Talk to Your Students About the Academic Code of Conduct 

Talk about the Code of Conduct with your students. Research has indicated that the mere presence of an honor code in an online course can improve integrity by helping students understand acceptable and unacceptable behavior and also improving perceptions of their peers’ behavior. But when faculty members also talk about the honor code with their students throughout the course, students are even less likely to engage in dishonest behaviors (Tatum & Schwartz, 2017).

Try the following instructor strategies to maximize honor codes:

• Create a brief video highlighting important parts of the code and how they relate to your syllabus.
• Build an academic integrity policy with your students through an early discussion activity.
• Engage students in a discussion early in the course to work through a case study dealing with an ethical dilemma related to academic integrity.
• Send emails or post announcements during the course reminding students of acceptable/unacceptable behaviors, especially before high-stakes assessments.
• Relate the code of conduct to course content when it’s applicable (e.g., ethics).

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Julia Lehman Caldwell

I earned my undergraduate and graduate degrees in English from UW-Eau Claire, working as a Technical Writer for 5 years in between. In 2004, I began working at UW-Eau Claire as a Technology Training Coordinator and teaching Freshman Composition, joining iDocs as an Instructional Designer in 2012. I love the process of translating what our learners need to know into engaging, interactive online activities.

I live in Eau Claire with my husband Chuck and my son Wesley. When I’m not chasing my son around, I enjoy reading, experimenting with kitchen gadgets, and trying new recipes.

Latest posts by Julia Lehman Caldwell (see all)

• Discussion Best Practices - May 31, 2018
• Talk to Your Students About the Academic Code of Conduct  - March 14, 2018
• Academic Integrity by Design - May 10, 2017