The Society of Teaching and Learning in Higher Education (STLHE) in Canada has launched a new national Committee on Academic Integrity and Contract Cheating (CAICC). With more than 40 members from universities and colleges across Canada, this committee will focus on how to promote academic integrity and take action against term paper mills and other forms of contract cheating.
In my open access book chapter “Contract Cheating in Canada: A Comprehensive Overview”, I provide details of an attempt to legislate against contract cheating. Bill 174 was brought forward in the Ontario provincial legislature by the Hon. Albert Roy on June 14, 1972. I often wonder how different things would be in Canada today if that legislation had passed.
As I was digging into that research, I looked up Albert Roy and found that after he’d left politics, he went on to practice laws and was later appointed as a judge. He appeared to be doing some work for a mediation consultancy firm, so I decided I’d drop him an e-mail to tell him about how important this attempt at legislation was, even if it failed. I never heard back, and I figured he was just busy.
After our book, Academic Integrity in Canada was published, I e-mailed him again to let him know so he could read about how contract cheating in Canada had evolved and what we were doing to take action against it. I never heard back… So a while back, I decided to be cheeky and leave him a voice mail.
Last week on Wednesday when I was attending the Society for Teaching and Learning in Higher Education (STLHE) conference in Ottawa, my phone rang just before lunch. I answered and lo and behold, it was Albert Roy calling me back! He let me know that he’d never received the e-mails but was glad that I phoned.
During our conversation I asked if he’d like me to send him a copy of the book chapter in which I’d written about contract cheating in Canada, including the legislation he’d proposed. He said yes and proceeded to give me his mailing address. After he’d finished, I said,
“You’re in Ottawa!”
“Yes,” he replied.
“I’m in Ottawa! I’m here from Calgary for a conference on teaching and learning in higher education!”
One thing led to another and with the permission of the conference organizers, I asked Albert if he’d might have time and interest to drop by my session on Friday morning. (Of course, I figured he’d be busy, off doing whatever it is that retired people do…) To my utter surprise and delight, he said yes, he’d be happy to stop by.
So, on Friday morning, just as he’d promised, Albert Roy showed up to the Ottawa conference centre and we had a few minutes to chat before the session and even agreed to offer a few remarks.
Left to right: Janice Miller-Young, Albert Roy, and Sarah Elaine Eaton. Photo taken at the 2022 STLHE conference in Ottawa on 10 June, 2022.
I went through most of my slides. (By the way, you can download a complete copy of my slides from the conference here.)
When I got to the slide about the proposed legislation, I told everyone in the audience that we had the honour of having Albert Roy with us to share some of his insights. We’d kept it under wraps and it was a surprise for just about everyone.
Albert captivated us with his recollections of being called a “radical” and a “communist” for proposing legislation that would have made term papers illegal and also for proposing other legislation mandating the use of seat belts.
Beatriz Moya, a PhD student studying with me at the University of Calgary took a video of Albert Roy’s remarks and later gave us permission to share it:
This was truly an historic moment for us and Albert Roy left us all feeling energized and inspired.
On June 14, 2022, exactly fifty years to the day after Albert Roy proposed legislation that would have made contract cheating illegal in the province of Ontario, we will have the inaugural meeting of our new national committee on academic integrity and contract cheating. We chose the date of our first meeting for its symbolism weeks before Albert Roy and I had a chance to speak on the phone. Now, this date is even more symbolic as more than 40 committee members will gather to talk about the future of academic integrity in Canada, how to protect it and how to uphold it.
I will be forever grateful to Albert Roy for the work he did as a politician and also for the inspiration he brought us fifty years later as we continue the work.
If you’d like to show your appreciation to Albert Roy for his efforts to legislate against contract cheating, join the thank you card campaign.
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Sarah Elaine Eaton, PhD, is a faculty member in the Werklund School of Education, and the Educational Leader in Residence, Academic Integrity, University of Calgary, Canada. Opinions are my own and do not represent those of the University of Calgary.
Front cover of the Student Academic Integrity Faculty Handbook, published by the Taylor Institute for Teaching and Learning at the University of Calgary
This guide is intended for academic staff at the University of Calgary, though it may also be useful to others on campus including graduate and undergraduate teaching assistants (TAs) and students.
The guide begins with background sections that provide an overview of what academic integrity is, roles and responsibilities related to academic integrity, and how to speak the language of integrity. From there, content is organized into broad chronological categories that guide you through academic integrity before the semester starts (when you are planning your courses) and during the semester (when breaches of integrity are most likely to occur), concluding with a look at the end of the semester and beyond. These are not absolute chronological categories and there can be overlap. Breaches of academic integrity (i.e., academic misconduct) can happen at any time, and these breaches can be complex. This guide is not meant to address all possible situations or outcomes, but instead to provide practical support to help you understand what you can do to promote academic integrity and what to do when a case of academic misconduct arises.
A key message woven throughout this guide is that you are not alone when it comes to promoting integrity or addressing academic misconduct. Cases of misconduct are not handled by individual academic staff members or teaching assistants at the University of Calgary. Instead, cases are
investigated and managed by designated individuals within each faculty, usually an associate dean. There are units across campus that can help you promote academic integrity, and that manage alleged or actual breaches of integrity in your classes.
Acknowledgements
I acknowledge folks by name who provided an editorial review of the content at different stages of development. Additionally, I would like to thank Brandi Dickman and Alix Redmond at the Taylor Institute who provided additional leadership and support during the production process, including copy editing,
final layout, and design.
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This blog has had over 3 million views thanks to readers like you. If you enjoyed this post, please “like” it or share it on social media. Thanks!
Sarah Elaine Eaton, PhD, is a faculty member in the Werklund School of Education, and the Educational Leader in Residence, Academic Integrity, University of Calgary, Canada. Opinions are my own and do not represent those of the University of Calgary.
Dr. Sarah Elaine Eaton is a professor, ethicist, writer, and speaker. She is a strong advocate for academic integrity and ethics in educational contexts.
The Alberta Council on Academic Integrity is pleased to announce Academic Integrity Week: October 17-21, 2022.
Posted by Sarah Elaine Eaton, Ph.D. 
Learning, Teaching and Leadership 
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