BC Academic Integrity Day took place on Oct. 28 and Kwantlen Polytechnic University (KPU) marked the occasion with an event an the Melville Centre for Dialogue at KPU Richmond.
Hosted by KPU’s Academic Integrity department, the event consisted of a keynote speech by KPU criminology instructor Dr. Alana Abramson, collaborative activities focused on promoting discussions about academic integrity, and a student panel discussion on their perspectives on generative artificial intelligence (AI) and academic integrity.
The event drew attendees from other post-secondary institutions such as the University of British Columbia (UBC), Simon Fraser University (SFU), and the University of the Fraser Valley (UFV), alongside KPU staff, faculty, and students.
“One of the main highlights of an event like BC Academic Integrity Day is the opportunity to meet new people, to brainstorm and come up with ideas together, and to build one’s support network as we grapple with upcoming challenges,” says Susan Xia, Interim Manager of Academic Integrity at KPU. “We were inspired by Dr. Alana Abramson’s keynote encouraging a relational approach. We collaborated with one another during the activities and gained valuable insights from the student panellists on empowering students and creating meaningful connections.”
Abramson’s keynote focused on incorporating restorative justice approaches to academic integrity.
“I was pleased to present on the topic of restorative justice at BC Academic Integrity Day,” says Abramson. “From what I have experienced working with faculty over the past two years in this area, there are so many who are already using a restorative approach with students. Getting clear on what we mean by restorative justice and how it relates to, but is different from, educative approaches is key in promoting a culture of academic integrity.”
“The way in which our conversations about academic integrity have changed these last two years, means that collaboration between institutions is more important than ever before,” says Dr. David Burns, Associate Vice-President, Academic at KPU. “We all face the same shifts not only in technology but in our culture. What counts as integrity in academic work is in flux and the only way to understand how to chart a course forward is to engage in rich conversations, within and between institutions, about the future of our shared scholarly work.”
The next portion of the event was a wall of ideas discussion activity, designed to foster conversations about major academic integrity talking points. Facilitated by Daniel Benzimra and Samuel Kirk from KPU’s Teaching and Learning department, attendees placed their thoughts on idea boards, then discussed those ideas with the rest of the participants as a whole.
The event would wrap up with a student perspectives panel specifically discussing issues regarding generative AI and academic integrity. The panel included SFU student Michael Obakhavbaye, UFV student Maggie Meyers, UBC student Dredyn Fontana, and KPU students Kai Barcellos and Muskandeep Kaur.
For more photos from the event see the full Flickr photo gallery below or click here.
