University life can be stressful, and there may be times where you find yourself tempted to take a shortcut. Nevertheless, it’s important to maintain academic integrity at all times and ask for assistance when needed. Here are seven easy tips you can use throughout your academic career to ensure that you are succeeding with integrity.
Read your course syllabi and understand the policies on academic integrity.
Course syllabi can be daunting to get through, but they’re full of important information for students. Take the time to read though the entire document and make sure you understand the course policies on academic integrity. If you’re ever unsure about anything in the syllabus, ask your instructor – they are there to help!
2. Check with your instructor or TA about what is and is not allowed for each assessment.
Rules can differ between assessments – just because you can collaborate or use a particular aid on one assignment doesn’t mean you can for another. In all cases, it’s better to check with your instructor or TA if you are ever unsure about what is permitted for an assessment. Not following the rules could result in an academic integrity violation.
3. Start your assignments early and set incremental goals for yourself.
It can be tempting to put off an assignment if the deadline is far away, but it’s always best to start early to ensure that you have time to complete it. Beginning early also gives you time to get help from the instructor, especially if you encounter roadblocks as you are working. A good strategy is to break assignments up into smaller, more easily achievable tasks – this makes big assignments feel less overwhelming and it keeps you on track to finish.
4. Pace your studying by making a study schedule.
Classes move quickly at university, which means that it can be easy to fall behind if you aren’t regularly reviewing content from your lectures and tutorials. You also retain more information by spreading your studying over time instead of cramming right before a big test.
Set aside a couple of hours per week to concentrate on reviewing the lecture material and doing readings or exercises, depending on what is most relevant for that course. Be specific about you will be doing and what you want to accomplish during each study session. Most of all, longer study sessions are not always better – it's better to take quick breaks in-between so you can stay focused and productive.
5. Don’t neglect your physical and mental health – maintain healthy habits and take breaks when you need to.
It can be difficult to concentrate on schoolwork when you aren’t feeling physically or mentally well. Getting enough rest and having a healthy diet will help you maintain the energy needed to go about your day. It’s also important to set aside time to unwind and relax so you can recharge.
If you are ever feeling unwell, assistance is available both on- and off-campus. The Health and Counselling Centre (HCC) at UTM provides medical care and counselling services to currently enrolled students, and they are able to make referrals to other medical services as needed. For more information on remote supports and mental health resources available to you as a UTM student, check out our Resources for Students page.
6. Reach out to your instructors if you have any concerns about the course.
Your instructors are here to help you succeed, so you should always contact them if you have questions. If you are also facing extenuating circumstances that would make it difficult to complete your term work, reach out and let them know about your situation. While they may not be able to accommodate every request, they will still be able to direct you to campus resources that can assist you.
Above all, contact your instructor as soon as you are aware that there is an issue. It is far easier for the instructor to make accommodations if they know about your concerns ahead of time.
7. Make use of the academic supports on campus for study help and more!
Regardless of the courses you are taking, there is plenty of assistance to be found on campus. If you are seeking course-specific help, take advantage of instructor office hours to ask them questions about the lecture material or your assignments. Instructors also often provide their email address in the course syllabus so that you can reach them remotely if you are not able to attend office hours.
Besides your course instructors, there are a variety of other resources available at UTM:
The Robert Gillespie Academic Skills Centre provides one-on-one appointments that you can book to discuss fundamental skills for writing and math. The RGASC website also has an online Student Resources Hub that contains helpful tip sheets and videos for these areas, including helpful study strategies.
The Math Learning Centre holds drop-ins for students seeking assistance for first- and second-year math courses. Teaching Assistants are available at different times of the week to provide course-specific help.
For research and citation help, visit the UTM Library. One of their librarians can assist you at the Reference and Research Desk or you can use their Ask a Librarian chat service to speak with a librarian virtually. The library also hosts a collection of discipline-specific research guides that contain helpful databases and citation information relevant to specific courses.
Health & Counselling Centre
