Is this in my contract?: How part-time contract faculty face barriers to reporting academic integrity breaches
DOI:
https://doi.org/10.11575/cpai.v2i1.68934Keywords:
academic integrity, Canada, contract faculty, part-time faculty, contingent academic staff, sessionals, academic misconduct, academic dishonesty, higher educationAbstract
A holistic approach to academic integrity in higher education requires a concerted and integrated effort of all stakeholders across campus, yet the tiered faculty system of most institutions may be at odds with comprehensive approaches. This paper explores how part-time contract faculty (also known as “sessionals” in Canada) face barriers to reporting student breaches of academic integrity. Drawing on scholarly literature, as well as my experiences as a sessional instructor, I explore this topic. In particular, I note that the time commitment and emotional investment involved in reporting transgressions according to institutional protocol can be especially burdensome for part-time instructors. I conclude with recommendations to better support sessional instructors to foster academic integrity.
References
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Thomas, A. (2017). Faculty reluctance to report student plagiarism: A case study. African Journal of Business Ethics (11), 1, 103-119. https://doi.org/10.15249/11-1-148
American Association of University Professors. (2018). Data snapshot: Contingent faculty in US higher ed. Retrieved from https://www.aaup.org/news/data-snapshot-contingent-faculty-us-higher-ed#.XUNDDZNKi3U
Baetz, M., Zivcakova, L., Wood, E., Nosko, A., Pasquale, D., & Archer, K. (2011). Encouraging active classroom discussion of academic integrity and misconduct in higher education business contexts. Journal of Academic Ethics, 9(3), 217-234. doi:10.1007/s10805-011-9141-4
Bertram Gallant, T. (2018). Part-time integrity? Contingent faculty and academic integrity. New Directions for Community Colleges, 183, 45-54. Retrieved from https://doi.org/10.1002/cc.20316
Blau, G., Szewczuk, R., Fitzgerald, J., Paris, D. A., & Guglielmo, M. (2018). Comparing business school faculty classification for perceptions of student cheating. Journal of Academic Ethics (16)4, 301-315. Retrieved from https://doi.org/10.1007/s10805-018-9315-4
Brownlee, J. (2015). Contract faculty in Canada: using access to information requests to uncover hidden academics in Canadian universities. Higher Education (70)5, 787-805. Retrieved from https://doi.org/10.1007/s10734-015-9867-9
Christensen Hughes, J. M., & McCabe, D. L. (2006). Academic misconduct within higher education in Canada. The Canadian Journal of Higher Education, 36(2), 1-21. Retrieved from http://journals.sfu.ca/cjhe/index.php/cjhe/article/view/183537/183482
Eaton, S.E. (2017). Comparative analysis of institutional policy definitions of plagiarism: A pan-Canadian University Study. Interchange, 48, 271-281. doi:10.1007/s10780-017-9300-7
Eaton, S. E., Rothschuh, S., Fernández Conde, C., Guglielmin, M., Otoo, B. K., Wilson, J., & Burns, I. (2018). Understanding faculty perceptions and approaches to academic integrity in a Canadian school of education. Paper presented at the 25th Annual International Center for Academic Integrity (ICAI) Conference, Richmond, VA. http://hdl.handle.net/1880/106405
Hage, H. S. (2010). Academic dishonesty in the Canadian classroom: Examination of the attitudes and behaviours of a sample of university students in Regina. (Master of Arts), University of Regina.
Hudd, S., Apgar, C., Bronson, E.F., & Gravois Lee, R. (2009). Creating a campus culture of integrity: Comparing the perspectives of full- and part-time faculty. The Journal of Higher Education (80)2, 146-177. https://doi.org/10.1353/jhe.0.0039
Jendrek, M. P. (1989). Faculty reactions to academic dishonesty. Journal of College Student Development, 30(5), 401-406.
Jurdi, R., Hage, H.S., & Chow, H.P.H. (2012). What behaviours do students consider academically dishonest? Findings from a survey of Canadian undergraduate students. Social Psychology of Education, 15(1), 1-23. doi: 10.1007/s11218-011-9166-y
Kezar, A. (2013). Examining non-tenure track faculty perceptions of how departmental policies and practices shape their performance and ability to create student learning at four-year institutions. Research in Higher Education (54)5, 571-598. https://doi.org/10.1007/s11162-013-9288-5
Keith-Spiegel, P., Tabachnick, B. G., Whitley Jr, B. E., & Washburn, J. (1998). Why professors ignore cheating: Opinions of a national sample of psychology instructors. Ethics & Behavior, 8(3), 215-227. https://doi.org/10.1207/s15327019eb0803_3
Patel-Bhakta, H. G., Muzzin, K. B., DeWald, J. P., Campbell, P. R., & Buschang, P. H. (2014). Journal of Dental Education (78)1, 131-145.
Ryesky, K. H. (2007). Part time soldiers: Deploying adjunct faculty in the war against student plagiarism. Brigham Young University Education and Law Journal, (1), 119-152.
Shaker, C. & Pasma, E. (2018, October). Contract U: Contract faculty appointments at Canadian universities. Canadian Centre for Policy Alternatives. Retrieved from https://www.policyalternatives.ca/publications/reports/contract-u
Tertiary Education Quality and Standards Agency (TEQSA). (2017). Good Practice Note: Addressing contract cheating to safeguard academic integrity. Retrieved from https://www.teqsa.gov.au/sites/g/files/net2046/f/good-practice-note-addressing-contract-cheating.pdf?v=1507082628
Thomas, A. (2017). Faculty reluctance to report student plagiarism: A case study. African Journal of Business Ethics (11), 1, 103-119. https://doi.org/10.15249/11-1-148
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Published
2019-08-27
How to Cite
Crossman, K. (2019). Is this in my contract?: How part-time contract faculty face barriers to reporting academic integrity breaches. Canadian Perspectives on Academic Integrity, 2(1), 32–39. https://doi.org/10.11575/cpai.v2i1.68934
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