ACADEMIC INTEGRITY AT VIU Academic integrity (Links to an external site.) is essential in the learning process, and VIU has a commitment to ensuring that our entire learning and teaching community adh

ACADEMIC INTEGRITY AT VIU

Academic integrity (Links to an external site.) is essential in the learning process, and VIU has a commitment to ensuring that our entire learning and teaching community adheres to the highest ethical standards in our academic and scholastic pursuits. As stated in VIU’s Code of Academic Excellence:

All Virginia International University learning community members are expected to perform with integrity and respect for the high rigors of academic excellence espoused by VIU. Academic integrity includes the maintenance of a learning environment where everyone is given an opportunity to succeed through their own efforts and violations to the Code of Academic Excellence are not tolerated by the learning community.

Part of this endeavor involves ensuring that all students, faculty, and administrators at VIU understand the full range of what would be considered plagiarism—whether intentional or unintentional—and how it can be avoided.

To this end, by Friday of Week 2 in every course, all students must submit a certificate demonstrating that they have completed a series of advanced training modules on how to recognize plagiarism. The certificate must be dated within the last 60 days and must be submitted via an inbox on the learning management system (LMS) site of every course in every term. Students who do not complete this requirement will not be permitted to register for courses in the following term.

INSTRUCTIONS

New Users

Visit this registration page to set up your new account: https://www.indiana.edu/~academy/firstPrinciples/register.html (Links to an external site.). Be sure to select your degree level based upon your current program of study.
Once you have confirmed your email, visit this welcome page to get started: https://www.indiana.edu/~academy/firstPrinciples/index.html (Links to an external site.).
After taking the tutorials (Links to an external site.), click on TAKE CERTIFICATION TESTS (Links to an external site.). Be sure to read the questions carefully and ensure that you are confident in your answers; otherwise, you will have to take the test again.
After you have finished the test, follow the instructions provided below for ALL USERS.

Previous Users

Complete the tutorials: https://www.indiana.edu/~academy/firstPrinciples/tutorials/index.html (Links to an external site.)
When you are ready, click on TAKE CERTIFICATION TESTS (Links to an external site.). If you have already taken a certification test previously, you will likely be given a different test this time. Be sure to read the questions carefully and ensure that are confident in your answers; otherwise, you will have to take the test again.
After you have finished the test, follow the instructions provided below for ALL USERS.

**All Users**

Download a copy of your certificate. (Click VIEW YOUR CERTIFICATE NOW to download it.)

Be sure to note your TEST ID NUMBER. This number will also be emailed to you. If you lose your certificate, you can use your test ID number to access your certificate again. You can also login and retrieve your certificate later if you forget to save a copy: https://www.indiana.edu/~academy/firstPrinciples/mainLogin.php?action=validate (Links to an external site.).
Submit the certificate using the inbox designated “Academic Integrity Training” on the LMS site for each of your courses.

IMPORTANT NOTES FOR ALL STUDENTS

DO NOT HAVE THE CERTIFICATE EMAILED TO YOUR INSTRUCTORS. All certificates must be submitted via the appropriate inbox in the learning management system.
Your instructor will validate your test, so you must take the test yourself, pass it, earn your own certificate, and submit your own unique and valid test ID.
DO NOT SHARE YOUR CERTIFICATE OR YOUR UNIQUE TEST ID with anyone other than your instructor. Sharing this information will count as a violation of VIU’s Code of Academic Excellence, the consequences of which are described in VIU’s Academic Integrity Policy (Links to an external site.).
Every student must submit a certificate for EVERY course in EVERY term. By submitting your certificate, you are confirming that you understand what plagiarism is, and you are acknowledging (as the certificate also states) your understanding that any instance of plagiarism is unacceptable. Furthermore, you are agreeing to the following statement:

“I hereby promise that all of the assignments I submit in this course will represent my own work. Whenever I make use of resources to inspire, inform, or support my ideas, I will summarize, paraphrase, and/or quote those sources appropriately, citing them in APA style. I will not submit the same work in more than one course unless I have received explicit and specific written permission from the professor to build on related work I have previously completed. Further, I will help to ensure fairness for all students by avoiding improper assistance or collaboration (including, but not limited to, providing or obtaining answers to assignments or tests, whether in person or online). I understand that it is better to submit incomplete work than to submit an assignment that contains plagiarism or another form of cheating, and I understand that I am responsible not only for following VIU’s Code of Academic Excellence, but also for seeking guidance if I am ever unsure whether my actions will reflect the standards of academic integrity espoused by the university.”

For additional information and resources on academic integrity, please visit the website of VIU’s Writing, Research, and Media Center (Links to an external site.).