Introduction ---------- This is the inaugural project associated with the D2L Innovation Guild. Research Team ------------- This collaborative, multi-institutional project included researchers from four Canadian provinces: - **Sarah Elaine Eaton**, PhD, Principal Investigator, University of Calgary - **Katherine (Katie) Crossman**, PhD, Co-Investigator and Study Coordinator, University of Calgary - **Brenda M. Stoesz**, PhD, Co-Investigator, University of Manitoba - **Kim Garwood**, PhD, Co-Investigator, University of Guelph - **Amanda McKenzie**, MA, Co-Investigator, University of Waterloo Administrative support for the project was provided by Rose Kocher and Brian Ceperuan of D2L. Background ---------- This project is the first of its kind in Canada. There has never before been a multi-institutional project, with representation from across multiple provinces, that has also partnered with industry in pursuit of a common unified goal with regards to academic integrity. It is important for researchers, educators, policy makers and others to look for opportunities to create synergies with regards to academic integrity (McKenzie, 2018). In this project, we aim to do exactly that: create synergies across institutions, across provinces and across sectors. The research in Canada about faculty perceptions on academic integrity is quite limited. Of the research that has been conducted to date, there has been a disproportionate focus on students’ perceptions and experiences, with less inquiry into those of faculty (Eaton & Edino, 2018). This is true not only in Canada, but in other countries as well (Fielden & Joyce, 2008). To further complicate matters, from the relatively small numbers of Canadian studies that have examined this topic, it is apparent that faculty at higher education institutes across Canada have contrasting perspectives on academic integrity and how to support it (Eaton, Crossman, & Edino, 2019) and faculty members themselves are not immune to academic dishonesty themselves (Hexham, 2000/2005). Faculty views and approaches differ by discipline (Evans Tokaryk, 2014). Faculty at Canadian higher education institutions also report difficulty and inconsistencies with understanding and implementing academic integrity policies (MacLeod, 2014; Taylor, Usick & Paterson, 2004; Zivcakova, Wood, Baetz, & Pasquale, 2012). Two-large scale studies were conducted in Canada in the early 2000s (Christensen Hughes & McCabe, 2006a, 2006b), but there has been a gap in the evidence for more than a decade. In particular, there is a need for Canadian researchers to undertake multi-institutional, larger scale projects to elevate and amplify the academic integrity research agenda in this country (Eaton & Edino, 2018). We contend that there is a need to better understand how faculty members in Canadian higher education think about and act upon matters relating to academic integrity. We anticipate that the findings of this research will inform future resource and program development to support academic integrity in higher education. Project Overview ---------------- This is a multi-institutional project that involves four Canadian post-secondary institutions (University of Calgary, University of Guelph, University of Waterloo, and University of Manitoba) and D2L. It will investigate faculty perceptions and needs related to academic integrity. This steps involved in the design and implementation of this project include: 1. A review of the literature to investigate previous research both in Canada and globally, specifically focusing on literature that will inform the development of a survey instrument; 2. The development of a survey instrument; 3. Research Ethics Board (REB) approval from each institution to conduct research with human participants and administer the survey to faculty; 4. Administration of the survey and data collection; 5. Analysis of qualitative and quantitative survey results; and 6. Dissemination of findings. Objectives and Research Questions --------------------------------- The objectives of this study are threefold: 1. To better understand the perception and behaviours of faculty members in Canadian higher education institutions with regards to academic integrity. 2. To add to the small, but growing body of research on academic integrity in Canada through the execution of rigorous primary research involving the collection of data from human participants. Our goal is not simply to undertake a project, but to strive for excellence in our methods and results. 3. To test the feasibility of the collaboration itself. As this is the first university-industry partnership focused on academic integrity research, we acknowledge that the team members are pioneering new ground in this field. We have intentionally started with a small scale project, with a longer-term view to creating a project that could be scalable should the partnership prove to work effectively. **Survey Instrument** As of 2023, the data collection instrument (survey) is licenced under a Creative Commons Attribution-NonCommercial 4.0 International License (CC BY-NC 4.0). You are free to share and adapt this work, providing you give attribution for the original survey. You may not use this work or its derivatives for commercial purposes. The survey file can be downloaded from this website. Look under the Files section. Funding ------- Funding for this project was provided by the University of Calgary. Publications and Knowledge Mobilization ------------ Eaton, S. E., Stoesz, B. M., Crossman, K., Garwood, K., & McKenzie, A. (2023). Faculty perspectives of academic integrity during COVID-19: A mixed methods study of four Canadian universities. Canadian Journal for Higher Education, 52(3), 42-58. https://journals.sfu.ca/cjhe/index.php/cjhe/article/view/189783/186591 Eaton, S. E., Stoesz, B. M., Crossman, K., Garwood, K., & McKenzie, A. (2021). Academic Integrity: Faculty Development Needs for Canadian Higher Education - Research Report. http://hdl.handle.net/1880/113149 Eaton, S. E., Stoesz, B. M., Crossman, K., Garwood, K., & McKenzie, A. (2021). Academic Integrity: Faculty Development Needs for Canadian Higher Education - Lessons Learned and Recommendations. (Unpublished report submitted to the D2L Innovation Guild Board on 08 February, 2021.) Crossman, K., Eaton, S. E., Garwood, K., Stoesz, B., McKenzie, A., Cepuran, B., & Kocher, R. (2019). Academic Integrity: Faculty Development Needs for Canadian Higher Education – Research Project Brief. Retrieved from http://hdl.handle.net/1880/110437 More info --------- For more information about this project, contact: Sarah Elaine Eaton, Ph.D. Principal Investigator Associate Professor, Werklund School of Education Educational Leader in Residence, Academic Integrity University of Calgary 2500 University Dr.NW Calgary, AB, T2N 1N4 T. +1. 403. 220. 6378 E. seaton@ucalgary.ca W. www.ucalgary.ca