Contributed by the Academic Integrity Office.

The Academic Integrity Procedure requires faculty to communicate with students to ensure procedural fairness. To help you with this process, the Academic Integrity Office has developed Faculty Email Templates that provide suggested verbiage for every step of the Academic Integrity Procedure. 

These templates are meant to be used as a guide, and you are encouraged to adapt and use them to fit your voice and meet students where they are in their academic journey. 

The Academic Integrity Office collaborated with faculty to develop templates for the English Language Studies program. These templates removed any complex words and phrases and focus on clarity in communication with students. 

If you are interested in writing your own emails to students during the Academic Integrity Procedure, this post offers some considerations. 

Step 1 of Procedure – Reaching out to your students with your concerns 

The first step of the Academic Integrity Procedure indicates that you should reach out to the student via email within three (3) business days upon initiating review of an assessment for potential academic misconduct. Even if the misconduct was discovered and communicated to the student during an in-person assessment, still follow up with an email.

At this stage, collect as much evidence as possible, including evidence from your student. Students have the right to provide any evidence that shows misconduct did not occur within three business days of when you reached out.

Note: Weekends, evenings, holidays, and Student Success Week do not count as a business day. You can still reach out to the student, but the student’s timeline to respond does not start until the next business day. 

As the faculty investigating potential academic misconduct:

• Be transparent: Inform your student why you are concerned and what you are concerned about. Attach any necessary supporting evidence (i.e., Turnitin documentation). 
• Be clear with your expectations: You have the option to ask for evidence and an explanation via email or a meeting. Regardless of what you choose, inform your student what you expect. If you ask your student to provide evidence via email, inform them that they must provide it in one concise email within three business days. If you ask for a meeting, inform your student when they need to reply to you by. 
• Inform them of their Rights and Responsibilities: While students are expected to be aware of Conestoga’s Policies and Procedures, key reminders can help avoid misunderstandings or disagreements later. It’s helpful for students to know that they have three business days to reply with evidence and are directed to review the Academic Integrity Policy and Procedure.
• Be mindful of FIPA: If the investigation involves other students, ensure you redact all other students’ information (i.e., name, student ID, email, grades, personal communications). In addition, do not request sick notes or personal health information from students.

Step 2 of Procedure – After your student’s response  

In Step 2 of the Procedure, the student will provide their evidence. Once three business days have passed, you can decide whether or not to file an Academic Integrity Violation (AIV) based on all available evidence, using the balance of probabilities. The policy does not require you to reply to students before making a final decision, but you may still wish to reply. If you want to provide a response, consider the following:

• Explain your decision: Whether you file the AIV or not, explain your rationale to the student. If they have valid grounds to appeal, this information will be helpful.
• Encourage your student to reach out to you for academic support: Navigating the Academic Integrity Procedure can be daunting. Let your students know you’re always here to help them in their academic journey! 

The Academic Integrity Office (AIO) has developed Email Templates for Students to support students in navigating Step 2 of the academic integrity procedure. This resource offers structured guidance to help students respond effectively to their faculty’s concerns. 

Step 3 of Procedure – After Filing AIV and Appeal Procedure 

At Step 3 of the Procedure, you are responsible for filing an AIV if there is sufficient evidence of misconduct. Receiving an AIV can result in the student feeling strong negative emotions, and they may act according to those feelings. Once a decision has been made and an incident has been filed, you don’t need to discuss the outcome of the investigation. However, if you would like to provide follow-up communication, consider the following: 

• Be firm and clear: If your student is persistent in sending emails to you, be firm that you will no longer discuss or respond to inquiries regarding the situation. For an example template, review the Template Example for Multiple Emails/Persistent Student.
• Encourage students to contact you about future assessments: While you may not discuss the situation any more, invite your students to contact you if they have questions about future classes and assessments. 
• Direct to the appropriate resources: Feel free to direct students to Conestoga resources and supports. If a student wants to appeal the decision, refer them to the Academic Appeals Procedure.  

Ensuring a Fair Process

Ultimately, email templates promote respectful and transparent communication between you and your students regarding the academic integrity procedure, ensuring that the procedure is followed and all parties are supported in the process.