The Test Centers are used to ensure academic integrity during testing. We also want to encourage instructors to consider one or more strategies on this page to enhance the culture of academic integrity in their courses and across Iowa State University.
- Contact The Center for Excellence in Learning & Teaching (CELT) for further assistance
- Contact the Academic Success Center (ASC) to explore tutoring collaborations that will enhance students’ learning and increase their incentive to engage in their academics with integrity
Communicate early and often to your students about the importance of academic integrity:
- Include an academic integrity question at the beginning of your exams (see the bottom of this page for examples)
- Start the semester with something similar to this short Power Point and its accompanying quiz
- Use specific syllabus language in conjunction with a syllabus quiz to assure the basics are understood
- Require a signed academic integrity statement at the beginning of the semester (see this page for examples)
- Contextualize course content throughout the semester by reminding students of your course’s purpose, value, and relevance to the field of study
- Draw real-world connections between academic dishonesty and its consequences. For example, not genuinely learning key engineering functions could lead to disastrous design flaws
Promote authentic learning with varied alternative assessments that are less prone to dishonest behaviors in the absence of live proctors. Visit this page and any other suggestions linked below for more information on alternative modes of assessment for which using the Test Center would not be necessary:
- Series of short quizzes
- Open book or “take-home” exam
- Discussions with effective question-types that utilize Bloom’s Taxonomy
- Annotated anthology or bibliography
- e-Portfolio
- Fact sheet
- Group project
- Active Learning Strategies (e.g. problem-based learning, collaborative learning)
- Non-traditional paper (essay)
- Peer- and self-review activities
- Professional presentation or demonstration
- Student-developed quiz questions
Consider equity & inclusion in the classroom. One significant predictor for academic integrity is the level of inclusion a student perceives in the classroom. Whatever your teaching & learning environment, strive for equity through inclusion. Consider:
- The level of engagement
- The type of engagement (e.g. video creation)
- The authenticity of engagement (e.g. web conferencing)
- The degree of transparency in day-to-day interactions, writing activities, and reading assignments and clarity in assignments & rubrics (additional information here)
- The degree of accessibility
- The types of writing activities and topics you choose
- The mode of feedback
- The tasks related to readings and the diversity represented in those readings
- The number of student (office) hours, virtual or otherwise
Academic integrity resources at ISU
- CELT campus Resources to Support Students
- CELT Module. Overview of Academic Integrity: The Role of Faculty
- Office of Student Conduct website
- ISU Online Test Centers – provides testing consultation and in-person proctoring
- Student Disciplinary Regulations
- ISU Know the Code YouTube Channel
- Resources for Faculty about Promoting Academic Integrity and Responding to Academic Misconduct webpage
- ISU Catalog’s Academic Life website
- Library’s Understanding Plagiarism: Information Literacy Guide website.
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