Let’s think back to when we were in kindergarten and got upset with a classmate for drawing the same picture as us, or being the younger sibling always wanting to copy your older sibling (guilty!). While we did these things being unaware of what copying or cheating was, we slowly learned that it is important to give credit when you take inspiration from someone.
When I first learned about academic integrity in elementary school we started off by making sure to include a bibliography at the end of an assignment. Of course, when I was first learning I would often forget this step. However, as I went on to high school it become mandatory to cite our work or we would lose marks. Now in university we not only lose marks but we risk getting a zero in the entire course as well as face severe consequences for committing an academic integrity violation. Personally, I think this progression of consequences helped me understand the importance of upholding integrity as I advanced in my academic journey.
KPU has many resources available to help ensure you are following academic integrity standards. I make sure I have the KPU citation guide open while completing assignments to remind myself to cite as I go and to refer back to to ensure I am correctly following citation guidelines. Citing appropriately allows readers to identify between your own personal learning and where you have pulled external concepts from to enhance your thoughts.
I also use KPU Summon Search while researching to ensure I am getting information from credible sources and adding in thoughtful research to my assignments to help strengthen my understanding of course concepts. Using credible sources helps increase the legitimacy of your own thoughts allowing your ideas to be backed up by research.
Learning about academic integrity has been a journey I began several years ago and I have made my fair share of mistakes in low consequence situations in elementary school and in earlier years of high school. However, depending on your experiences, you might not have been exposed to these opportunities to make mistakes in low stakes situations. But don’t worry, it is never too late to start learning and using research to your advantage to help enhance your assignments as well as your skills.