ACADEMIC INTEGRITY:

VALUES, SKILLS, ACTION

THE UNIVERSITY OF AUCKLAND

WEEK 1 WHAT IS ACADEMIC INTEGRITY? WHY IS IT IMPORTANT?

1.7 FUNDAMENTAL VALUES
JASON: What does the phrase "academic integrity" mean to you? What values do
you think this phrase invokes? Let's hear what it means to some of our students.
SOPHIE: Honesty.
BO: I guess it means fairness.
SOPHIE: And you can show honesty and fairness by acknowledging ideas of others
when you've used them.
BO: Like in groups, everyone has to contribute equally instead of someone taking
over the whole group project.
ALLY: Trust.
JOSH: Doing your own work.
ALLY: My teachers trust me to create my own work.
JOSH: Yeah, not cheating.
BO: Respect.
ALLY: And that means taking responsibility for my own work.
JASON: Great. These are all values that underpin what we mean by academic
integrity. To that list, you might add one more, courage. We need courage, mental
and moral strength, to stand up and do the right thing, especially when doing so
might be unpopular and costly.
All of the values mentioned here are part of the Fundamental Values project.
SOPHIE: Fundamental values, like what we've just been talking about.
JOSH: Sounds kind of serious.
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BO: Just like what we were saying, fairness and stuff.

ALLY: But what is the Fundamental Values project?
JASON: Good question. The Fundamental Values project was created to define a
set of values for academic integrity and to identify and describe policies and
practises that promoted those values. Specifically, the set of fundamental values
defined included six values: honesty, respect, trust, fairness, responsibility, and
courage.
They're fundamental because they serve as the foundation upon which all healthy
academic communities are built and sustained. Like me, you are now part of an
academic community. And like me, you too are now obliged to act in accord with
these values in all your academic endeavours.
BO: OK.
JASON: You've seen earlier what these values mean to our students. Now you have
a think. What do they mean to you? How might they serve to guide and ground
your behaviour as a student?

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