03/03/2023
What I've Learned from Previous ICAI Annual Conferences
Written by Courtney Cullen
The ICAI annual conference is just around the corner! As I have been planning which sessions to attend and looking forward to connecting with peers from across the globe, I cannot help but to reflect on how previous conferences have impacted my own practice by helping develop programs, initiatives, and providing support. Here are three ways the ICAI conferences have influenced my office:
- Online Academic Integrity Modules
In 2019, at the New Orleans conference, Jennifer Wright from the University of Central Florida presented on their new online module. This interactive module helped students understand step-by-step positions that the student and the instructor found themselves in. It also explained the expectations of the university. The module appeared engaging and thought provoking for students – instead of just a rules based program it could help prime students to make moral decisions. After the conference, my office met privately with Ms. Wright to understand more of the modules ins and outs. We adapted this storytelling format for our own policy and programs, creating three scenarios of academic misconduct and following Ms. Wright’s recommendation to make it just cheesy enough to keep students engaged.
- Remediation Programming
The new remediation program at our institution was inspired by several different conferences and presentations. At the 2020 conference in Portland, Kelly Ahuna and Loretta Frankovitch gave a presentation on how the University at Buffalo was approaching remediation after students were found in violation. Then, at the virtual conference in 2022, Sharon Dzik and Katie Koopmeiners presented on Academic Integrity Matters (AIM), a program at the University of Minnesota Twin Cities. Using information from both of these presentations, including meetings with the presenters and further communication, we styled our own program for students at our institution. One where students can restrict their records by engaging in restorative justice practices to re-enter the university community.
- Student Training
Student training for our academic honesty panelists, student ambassadors, and remediation peer educators have been influenced by many presentations over the past four years. Blaire Wilson and Jason Ciejka from Emory have led sessions, Tricia Bertram Gallant and her students have developed presentations, the list could continue for a very long time. Every nugget of wisdom that can be adapted and transformed to fit our institutional context, we attempt to incorporate.
In short, the conference provides a glimpse into the a future where academic integrity is culturally embedded into our institutions. By learning from each other, we can make our programs stronger. Further, by building connections and bridges between institutions, we can find ways to help students in every institutional context.
I hope to see you – virtually or in person – in Indianapolis. If I don’t get that chance, I hope to at least connect and continue building a culture of honesty.
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