Embedding Social Justice, Equity, Inclusion, Diversity, and Accessibility in Academic Integrity

August 25, 2025

As a new academic year begins here in the northern hemisphere, I’m worried. I am worried that equity-deserving students, including racialized and linguistic-minority students, disabled and neurodivergent students, and others from equity-deserving groups will fall through the cracks again this year.

Conversations about academic integrity often centre around detection and discipline. 

How many students will be accused of — and investigated for — academic cheating this year when what they actually needed was learning support? Or language support? Or just a clearer understanding of what academic integrity is and how to uphold it?

It doesn’t have to be this way.

Academic integrity is also about creating a learning environment grounded in fairness and opportunity for every student. Social justice, equity, inclusion, diversity, and accessibility shape how students experience integrity in real ways:

  • Equity reminds us that students enter the classroom with different levels of preparation and support.
  • Inclusion ensures every student can participate in learning and assessment.
  • Accessibility removes barriers that make it harder for some students to meet expectations.
Infographic entitled 'Embedding Social Justice, Equity, Inclusion, Diversity, and Accessibility in Academic Integrity.' It features four bullet points: Equity acknowledges varied student preparation and support; Inclusion promotes participation in learning and assessment; Accessibility removes barriers to meeting expectations; and a Social Justice lens reveals patterns in integrity breaches. An illustration of a balanced scale appears below the text. The poster is credited to Sarah Elaine Eaton, PhD, August 2025.

A social justice lens helps us see patterns in who is reported or penalized for breaches of integrity and why.

  • Here are some actions educators can take in the first month of classes to support student success:
  • Review course materials to ensure instructions and policies about integrity are written in plain, accessible language.
  • Dedicate class time to talking with students about what integrity looks like in your course and why it matters.
  • Share examples of proper citation and collaboration that are relevant to your discipline.
  • Make time for questions about assessments so students understand what is expected and where to find help.
  • Connect students early to campus supports such as writing centres, student services, and accessibility services.

This is just a start.

My point is this: Do not assume that students should just know what academic integrity means. Take the time to explain your expectations and policies. In order for students to follow the rules, they need to know what the rules are.

Academic integrity is not only about avoiding plagiarism or cheating. It is also about fostering trust and fairness so that all students have a fair chance to learn and succeed. The choices we make in the first few weeks of the term set the tone for the entire year.

What steps are you taking at the start of this new school year to build a more inclusive and equitable approach to academic integrity?

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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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Posted by Sarah Elaine Eaton, Ph.D.

How Not to Respond: 5 Mistakes Professors Make After Misconduct Rulings

May 28, 2025

Academic misconduct cases can leave professors feeling frustrated, especially when outcomes don’t align with their expectations. These emotions are understandable and how faculty respond to disappointing rulings can impact their professional standing; relationships with colleagues and students; and future effectiveness in addressing misconduct.

Here are five common mistakes professors make when they disagree with academic misconduct decisions—and better approaches to consider.

1. Venting to Students About the Decision

The Mistake: Discussing the case details or expressing frustration about the ruling with other students, either in class or informal settings.

Why It Backfires: This behavior undermines institutional authority, creates an uncomfortable environment for students, and may violate confidentiality requirements. Students lose confidence in the system and may question whether they’ll receive fair treatment.

Better Approach: Process your concerns through appropriate channels. If you need to discuss the case, speak with department chairs, ombudspersons, or trusted colleagues who understand confidentiality requirements.

2. Making Public Complaints on Social Media or Forums

The Mistake: Posting about the case on social media, academic forums, or other public platforms, even when avoiding specific names.

Why It Backfires: Public complaints damage professional relationships and institutional reputation. Even anonymous posts can often be traced back to their authors. This approach also models poor conflict resolution for students and colleagues.

Better Approach: Use internal grievance procedures or professional development opportunities to address systemic concerns. Focus energy on improving processes rather than criticizing past decisions.

3. Refusing to Participate in Future Misconduct Proceedings

The Mistake: Declining to serve on academic integrity committees or refusing to report suspected misconduct because of disagreement with previous outcomes.

Why It Backfires: Withdrawal from the process eliminates your voice from future decisions and reduces the system’s effectiveness. This stance also shifts additional burden to colleagues who continue participating.

Better Approach: Stay engaged while working to improve the system. Use your experience to advocate for clearer guidelines, better training, or procedural improvements that address your concerns.

4. Treating the Student Differently in Future Interactions

The Mistake: Allowing disappointment about the ruling to affect how you interact with the student in subsequent courses, recommendations, or professional settings.

Why It Backfires: This behavior constitutes unprofessional conduct and potential retaliation. It undermines the educational mission and creates legal risks for both you and the institution.

Better Approach: Maintain professional boundaries and treat all students equitably. If you find it difficult to interact objectively with the student, consider recusing yourself from situations where bias might affect your judgment.

5. Bypassing Established Processes

The Mistake: Going directly to senior administrators, board members, or external parties without following institutional procedures for investigations, appeals, or grievances.

Why It Backfires: Skipping proper channels damages relationships with immediate supervisors and colleagues. It also reduces the likelihood that your concerns will receive serious consideration, as decision-makers prefer to see that established processes were followed.

Better Approach: Work through designated channels first. Document your concerns clearly and present them through official appeal mechanisms. If these prove insufficient, seek guidance from faculty governance bodies or professional organizations.

Moving Forward Constructively

Disagreement with academic misconduct decisions stems from genuine concern for educational standards and fairness. Channel this concern into productive action by focusing on prevention, process improvement, and professional development rather than relitigating past cases.

Consider these constructive alternatives: participate in policy review committees, mentor colleagues on documentation practices, advocate for faculty training on academic integrity, or contribute to scholarship on effective misconduct prevention.

The goal is not to eliminate disagreement with misconduct decisions—different perspectives strengthen academic integrity systems. The goal is to express disagreement in ways that improve outcomes for everyone involved while maintaining the professional standards that serve our educational mission.

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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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UHaveIntegrity: A Strengths-Based Approach to Academic Integrity at the University of Calgary

May 9, 2025
AltText: The image shows a closed laptop with a honeycomb-patterned cover on a wooden surface. On top of the laptop, there is a rectangular sticker that reads "#UHaveIntegrity" with the "integrity" part in red text. The sticker also includes a small logo for the University of Calgary.

I have been doing a lot of travelling lately, giving talks on postplagiarsm and academic integrity in the age of generative artificial intelligence. Recently I was at the Calgary airport and ask I was going through the security screening process, I took out my laptop and placed it in the bin to be screened. A staff member pointed to my laptop and asked, “Are you a professor at the University of Calgary?!”

She recognized the laptop sticker. It says #UHaveIntegrity, which is the slogan for our academic integrity campaign at the University of Calgary.

I replied, “Yes! Yes, I am! Are you a student?” She replied yes, that she was a majoring in political science.

It was most inspiring moment I have ever had going through airport security!

Shifting the Conversation

Traditional academic integrity messaging often starts from a deficit model, emphasizing what students should not do and the consequences of misconduct. This approach inadvertently positions students as potential cheaters rather than developing adults.

The #UHaveIntegrity campaign reframes this conversation. We acknowledge and celebrate  students as whole human beings with existing ethical foundations. Our role as educators shifts from policing to supporting their continued development.

From Classroom to Career

Academic integrity transcends assignment submissions and exam protocols. It forms the foundation for ethical decision-making that extends beyond graduation. The research literature demonstrates that students who develop strong ethical frameworks during their education carry these principles into their professional lives (e.g., Guerrero-Dib et al., 2020; Tammeleht et al., 2022).

When we recognize that students already have integrity, we create space for authentic dialogue about ethical challenges rather than simply enforcing rules. Students become active participants in their ethical development rather than passive recipients of policy statements.

Supporting Student Success

The #UHaveIntegrity campaign represents our commitment to supporting student learning and academic success. By starting from a position of trust, we establish educational environments where:

  • Students feel empowered to ask questions about citation and collaboration
  • Errors become learning opportunities rather than character judgments
  • Discussions about integrity focus on growth rather than compliance

Moving Toward Postplagiarism

The #UHaveIntegrity campaign exemplifies what we call postplagiarism pedagogy—an educational approach that moves beyond rule-based instruction to consider how learning, writing, and collaboration can happen ethically in the age of generative AI.

Postplagiarism does not mean ignoring source citation or academic honesty. Instead, it acknowledges that students develop as writers in a world where information flows differently than in previous generations. ChatGPT was released almost two and half years ago, in November 2022. Here we are in 2025 and our historical norms around citing and referencing are inadequate in the age of remix, mashup, and co-creation with GenAI.

By starting from the premise that students have integrity, educators can engage in richer conversations about:

  • How knowledge creation occurs in digital environments
  • Why proper attribution matters in different contexts
  • How collaboration and individual work intersect in contemporary scholarship

In a small-scale study led by my colleague, Dr. Soroush Sabbaghan, we interviewed ten graduate students about their use of GenAI. They told us that they want and need guidance and support to use GenAI ethically. They also wanted agency to use GenAI tools to help them do their research. They wanted GenAI tools to help them amplify their own voices and discover new perspectives. Although our study was small, the findings are worthy of consideration. You can check out the article here if you are interested.

Moving Forward Together

The sticker on my laptop serves as a daily reminder of our responsibility as educators. It’s up to us educators to create learning environments that nurture the integrity students already possess, providing them with the knowledge and skills to navigate increasingly complex ethical landscapes.

The next time you encounter academic integrity challenges in your classroom, remember: your students have integrity. The question is not about instilling values they lack, but supporting their application of existing values to new academic contexts.

#UHaveIntegrity is more than a hashtag. It is our University of Calgary commitment to educational partnerships built on integrity and mutual respect.

University of Calgary Academic Integrity Week 2025

This year at the University of Calgary, we’ll mark Academic Integrity Week from October 14-17. Our themes are artificial intelligence and engaging students as partners in academic integrity. We are excited to engage with students on these important topics!

References

Guerrero-Dib, J. G., Portales, L., & Heredia-Escorza, Y. (2020). Impact of academic integrity on workplace ethical behaviour. International Journal for Educational Integrity, 16(1), 2. https://doi.org/10.1007/s40979-020-0051-3 

Sabbaghan, S., & Eaton, S. E. (2025). Navigating the ethical frontier: Graduate students’ experiences with generative AI-mediated scholarship. International Journal of Artificial Intelligence in Education. https://doi.org/10.1007/s40593-024-00454-6 

Tammeleht, A., Löfström, E., & Rodríguez-Triana, j. M. J. (2022). Facilitating development of research ethics and integrity leadership competencies. International Journal for Educational Integrity, 18(1), 1–23. https://doi.org/10.1007/s40979-022-00102-3

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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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A Wraparound Approach to Academic Integrity: Centering Students in the Postplagiarism Era

May 7, 2025


I am trying out SSRN. I feel like this is something I should have known about long ago. Last year, one of the doctoral students whom I supervise, Myke Healy, posted a paper about academic integrity in secondary schools on SSRN. (It’s a really good ready, by the way.)

Then, a research team that I’m on posted our rapid review protocol pre-print on assessment, academic integrity, and artificial intelligence on SSRN. Myke is on our team and posted the paper on our behalf.

On my recent travels, I was listening to Malcolm Gladwell’s podcast, Revisionist History. In one of episodes (I forget which one exactly), Gladwell raves about SSRN. I mean, gushes.

I thought to myself, “Well, it seems the universe is asking me to pay attention to SSRN.” So, I did.

I got working on a paper that had been sort of lingering for a couple of years. (Yes, a couple of years. Good work takes time!) I unpacked the ideas, developed the argument, referenced people whose contributions influenced and shaped my thinking and got it formatted.

So, I’ve now posted my first paper on SSRN:
Eaton, S. E. (2025). A Wraparound Approach to Academic Integrity: Centering Students in the Postplagiarism Era (April 20, 2025). SSRN. https://doi.org/http://dx.doi.org/10.2139/ssrn.5223911

I’m not really sure what happens next. There doesn’t really seem to be a place for folks to comment on the paper, though you can download it and add it to your library. I guess the next step is to submit it to a journal and go from there.

If you use SSRN and have tips on how to make the most of it, feel free to share. I’m learning as I go and I’m all ears.

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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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Posted by Sarah Elaine Eaton, Ph.D.

Dignity: A Foundation of Academic Integrity

April 8, 2025

In our pursuit of knowledge, we often focus on policies, consequences, and detection systems. Yet at the heart of academic integrity lies something fundamental: human dignity.

When we produce original work, we honor our intellectual journey and the dignity of those whose ideas we build upon. Attribution acknowledges that knowledge creation is a collaborative endeavor spanning generations.

Academic integrity shouldn’t be about avoiding punishment, but rather, about recognizing the worth in honest intellectual exchange. It’s understanding that shortcuts diminish our growth and the trust that sustains scholarly communities.

As educators and learners, we can frame integrity less as compliance and more as respect – for ourselves, peers, and institutions that facilitate collective wisdom. When we approach academic work with dignity as our compass, integrity follows.

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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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