In an article about academic integrity workshops designed for those working in Australian higher education, Curtis et al. (2021) provide an inspirational blueprint for an international audience. In the article, they specify that academic integrity workshops would be most appropriately facilitated by “educators who have been immersed in the subject for many years, both practically and theoretically, and those who have themselves actively researched the topic” (p.11). In doing so, these workshops would help participants create “shared understandings and devise solutions”, an opportunity to “share and discuss key concerns”, and a platform to “relieve anxieties about their inability to ‘fix’ the problem” (p.4). Finally, the authors present research showing how workshops which are part of a larger, themed set of “academic development opportunities” (p.4) are more successful.
In Canada, and within Manitoba specifically, there are a number of people who have been working in academic integrity both practically and theoretically for many years. Several help to form the executive of the Manitoba Academic Integrity Network, or MAIN, “an organization that serves to bring together educators and students from post-secondary institutions across Manitoba to support academic integrity initiatives” (Manitoba Academic Integrity Network, 2021).
Drawing on the concept of Curtis et al. (2021), MAIN is offering a series of six professional development sessions related to academic integrity throughout the 2021/22 academic year. Facilitators for the series work at western Canadian universities and colleges, and include educators and practitioners, administrators and authors, researchers and managers. Those who attend all six sessions will receive a pdf certificate of completion via email.
Details on the MAIN Speaker Series, with registration links open to anybody working at a higher education institution, can be found at: https://assiniboine.libguides.com/main-series
References
Curtis, G.J., Slade, C., Bretag, T, & McNeill, M. (2021). Developing and evaluating nationwide expert-delivered academic integrity workshops for the higher education sector in Australia. Higher Education Research & Development. https://doi.org/10.1080/07294360.2021.1872057
Manitoba Academic Integrity Network. (2021). https://mbacademicintegrit.wixsite.com/main
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