by: Tristan Pinnock

In 2021, over 1200 academic breaches were reported at Sheridan.

You may know that some of the most common forms of academic integrity (AI) breaches are plagiarism and cheating, but did you know that 97% of Sheridan students received their first offence ever in the 2021/22 academic year? Academic Integrity breaches happen but the most important thing to realize is that everyone makes mistakes. This article looks at the top 6 reasons students breach academic integrity and provides some ways to prevent it.

1.Performance Anxiety/ Fear of Failure

Performance Anxiety & Fear of Failure can be two of the most crippling experiences to deal with as a student. It can be so crippling for students, that some will feel that they are left with no other choice than to cheat or look for an upper hand. Thinking like this is more hurtful than helpful because you are only cheating yourself. You’re really not getting a good grade when you cheat, and you certainly are not overcoming your fear of performance. A better option to overcome this fear would be to get connected with the Student Advisement team.

Student Advisement can help you get started at Sheridan and stay on track with your educational plan and goals. They are your first point of contact whenever you need academic advice, answers and support. I encourage all students to reach out to Student Advisement with ANY questions you may have!

2. Overload/ Poor Time Management

The semester can feel like it starts and finishes within the blink of an eye. This can be overwhelming for many of us and result in a snowball of bad decisions, that eventually lead to an academic breach. Overload and poor time management is something that affects many students which is why the Academic Skills Hub has come up with a module to address exactly this.

For those who don’t know, the Academic Skills Hub is a module to find out everything you need to know about managing your time effectively, taking notes, developing a resilient mindset and strategies for studying and test-taking. These modules are not only great for teaching new skills to students, but students are also rewarded with being able to add these modules to their Co-Curricular Record after completing 4! 

3. Different Understandings of Academic Integrity

Academic Integrity is not universal across the world. What this means is academic integrity at Sheridan College does not necessarily mean the same as academic integrity at another post secondary institution.

The Sheridan student body is made up of such a diverse population of students that it is understandable miscommunications can take place. Breaches of this variety tend to happen because students are unaware of the situation at hand. The best way to avoid a situation like this is to connect with the Academic Integrity Office as early as possible.

The Academic Integrity Office provides education, resources and support to foster the understanding and practice of academic integrity at Sheridan which makes it the perfect place to get yourself up to date on everything Academic Integrity related!

4. Ineffective Study or Project Planning Habits

Bad study habits like cramming the night before an exam can lead to students thinking they have to cheat in order to be successful. The student then gets caught cheating and we are now at the place of dealing with an academic breach. This does not have to be the case at all. Instead of cramming the work at the last minute, it is better to space out your work to give yourself time to absorb information.

A good starting point if you are looking to develop your study habits, is to get in contact with the Tutoring Centre. Tutors offer program support at no additional cost to you as a Sheridan student. Appointments are ½ hour to 1 hour in length, or shorter drop-in sessions. Students may book up to 2 hours per week, per subject.

5.  Disinterest in assignment/ course or program of study

When we become disinterested in tasks, it can become very hard to motivate yourself to do the task to the best of your ability. Once apathy starts to set in, it is not hard to see how a student can find themselves during an academic breach due to wanting to cut corners. As this happens, it is important for you to reflect on why you are at Sheridan in the first place.  Everyone has different goals and expectations for their journey at Sheridan but one common theme we all share is our desire to finish what we started! 

 There will be times during your academic journey when the situation will seem bleak but keeping the main goal in mind helps to us on stay track and away from academic breaches. You can also reach out to the counselling services or Empower Me to talk through the stress you feel, and find ideas on how to approach your situation.

6. Limited Access To Resources & Tools to Thrive

Resources like laptops, phones and internet connection are almost a must to survive within the current academic climate. When students do not have access to those resources, it can lead to the inability to properly excel in the classroom. From there, students may get desperate and make errors such as working on an assignment with a peer when the assignment doesn’t call for that, which then results in an academic breach.

To avoid this situation, reach out to your professor as soon as possible and let them know about your circumstances. Sheridan has many resources available for students in case of situations like this, but the institution has to be aware in order to support! The SSU also provides FREE equipment loans, if you need any support during the school year.

How Can You Avoid Academic Penalties?

Let’s review a few ways you can get ahead of the game and avoid receiving an academic breach:

1. Performance Anxiety/Fear of failure: Connect with Student Advisement

2. Overload/ Poor Time Management: Use the Academic Skills Hub

3. Different Understanding of Academic Integrity: Connect with the AI Office

4. Ineffective Study Habits: Visit the Sheridan College Tutoring Centre

5. Disinterest in assignment/ course: Reach out to the Empower Service for support

6. Limited Resources: Reach out to your professor/ faculty ASAP to let them know the situation ahead of time

The best advice I can give for this situation is to reach out to your VP of Academics & Equity or the Academic Integrity Office to get more detailed information on anything from the appeals process to academic integrity.