Faculty information

Oral exams can be an excellent way to ensure academic integrity is maintained. An excellent resource is the Leeds Metropolitan University Guide to Oral Assessment.

If conducting an oral exam, best practice includes: (1) providing students with a rubric that has explicit criteria, (2) have sufficient questions on the exam to increase reliability, (3) embed interaction through pre-planned probing questions that can test the upper limits of the student’s knowledge, (4) take notes and audio record if possible, and (5) prepare students ahead of time as most undergraduates will be unfamiliar with the nature of oral exams. If audio recording the exam, ensure that students provide consent and use the standard collection notice as shown below. Video recording is not recommended.

Standard Collection Notice (sample; please provide the relevant information in the areas indicated)

In taking this exam you will be required to sign an honour code statement that affirms your willingness to abide with the course policies. These policies may be adjusted as per your instructor’s discretion, but selecting YES as the answer to this question affirms that you are abiding by the honour code agreement of your course.

I understand that the following activities are prohibited and will be considered cheating. I agree that I will not participate in any of the following activities:

• Looking at or copying from another student’s exam or materials while writing the exam.
• Conferring with other students regarding the exam.
• Having someone else take the exam in your place.
• Storing, receiving, and/or accessing course subject matter in a calculator, pager, cellular telephone, smart watch, computer, or other electronic device that can be used during an exam period without instructor authorization.
• Distributing the exam materials in any way.
• Using lecture notes, textbooks, learning aids, or electronic devices during an exam when prohibited.
• Accessing any material from online tools/websites/resources such as ChatGPT or note-sharing websites

The honour code is an undertaking for students to abide by both individually and collectively. You should do your share and take an active part in seeing to it that you, as well as the peers in your course uphold both the spirit and letter of the honour code.

As the creator of written or visual instructional information, an instructor automatically holds the copyright for their course and exam material.  You can more clearly communicate to your students your stance on the sharing of your materials by:

1. adding a copyright notice to all instructional and exam material: © Your Name YYYY
2. drawing attention in class to a statement in your syllabus that explains to how students how instructional material is to be shared (or not).
   
   

Your instructor’s course materials such as PowerPoint slides, lecture notes, the lecture itself and exams are all protected by copyright. Sharing pdfs or other copies of textbooks and course materials, whether or not you profit from it, is a violation of the student academic integrity policy. Recording, copying or sharing of instructional/ exam materials without permission may be a violation of Canadian copyright law.

The Academic Integrity Coordinator (aico@sfu.ca) and the SFU Copyright Office (copy@sfu.ca) can help you contact a website to have your material removed if it is being distributed without your permission.