Understanding what academic integrity means can help you stay on track and avoid unintentional mistakes, especially during exams and final assessments.
You can dive deeper into what academic integrity looks like here 鈥 but for now, here are the key things to keep in mind:
Cheating: Just don鈥檛 go there听
Cheating 鈥 breaking the rules during assignments or exams 鈥 is taken seriously at UC. It鈥檚 really important to know the dos and don鈥檛s before you sit your exams, including what you can take into the exam (e.g. calculators may need prior approval).
Be sure to check out the official exam instructions to understand what鈥檚 allowed and what鈥檚 not.
Do -听
- If you accidentally bring notes or any unauthorised material into the exam, hand them to the supervisor straight away.
Don鈥檛 - 鈥
- Peek at someone else鈥檚 answers.
- Talk or communicate in any way with others during the exam.
The above could result in disciplinary action. It鈥檚 just not worth it.鈥
Plagiarism: Know how to reference correctly听
Plagiarism is using someone else鈥檚 words, ideas, or data without giving proper credit. Whether it鈥檚 from a book, website, or even AI 鈥 if you don鈥檛 reference it, it鈥檚 plagiarism.
UC uses Turnitin, an online tool that checks your assignments for copied content. It can also detect material generated by Gen-AI tools such as ChatGPT that hasn鈥檛 been properly cited.
Top tips:鈥
Using quotation marks to quote someone is not plagiarism, as long as the source is acknowledged.鈥听
Check on which style of referencing your lecturer would like you to use for each assignment. This will inform how you cite your references and avoid plagiarism. You can read style guides for referencing here>鈥
Need help? Book a one-on-one session with the team at Te Pokap奴 P奴kenga Ako |鈥 Academic Skills Centre here>鈥
AI tools: Use them smartly (and only if it鈥檚 allowed)听
Tools like ChatGPT and CoPilot are everywhere now, but at UC their use is regulated. Some courses allow them, others don鈥檛.
Check out the helpful online resource with info about which Gen-AI tools are allowed for study use. If you're ever unsure, ask your Course Coordinator before using one.
If you鈥檙e unsure whether you are able to use AI tools for your assessments, please reach out to your Course Coordinator.
Want to understand more? UC鈥檚 AI Working Group has created a detailed FAQ resource to help you navigate AI use in your studies.听
When we all act with integrity 鈥 by being honest, fair, and respectful 鈥 we create a better learning environment for everyone. You can learn more about academic integrity here>鈥
You鈥檝e got this 鈥 good luck with your exams!
