learning at Trinity College School, where he leads academic strategy and faculty development. Myke holds an M.Ed. in assessment and evaluation from Queen’s University and annually facilitates AI-focused modules at the Canadian Accredited Independent Schools (CAIS) Leadership Institute. As a doctoral candidate in the EdD program at the University of Calgary’s Werklund School of Education, his research examines how K-12 administrators navigate generative AI and academic integrity challenges during technological adoption. His study uses the Technology Acceptance Model, Innovation Diffusion Theory, and the 4M Framework to analyze AI integration and postplagiarism concepts in secondary education. Myke presents nationally and internationally on AI in education and serves on the Ontario College of Teachers’ accreditation roster, the board of eLearning Consortium Canada, and instructs leadership and assessment courses at Queen’s University.

Register here: https://workrooms.ucalgary.ca/event/3945792

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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.

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