University at Buffalo (UB)
Grab and Go Lessons
There are many ways to discuss academic integrity with students. The following is intended to provide one possible structure for a lesson on this important topic. You can choose to use just one script for a mini-lesson or both scripts with the optional exercise at the end to fill a 50-minute class.
The instructor should print copies of the script(s) prior to class and select students to act out the roles. The first scenario requires two scripts/student volunteers, while the second scenario requires four. At the conclusion of the role play, engage in-class discussion surrounding academic integrity. Guiding questions are provided below.
Goodbye to Grandma Scenario
- Review the list of eight common academic integrity infractions, in which category does this scenario fit? (The correct answer is misrepresenting documents.)
- If the student in the scenario actually did present the documents requested, and we assume they were fabricated, how many documents would they have to produce, and what would they be? (Three documents: death notice, deceased’s relation to student and airline tickets.)
- Suppose you are the student in question. What would you do at this point?
- What could you have done instead of pretending that a loved one died?
- What are the possible punishments for an academic integrity violation? What seems a reasonable punishment in this case? Review the sanctions chart on the academic integrity website.
Group Project Mishap Scenario
- Should the other group members add Bethany’s name to the project if she doesn’t do the work?
- If they do, are they guilty of committing academic dishonesty? Review the eight common academic integrity infractions, does this scenario match any particular violation(s)? Is Bethany guilty of a different offense than the other team members?
- What options do the three students have here?
- Suppose you are in a group where someone asks to put their name on an assignment, but they didn’t do the work. They may even have a valid excuse like Bethany did. How could you respond to the request while still maintaining your academic integrity?
- What are the possible punishments for an academic integrity violation? What would be reasonable in this case if the students did include Bethany’s name? Review the sanctions chart on the academic integrity website.
Write Your Own Scenario
Assign students to groups and give each group a type of academic dishonesty from the list of eight common academic integrity infractions. Have students work in their groups to write a scenario exemplifying how this would play out. Ask the rest of the class to discuss the same types of discussion questions from scenarios 1 and 2.
Visual Example
- One is Japanese, one is American. Which came first? Japanese (black and white) was first.
- What’s similar? Composition, placement on page, words, facial expression, etc.
- What’s different? Color, lettering, blood, clothing.
- Does anyone know the back story on this? American artist, Nick Simmons, on right (in color) copied many drawings and some storyline from Japanese artist, Tite Kubo, on left (in black and white). Simmons was accused of plagiarism and his publishing deal was withdrawn.
- Why am I showing you this? Structure and content of your work must be original.
- How can I prevent this? Don’t copy. Always acknowledge your sources.
- Explain how this example relates to the work in this particular course.
Sources
Kubo, T. (2008, October 3). Bleach: The Undead 4, #311. Chiyoda, Tokyo, Japan: Shueisha.
Simmons, N. (2009, December 9). Incarnate, #3. San Francisco, CA: Viz Media.