As Academic Integrity Unit Student Ambassadors at the University of Toronto Mississauga (UTM), we aim to promote academic integrity and excellence across the UTM community. In this role, we actively engage in various campus events to spread the word on what it means to be an academically honest student, offer informative tips to help our peers avoid academic misconduct, and answer student inquiries. After learning about the ICAI’s 2023 IDoA Student Creativity Contest, our team knew that this would be a great opportunity to demonstrate our knowledge of academic integrity and create a valuable resource that could be shared with students worldwide.
The aim of our poster submission was to merge the technological aspect of artificial intelligence (AI) (seen in the chosen graphics) with the ICAI’s six fundamental values of academic integrity – honesty, trust, fairness, respect, responsibility, and courage – and highlight how these values can be applied by students in the age of AI. The poster was created to educate our peers of all different age groups around the globe, empowering them to champion academic integrity within the evolving landscape of AI.
As Generative AI software becomes increasingly accessible to students, it presents both challenges and unique opportunities in the classrooms that we are all a part of. We often observe our peers turning to these tools for assistance with personal and academic tasks as they believe it is a quick and easy way to complete quality work. However, we have learned this is not always the case. Some of our peers fall into the trap of relying entirely on generative AI to complete assignments, neglecting proper citations and taking credit for the ideas generated. This type of AI use may lead to unfairness to students who value academic integrity and always ensure to put hard work into their assignments. We feel that now, more than ever, maintaining academic integrity, despite the temptation to rely on AI, is integral to our educational journey. We believe that understanding the core values of academic integrity can help navigate the use of AI so that it can aid you in your studies, but not harm your learning experience. As academic integrity student ambassadors, we aim to highlight how AI can be used ethically within our classrooms and encourage others to do the same within their own institutions.
In our poster, we included the slogan “you are in charge of your own success” with the intention of emphasizing to students that while AI tools are available, they do not ensure academic success. Instead, we want to convey that showcasing one’s own learning and exhibiting the fundamental values is what will contribute to your success in the long run. We believe that championing academic integrity helps to create a level playing field and enables students to have a fair chance to succeed based on their own learning and effort.
We are delighted to be chosen as this year’s winner for the ICAI’s IDoA Student Creativity Contest in the categories of Best Poster and Best Overall Winner. We look forward to continuing to make a positive change in the world and encourage our fellow students to join us in championing academic integrity in the age of AI.
Note: This blog post was authored by students. ICAI takes pride in highlighting student voices as students are a key stakeholder in higher education and the promotion of academic integrity. ICAI does not endorse or advocate for any position or statement made.
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