Facebook

A key element of your experience at Capilano University is the amazing learning and knowledge gained during your program.

Students in classroom

One way for you to measure your progress are the assignments, papers and other graded activities you will complete during your program. Adhering to academic integrity values will ensure that any work you complete is a true representation of your ability, learning and knowledge.

Academic integrity is taken very seriously at CapU (and at all other universities). CapU's Academic Integrity (pdf) and Academic Integrity Procedures (pdf) outline the importance the university places academic integrity, defines the types of academic misconduct that will result in a report and identifies consequences for students when academic misconduct occurs.

Capilano University has a culture of integrity, ethical conduct, and intellectual and academic honesty and expects its students to uphold these values. Upholding academic integrity is a condition of continued enrolment at Capilano University.

Frequently Asked Questions

As a CapU student, you are expected to write your exams, assignments and course papers while adhering to the following values:

  • Honesty: Honest students respect university policies, follow the instructions of their professors and do their work on their own, without any unauthorized help.
  • Trust: If you are always honest, you will be able to build a relationship of trust both with your peers and with your instructors. 
  • Fairness: A person of integrity is fair. You are fair to your peers when you do your own work, to authors when you acknowledge their work you use by citing it, to the university when you respect and follow academic integrity standards.
  • Respect: You show respect when you follow your assignment instructions, when you actively participate in learning and when you credit others for their ideas.
  • Responsibility: Being responsible means being accountable to yourself and others, asking for clarification from your instructors when needed and doing your work to the best of your own abilities.
  • Courage: To uphold academic integrity standards requires courage to resist temptations for the "easy way out."

Source: International Centre for Academic Integrity

As a student, it is your responsibility to review and uphold the expected standards of academic integrity, as outlined in CapU's Academic Integrity (pdf) and Academic Integrity Procedures (pdf).

These standards include:

  • Independently producing work submitted under your own name;
  • Properly documenting all work;
  • Identifying all collaborators in work;
  • Completing examinations without giving or receiving assistance unless assistance is required due to documented accommodation; and
  • Respecting the integrity of examination materials and/or the examination process.

Academic misconduct has serious consequences at CapU (see the next FAQ below). Make sure you recognize and proactive take steps to avoid the following types of academic misconduct during your time as a student:

  • Cheating: this includes unauthorized sharing of notes or answers with students via online forums or services such as Chegg; copying another student's work during a quiz or exam; unauthorized use of an assessment or answer key; submitting a similar assignment by two or more students, unless permitted by an instructor; authorized copying of notes, textbook or online sources during an exam.
  • Fraud: Creation or use of falsified documents such as having someone else write your academic paper or purchasing a paper for submission.
  • Plagiarism: Failure to properly cite or give credit to someone's work, ideas, research, artistic images, calculations or diagrams in your academic papers or assignments.
  • Self-plagiarism: Submitting your own work for credit in more than one course without the permission of your instructors.
  • Other academic misconduct: includes assisting another person to commit academic misconduct. More examples are outlined in the Academic Integrity Policy Section 7.2.6.

Consequences instructors can give students for academic misconduct range from:

  • A reduced or zero grade on an assignment or exam
  • Completion of an academic integrity workshop by a certain date
  • A redo of the assignment under question.

All reports of academic misconduct are sent to the Office of Student Affairs for tracking. Students with multiple reports or are involved in a serious academic misconduct are reported to the Dean's Office for investigation and possible sanctions.

Sanctions from a dean's investigation into academic misconduct may range from a formal reprimand letter or a failing grade in a course, to suspension or expulsion from the university and are outlined in the Academic Integrity Procedures (pdf).

It is very important that students prepare for and integrate the values of academic integrity during their time at CapU – the consequences are serious and may have lasting impact on the successful completion of your program!

There are several steps you can take.

  1. Educate yourself about academic integrity and the consequences of cheating and plagiarism.
    • Complete the Academic Integrity eLearn module to learn about the values of integrity in more detail, gain knowledge real-life scenarios of academic integrity in action at university and better understand the consequences of academic misconduct.
    • This module will take approximately two hours to complete. Upon successful completion, you'll receive an Academic Integrity badge which clearly indicates you understand academic integrity to the university community.
  2. Join an academic integrity or academic writing workshop offered each term by the Writing Centre or English Language Support (ELS) for international students. Or contact these learning support services for 1-to-1 writing support from instructors and peers.
  3. Use citation guides while completing your academic paper.
    • The CapU Library's Cite It! guides provide you with step-by-step instructions for referencing and citation for the most common academic writing styles such as APA or MLA.
  4. Make sure you know your instructor's expectations for assignments and exams. Your instructor's expectations will be explained in your course syllabus, otherwise known as a course outline.
    • For example, some course instructors permit students to use study notes or reference course materials during exams (also known as: an open-book exam), while other instructors prefer closed-book exams (i.e., no notes or referencing to online materials allowed during the exam).
    • As a student, it is your responsibility to understand your instructors’ course expectations on assignments and exams. If you aren't sure, always check with your instructor during their office hours or by email. Consequences for academic misconduct are outlined in CapU's Academic Integrity Procedures (pdf) (See Sections 2 and 7).

All instructor-level academic misconduct reports are sent to the Office of Student Affairs for tracking. The Office of Student Affairs maintains a centralized database of misconduct reports.

Serious or multiple incidences of academic integrity are reported by the Office of Student Affairs to the appropriate Dean for assessment, investigation and possible sanctions.

If you have been reported for academic misconduct such as cheating or plagiarism, and are seeking more information, please contact the Student Rights and Responsibilities Advisor at academicintegrity@capilanou.ca or refer to the Academic Integrity (pdf) and Academic Integrity Procedures (pdf).

If you are the respondent in an academic integrity investigation, we recommend visiting Information For Respondents.

Contact

Have questions?

Office of Student Affairs


604 986 1911, ext. 3184
Library Building, room LB116
studentconduct@capilanou.ca