Statements excerpted from Teaching and Learning Resources

Exam and Syllabus Statements

A consolidated list of Syllabus Statements is provided below. These statements have been excerpted from the Teaching and Learning Resources.

Any questions regarding the exam or syllabus statements can be directed to vptl@queensu.ca 

 

 

Exam Statements

Academic Integrity

Excerpted from the Guidelines for Remote Proctoring Tools and the Guidelines for Online-Live Proctoring

Instructors are encouraged to provide clear communication to students regarding departures from academic integrity and the related consequences. The following statement should be included at the beginning of each remote-proctored exam:

Departures from academic integrity include plagiarism, use of unauthorized materials or services, facilitation, forgery, falsification, unauthorized use of intellectual property, and collaboration, and are antithetical to the development of an academic community at Queen’s.  Given the seriousness of these matters, actions which contravene the regulation on academic integrity carry sanctions that can range from a warning or the loss of grades on an assignment to the failure of a course to a requirement to withdraw from the University.  In the case of online exams, impersonating another student, copying from another student, making information available to another student about the exam questions or possible answers, communicating with another person during an exam or about an exam during the exam window, or accessing unauthorized materials, including smart devices, are actions in contravention of academic integrity.

Syllabus Statements

Communication and Privacy

Excerpted from the Guidelines for Remote Proctoring Tools

All students must be informed at the start of the course that the instructor will be using a remote proctoring tool. In addition, it is recommended that instructors also address the use of the chosen remote proctoring tool at the outset of the course, whether the proctoring will be live or recorded, and the importance of academic integrity with students.

The course syllabus must therefore contain the following statements for students:

The final exam and some tests/quizzes in this course will use remote proctoring provided by a third-party, cloud-based service that enables the completion of a proctored exam or test from an off-campus location, through onQ or Elentra. This online proctoring solution was chosen as part of the approach to maintaining academic integrity in online assessment. Precise details about how remote proctoring will be used in this course can be found in the “Getting Started with Remote Proctoring” content module in onQ or will be provided by the instructor.

When writing tests/exams using remote proctoring, you are connecting to the third-party service. Queen’s has conducted a privacy and security review of the services in accordance with Ontario’s privacy legislation.

You should also take measures yourself to protect your information by keeping your NetID password and challenge questions private, closing all applications prior to starting an exam/test, and ensuring your device is updated and safeguarded against malware.

For more information about remote proctoring, see the Student FAQs on the OUR Exams resource page for remote proctoring: http://www.queensu.ca/registrar/students/examinations/exams-office-services/remote-proctoring

Remote Proctoring

Excerpted from the Remote Proctoring Syllabus Statements and the Guidelines for Online-Live Proctoring

Include this text in the course syllabus if a remote proctoring service will be used in this course:

The final exam and some tests/quizzes in this course will use remote proctoring provided by a third-party, cloud-based service that enables the completion of a proctored exam or test from an off-campus location, through onQ or Elentra. This online proctoring solution was chosen as part of the approach to maintaining academic integrity in online assessment. Precise details about how remote proctoring will be used in this course can be found in the “Getting Started with Remote Proctoring” content module in onQ or will be provided by the instructor.

When writing tests/exams using remote proctoring, you are connecting to the third-party service. Queen’s has conducted a privacy and security review of the services in accordance with Ontario’s privacy legislation.

You should also take measures yourself to protect your information by keeping your NetID password and challenge questions private, closing all applications prior to starting an exam/test, and ensuring your device is updated and safeguarded against malware.

For more information about remote proctoring, see the Student FAQs on the OUR Exams resource page for remote proctoring: http://www.queensu.ca/registrar/students/examinations/exams-office-services/remote-proctoring

Recording Synchronous (Live) Classes

Excerpted from the Remote Proctoring Syllabus Statements

The course syllabus must contain the following statement for students who require academic accommodations in their exams as authorized by QSAS:

To have your accommodations applied to a remote-proctored exam please follow the instructions for the course, as outlined on the QSAS website. Your exam accommodations, as authorized by your Letter of Accommodation, will be incorporated into your Examity/ Proctortrack exam session. Please note that exam accommodations that are uploaded for a specific exam are only visible to students once they begin their exam in the Exam Portal.

Academic Accommodations

Excerpted from the Guidelines for Remote Proctoring Tools

The course syllabus must contain the following statement for students who require academic accommodations in their exams as authorized by QSAS:

To have your accommodations applied to a remote-proctored exam please follow the instructions for the course, as outlined on the QSAS website. Your exam accommodations, as authorized by your Letter of Accommodation, will be incorporated into your Examity/ Proctortrack exam session. Please note that exam accommodations that are uploaded for a specific exam are only visible to students once they begin their exam in the Exam Portal.

Syllabus Template for Graduate Courses

Last Updated: February 2021

 PDF

 Word Document

It is recommended that course syllabi for all graduate courses should include:

  • Statement on Academic Integrity
  • Statement on Copyright of Course Materials
  • Privacy Statement for Instructors Who Use External Software in Their Course
  • Statement on Academic Accommodations for Students with Disabilities
  • Statement on Academic Considerations for Students in Extenuating Circumstances
  • Statement on Use and Retention of Video Recording (if using)
  • Statements on Remote Proctoring (if using)

Statement on Academic Integrity

The following statement on academic integrity builds on a definition approved by Senate and is designed to make students aware of the importance of the concept and the potential consequences of departing from the core values of academic integrity. It is required that this statement be included on all course syllabi. Instructors may also consider including this statement with each assignment.

Queen’s students, faculty, administrators and staff all have responsibilities for upholding the fundamental values of academic integrity; honesty, trust, fairness, respect, responsibility and courage (see www.academicintegrity.org). These values are central to the building, nurturing and sustaining of an academic community in which all members of the community will thrive. Adherence to the values expressed through academic integrity forms a foundation for the “freedom of inquiry and exchange of ideas” essential to the intellectual life of the University (see the Senate Report on Principles and Priorities http://www.queensu.ca/secretariat/policies/senate/report-principles-and-priorities).

Students are responsible for familiarizing themselves with the regulations concerning academic integrity and for ensuring that their assignments and their behaviour conform to the principles of academic integrity. Information on academic integrity is available in the SGS Calendar (https://www.queensu.ca/sgs/graduate-calendar/academic-integrity-policy) and from the instructor of this course. Departures from academic integrity include plagiarism, use of unauthorized materials, facilitation, forgery, falsification and unauthorized use of intellectual property, and are antithetical to the development of an academic community at Queen’s. Given the seriousness of these matters, actions which contravene the regulation on academic integrity carry sanctions that can range from a warning or the loss of grades on an assignment to the failure of a course to a requirement to withdraw from the university.

It is recommended that instructors add a paragraph here to explain issues of academic integrity that are particularly relevant to the course.  For example:

  • Groupwork – what level of collaboration is acceptable? Clearly state if there are things students must do alone. Possible example:
    • You are permitted to work with a partner or in groups of 3 to encourage collaboration, cooperation, and collective learning on lab assignments. You are not permitted to share answers among large groups or as a tutorial group. You must work independently on quizzes and “pop questions”.

Statement on Copyright of Course Materials

The following statement is pre-loaded into courses created in onQ:

Course materials created by the course instructor, including all slides, presentations, handouts, tests, exams, and other similar course materials, are the intellectual property of the instructor. It is a departure from academic integrity to distribute, publicly post, sell or otherwise disseminate an instructor’s course materials or to provide an instructor’s course materials to anyone else for distribution, posting, sale or other means of dissemination, without the instructor’s express consent.  A student who engages in such conduct may be subject to penalty for a departure from academic integrity and may also face adverse legal consequences for infringement of intellectual property rights. 

Privacy Statement for Instructors Who Use External Software in Their Course

This course makes use of [name of software or company] for xxxxxxxx. Be aware that by logging into the site, you will be leaving onQ, and accessing [the name of company’s] website and [name of software application].  Your independent use of that site, beyond what is required for the course (for example, purchasing the company’s products), is subject to [name of company’s] terms of use and privacy policy. You are encouraged to review these documents, using the link(s) below, before using the site.

Links to the most common websites used by instructors are listed below: 

Statement on Academic Accommodations for Students with Disabilities

Queen’s University is committed to achieving full accessibility for people with disabilities. Part of this commitment includes arranging academic accommodations for students with disabilities to ensure they have an equitable opportunity to participate in all of their academic activities. The Senate Policy for Accommodations for Students with Disabilities was approved at Senate in November 2016 (see https://www.queensu.ca/secretariat/sites/webpublish.queensu.ca.uslcwww/files/files/policies/senateandtrustees/ACADACCOMMPOLICY2016.pdf). If you are a student with a disability and think you may need academic accommodations, you are strongly encouraged to contact the Queen’s Student Accessibility Services (QSAS) and register as early as possible.  For more information, including important deadlines, please visit the QSAS website at:  http://www.queensu.ca/studentwellness/accessibility-services/

Statement on Academic Consideration for Students with Extenuating Circumstances

Queen’s University is committed to providing academic consideration to students experiencing extenuating circumstances that are beyond their control and are interfering with their ability to complete academic requirements related to a course for a short period of time. The Senate Policy on Academic Consideration for Students in Extenuating Circumstances is available at http://www.queensu.ca/secretariat/sites/webpublish.queensu.ca.uslcwww/files/files/policies/senateandtrustees/Academic%20Considerations%20for%20Extenuating%20Circumstances%20Policy%20Final.pdf

Each Faculty has developed a protocol to provide a consistent and equitable approach in dealing with requests for academic consideration for students facing extenuating circumstances.  SGS students can find the Academic consideration information at:  https://www.queensu.ca/sgs/accommodation-and-academic-consideration.

If you need to request academic consideration for this course, you will be required to provide the name and email address of the instructor/coordinator. Please use the following:

Instructor/Coordinator Name:
Instructor/Coordinator email address:

Statement on Use and Retention of Video Recording (if using)

Include the following statement in the course syllabus if you plan to record your synchronous (live) classes or meetings and make the recordings available to students in your class afterwards:

Synchronous (live) classes will be delivered in this course through a video conferencing platform supported by the University [MS Teams, Zoom].  Steps have been taken by the University to configure these platforms in a secure manner.  Classes will be recorded with video and audio (and in some cases transcription) and will be made available to students in the course for the duration of the term.  The recordings may capture your name, image or voice through the video and audio recordings.  By attending these live classes, you are consenting to the collection of this information for the purposes of administering the class and associated coursework.  If you are concerned about the collection of your name and other personal information in the class, please contact the course instructor to identify possible alternatives.

To learn more about how your personal information is collected, used and disclosed by Queen’s University, please see the general Notice of Collection, Use and Disclosure of Personal Information.

Statements on Remote Proctoring (if using)

  1. All students must be informed at the start of the course that the instructor will be using a remote proctoring tool for tests/exams.  In addition, it is recommended that instructors also address the use of the chosen remote proctoring tool at the outset of the course, whether the proctoring will be live or recorded, and the importance of academic integrity with students.  The course syllabus must therefore contain the following statements for students:

The final exam and some tests/quizzes in this course will use remote proctoring provided by a third-party, cloud-based service that enables the completion of a proctored exam or test from an off-campus location, through onQ or Elentra.  This online proctoring solution was chosen as part of the approach to maintaining academic integrity in online assessment.  Precise details about how remote proctoring will be used in this course can be found in the “Getting Started with Remote Proctoring” content module in onQ or will be provided by the instructor.

When writing tests/exams using remote proctoring, you are connecting to the third-party service.  Queen’s has conducted a privacy and security review of the services in accordance with Ontario’s privacy legislation, and has entered into binding agreements with Examity/Proctortrack.

You should also take measures yourself to protect your information by keeping your NetID password and challenge questions private, closing all applications prior to starting an exam/test, and ensuring your device is updated and safeguarded against malware.

For more information about remote proctoring, see the Student FAQs on the OUR Exams resource page for remote proctoring:

      http://www.queensu.ca/registrar/students/examinations/exams-office-services/remote-proctoring

  1. The course syllabus must contain the following statement for students who require academic accommodations in their exams as authorized by QSAS:

To have your accommodations applied to a remote-proctored exam please follow the instructions for the course, as outlined on the QSAS website.  Your exam accommodations, as authorized by your Letter of Accommodation, will be incorporated into your Examity/Proctortrack exam session.  Please note that exam accommodations that are uploaded for a specific exam are only visible to students once they begin their exam in the Exam Portal.

  1. Additional information related to academic integrity in the context of remotely-proctored exams should be included for courses where exams will be monitored by remote proctoring.

Departures from academic integrity include plagiarism, use of unauthorized materials or services, facilitation, forgery, falsification, unauthorized use of intellectual property, and collaboration, and are antithetical to the development of an academic community at Queen’s. Given the seriousness of these matters, actions which contravene the regulation on academic integrity carry sanctions that can range from a warning or the loss of grades on an assignment to the failure of a course to a requirement to withdraw from the University. In the case of online exams, impersonating another student, copying from another student, making information available to another student about the exam questions or possible answers, communicating with another person during an exam or about an exam during the exam window, or accessing unauthorized materials, including smart devices, are actions in contravention of academic integrity.