FAQs UPDATED

Academic integrity is one of the foundations of your education at Algonquin College. Employers, industry partners, and professional regulators expect graduates to demonstrate honesty, responsibility, accountability, and ethical decision-making. When you submit work that genuinely reflects your own learning, you build the knowledge, skills, and confidence needed for success in your field.

Academic misconduct is any action that gives a learner an unearned advantage in matters affecting their academic standing. Academic misconduct may be intentional or unintentional.

Learn more here.

Examples of academic misconduct include:

You may only use generative AI in ways permitted by your professor and assignment instructions. Responsible use of generative AI is encouraged, but AI-generated content must be cited or otherwise identified when required. Undocumented AI use is not permitted in academic work.

Unauthorized Content Generation occurs when academic work is produced, in whole or in part, using unapproved or undeclared human or technological assistance for academic credit, progression, or an award. This includes the use of AI tools when their use is prohibited or not disclosed as required.

Plagiarism is presenting someone else’s ideas, words, work, data, code, artistic expression, or other intellectual contributions as your own without proper acknowledgment. Plagiarism can occur intentionally or accidentally and may also include sharing your work with others when not authorized. Depending on course requirements, submitting work generated by artificial intelligence tools without authorization, attribution, or disclosure may also constitute plagiarism or another form of academic misconduct.

Only if collaboration is permitted by your professor. Working with others on an individual assessment, sharing answers, allowing others to copy your work, or submitting substantially similar work without permission may be considered unauthorized collaboration.

Not without your professor’s knowledge and permission. Reusing your own previously submitted work may be considered unauthorized resubmission and could also be considered self-plagiarism.

If your professor suspects academic misconduct, they will inform you of the concern, explain the perceived breach, and share the evidence supporting the allegation. You will have an opportunity to review the evidence and provide your perspective, either through a meeting or in writing. Under Policy AA48, you are expected to respond within three (3) working days of being notified.*

After considering the available information, the professor may determine that no academic misconduct occurred and that no further action is required. In some cases involving minor academic misconduct, the professor may recommend a Formal Learning Opportunity (FLO). In other cases, where there is a reasonable belief that academic misconduct occurred, an Academic Misconduct Report may be submitted for formal review by an Academic Administrator.

*If you do not respond within three (3) working days of being notified, the professor will proceed with reporting the incident based on the available information. Choosing not to respond will not prevent the matter from moving forward.

A Formal Learning Opportunity (FLO) is a learning-focused response to a minor academic integrity concern. Rather than proceeding directly through the formal academic misconduct process, eligible students may be offered a FLO as an opportunity to strengthen their understanding of academic integrity and avoid similar issues in the future.

No. Under Policy AA48, results produced by generative AI detection tools are not supported as the basis for an academic misconduct allegation. Any allegation must be based on other evidence and evaluated through the College’s academic integrity process.

Yes. Under Policy AA48, where there is a compelling reason to conclude that undetected academic integrity violations may have occurred, the College may conduct a retroactive review of academic work at any point within the current academic year. Where academic misconduct is subsequently established, academic sanctions may be applied.

An Academic Integrity Incident Report is a report submitted by a professor when they believe a breach of academic integrity may have occurred. Depending on the circumstances, the report may be submitted as either a Formal Learning Opportunity (FLO) Report or an Academic Misconduct Report.

Yes. You may request a support person to attend the meeting with you. A support person may provide emotional support, reassurance, or accommodation assistance during the meeting. Support persons are generally not permitted to speak on your behalf or participate directly in the discussion. In extenuating circumstances, usually medical in nature, exceptions may be made at the discretion of the Academic Administrator.

Questions about academic integrity, academic misconduct allegations, sanctions, or the academic integrity process should be directed to your School, Faculty, or Campus Academic Integrity Lead. Your Academic Integrity Lead can provide information about the process, available supports, and next steps related to your case.

Yes. The diagram below provides a step-by-step overview of what learners can expect when an academic integrity concern is being reviewed. It explains the key stages of the process, important timelines, opportunities to respond, and possible outcomes.

Click the thumbnail to access the full-size version.

Algonquin College follows an educational and progressive disciplinary approach. Repeated violations or failure to demonstrate corrective behaviour may result in increasingly serious sanctions. However, a severe first offence may also lead to significant sanctions.

Possible outcomes range from educational measures and assignment resubmissions to mark deductions, a zero on an assessment, failure of a course, loss of academic privileges, withdrawal from a program, suspension, or expulsion, depending on the severity and history of the misconduct.

The Academic Administrator will normally issue a written decision within five (5) working days of meeting with you, or within five (5) working days of a non-response to the meeting request. The decision will explain the outcome, the reasons for the decision, any sanctions or learning requirements that apply, available supports, and your right to appeal under Policy AA19 Academic Appeal. If the allegation is not substantiated, you will be notified that the matter has been dismissed.

You have the right to appeal academic misconduct decisions under Policy AA19 Academic Appeal. Information about your appeal rights will be included in the decision letter.

No. Academic integrity allegations may continue to be investigated even if you withdraw from the course in which the allegation occurred. Records of confirmed violations may still be maintained by the College.

Most academic misconduct findings do not appear on your academic transcript. However, the College maintains confidential records of all academic misconduct findings and sanctions. Program suspensions, College suspensions, and expulsions are recorded on a student’s official record, and College expulsions remain on the Permanent Student Record indefinitely.

Not necessarily. It is important that you understand what a similarity report is saying. Just because a student has a high percentage of similarity, it doesn’t mean they have plagiarized. Training on how to interpret Turnitin results can be found here:

• Training Video #1  
• Training Video #2 
• Training Video #3 

No. Under Policy AA48, results produced by generative AI detection tools are not supported as the basis for an academic misconduct allegation. AI detection tools may raise questions that warrant further review, but they should not be treated as proof that academic misconduct occurred.

Academic misconduct allegations must be based on other evidence and evaluated through the College’s academic integrity process using the balance of probabilities standard. Faculty should focus on the work submitted, assignment requirements, student explanations, supporting documentation, and any other relevant evidence when determining whether a concern should be reported

Yes. It documents the situation that occurred as exam environments typically do not allow for opportunity for a fulsome discussion and, for the student to provide their perspective and share any information to disprove the concern for a breach of academic integrity. The email to the student is to summarize the proctor’s observations, any dialogue that occurred with the student, inclusion of supporting evidence and a statement that you will be filing an academic integrity incident report unless the student is able to share new information to disprove the allegation.

If you suspect academic misconduct, you should communicate with the student as soon as reasonably possible and provide them with an opportunity to respond before taking further action [See sample email]. Explain the concern, identify the perceived breach of academic integrity, and share the evidence supporting your concern. This may occur through a meeting, in writing, or both.

A Formal Learning Opportunity (FLO) is an educational response to certain instances of academic misconduct. It is intended to help learners better understand academic integrity expectations and develop the knowledge and skills needed to avoid similar issues in the future. A FLO is not an academic sanction.

The Quick Report is a key part of the Formal Learning Opportunity (FLO) process. While faculty manage the conversation with the student and address the concern directly, the report creates a centralized record of the incident.

Yes, to properly track how many learning opportunities a student is being provided, it is essential that all incidents be recorded. Please specify in the space for faculty recommendations that you have provided the student with a learning opportunity. If the Academic Administrator notices that a student has already been provided with a learning opportunity or an academic sanction, they will contact you to notify you about this information and discuss the next steps regarding the incident.

Individual report submissions are a requirement of the reporting procedures. For tracking purposes, it is important that only one student be identified in a form submission. Even though students may have committed an offence together, their personal student record requires that information be recorded separately.

Additionally, reports are generated from the information submitted in the form and are provided to the student. For privacy purposes, it is important that students only see their information.

Not immediately. Once you have submitted your academic integrity incident report, an Academic Administrator will take the case and will investigate and manage the incident. Dependant on the outcome, you may need to support the final decision by applying the sanction. Example: assigning a grade of zero or allowing a student to resubmit and then grade the resubmission.

If a student does not respond within three business days, then submit the academic incident report and note that you did not hear back from the student.

Students will receive an email from the Academic Administrator assigned to their case and will communicate with that person until their case is closed.

Once an Academic Integrity Incident Report has been submitted, the case is reviewed by an Academic Administrator. The Academic Administrator considers all available information, including the evidence provided, the student’s response, and any relevant contextual factors.

If you are concerned with the outcome of the academic incident you filed, you are welcome to talk with the Academic Administrator in charge of your incident to discuss further.

The College follows an educational and progressive, disciplinary approach to maintaining academic integrity. This includes the assignment of formal learning opportunities and the provision of student support services to support learners’ academic success in understanding of academic integrity requirements, up to and including the assignment of academic sanctions for proven acts of academic misconduct.

Academic sanctions are assigned according to the nature, extent, and repetition of the act(s) of academic misconduct. Repeated violations of academic integrity where the learner was provided opportunity to learn and demonstrate corrective behaviour from a previous violation will result in progressive sanctioning. Equally, a severe first violation may result in an uppermost academic sanction. Factors considered in imposing an academic sanction include but are not limited to:

• Learner’s level of academic experience, expected familiarity with academic integrity and the College’s academic integrity standards
• Evidence of intention/and or deliberation and/or premeditation in engaging in the academic misconduct
• Clarity of assessment instructions and evaluation expectations
• Acknowledgement and acceptance of responsibility where evidence points to misconduct
• Previous record of one or more academic integrity violations

There are several factors that go into determining a sanction, and if a faculty members recommendation is not used it is likely because the Academic Administrator has found information that resulted in a need to apply a different sanction. If you have questions or concerns, please reach out to the Academic Administrator.

Each alleged academic misconduct situation is unique and range in complexity level resulting in resolution time differences. Severity of the incident, evidence review and additional learner/staff consultation requirements, extenuating circumstances impacting the learner(s) and staff involved can impact the time to resolve.

Please refer to the College’s AA48 Academic Integrity policy for more details.