For Sessional and Adjunct Instructors

If you suspect misconduct and are not sure how to proceed, the best course of action is to contact your Associate Dean. 

According to Policy 71, if an instructor who discovers or is made aware of an academic offence in a course he/she is teaching wishes to attempt to resolve the offence informally with the student, he/she shall begin the process within 10 working days of detection or notification of the offence. The proposed resolution may not have a penalty that exceeds a reduction in course grade and disciplinary probation.

The allegation, admission of guilt and proposed resolution shall be submitted by the instructor to the associate dean of the faculty sponsoring the academic activity and the student so informed. If the proposed resolution is not approved by the associate dean, he/she will advise the instructor and student in writing that the matter will proceed as if the informal resolution had not taken place. The Associate Dean will then investigate the misconduct as a formal inquiry. 

For more detailed information, visit Policy 71: Appendix A.

Contact the Associate Dean with your misconduct allegation.

You can refer students to the Centre for Academic Policy Support (CAPS), which is a confidential student support service run by students, for students. The CAPS Coordinator is trained to assist fellow Waterloo undergraduates throughout their experience in navigating academic policy in the instances of filing petitions, grievances and appeals.

If a student in your course has questions about the misconduct process, you can refer them to their relevant Associate Dean.

Your students are sharing your course materials, such as your Powerpoints, handouts, assignments, and notes, on the Internet. To discourage IP violations in your course, it's important to proactively have conversations with your students about the importance of respecting your IP.

What resources can I share with my students to discourage IP violations?

If your students are completing assignments where they integrate third party material, such as videos and pictures, consider sharing and discussing the following resource by Copyright@Waterloo: Copyright Basics: Using Third Party Material in Assignments (PDF). This resource reviews finding legal sources, copyright exceptions, open materials, crediting sources, and contact information for questions.

Students often upload and share course materials without your permission. To deter this, it is important to specify what is and is not allowed to be shared outside of the classrooms. Consider sharing and discussing the following resource by Copyright@Waterloo: Copyright Basics for Academic Integrity: Using Course Resources (PDF). This resource reviews policies and rules on sharing course materials, and contact information for support.

How can I find out if my materials have been posted online?

Using Google, do a search of your course and scroll through the results. Materials are often posted on popular note-sharing and answer sharing platforms. Common searches that will bring up results include variations of the following:

• Your course code (e.g., ARTS 101, University of Waterloo )
• Your course name and term (e.g., ARTS 101, Spring 2021, University of Waterloo)
• Your course name and a specific assessment (e.g., ARTS 101 research assignment, University of Waterloo)

How do I get my materials taken down from note-sharing platforms?

Detailed instructions for the removal process are listed on each note-sharing or answer-sharing site. Most note-sharing platforms have a similar process for submitting copyright violation claims. Typically, the intellectual property owner must be the one who submits the claim. The claim usually involves identifying the URL of the content in violation and providing your contact information.

Instructors can contact Legal and Immigration Services with questions about submitting copyright violation claims.

Are there any other tips to deter students from sharing my course resources?

To encourage students to avoid IP violations (e.g., students posting course materials or intellectual property on note-sharing platforms), have a conversation with your students about what can and cannot be shared beyond the classroom for each assessment. Clearly indicate that students need your explicit permission before sharing any course materials or intellectual property. Encourage them to alert you if they see any course materials online.

Instructors can use the suggested boilerplate text below for course outlines

(Note: this text may be edited to suit individual needs - for assistance please contact the Secretariat & Office of General Counsel):

Intellectual Property

Students should be aware that this course contains the intellectual property of their instructor, TA, and/or the University of Waterloo.

Intellectual property includes items such as:

• Lecture content, spoken and written (and any audio/video recording thereof);

• Lecture handouts, presentations, and other materials prepared for the course (e.g., PowerPoint slides);

• Questions or solution sets from various types of assessments (e.g., assignments, quizzes, tests, final exams); and

• Work protected by copyright (e.g., any work authored by the instructor or TA or used by the instructor or TA with permission of the copyright owner).

Course materials and the intellectual property contained therein, are used to enhance a student’s educational experience. However, sharing this intellectual property without the intellectual property owner’s permission is a violation of intellectual property rights. For this reason, it is necessary to ask the instructor, TA and/or the University of Waterloo for permission before uploading and sharing the intellectual property of others online (e.g., to an online repository).

Permission from an instructor, TA or the University is also necessary before sharing the intellectual property of others from completed courses with students taking the same/similar courses in subsequent terms/years. In many cases, instructors might be happy to allow distribution of certain materials. However, doing so without expressed permission is considered a violation of intellectual property rights.

Please alert the instructor if you become aware of intellectual property belonging to others (past or present) circulating, either through the student body or online. The intellectual property rights owner deserves to know (and may have already given their consent).

The simplest and most effective way to uphold academic integrity in your course is to discuss with students why integrity matters to you, academia, professions, careers and society at large. If share why you value integrity as an instructor, role model integrity, and adhere to maintaining integrity by reporting misconduct, students will be less likely to engage in academic misconduct. 

In the Online Environment

The Office of Academic Integrity has several resources designed specifically to promote academic integrity online. Visit our Resources for Online Assessment for:

• Tips on academic integrity in online exams
• Academic integrity agreements for assignments and tests
• Aids Infographic Icons to clearly and visually indicate what is and is not permitted on your assessment
• Academic integrity tutorials and quizzes for students

Resources to Refer your Students to

Integrate presentations into your course content to support strong learning skills. The 5 minute academic skills presentations can be found in the Campus Access Sharepoint folder. This contains resources on academic integrity, time management, getting assignments done, exam preparation, and much more.

Additionally, browse the following sections for student resources you can proactively refer students to:

• Referencing and Research Skills (i.e., how to cite, paraphrase, and research)
• Group Work (i.e., group work tips/resources for your students)
• Stress and Time Management
• Academic Advice and Tutoring
• Reviewing Written Work (i.e., ethical editing)
• Undergraduate Academic Integrity Module