Curriculum and Planning

Accessibility Statement *Senate Approved

Acadia University is dedicated to improving access to campus life for all students with disabilities. While we attempt to ensure that all courses are accessible, we recognize that there are barriers that need to be addressed on an individual basis. Students who require accommodations to complete coursework or otherwise fully participate in class should contact Accessible Learning Services directly as soon as possible.

Please visit Accessible Learning Services website or email them at accessible.learning@acadiau.ca for more information.

Acadia University Academic Integrity Policy

Academic integrity demands responsible use of the work of other scholars. It is compromised by academic dishonesty such as cheating and plagiarism. A student who is uncertain whether or not a course of action might constitute cheating or plagiarism should seek in advance the advice of the instructor involved. The following are considered infractions of academic integrity and may lead to sanction:

• Cheating is copying or the use of unauthorized aids or the intentional falsification or invention of information in any academic exercise.
• Plagiarism is the act of presenting the ideas or words of another as one's own. Students are required to acknowledge and document the sources of ideas that they use in their written work.
• Self-plagiarism is also a form of plagiarism. It is the presentation of the same work in more than one course without the permission of the instructors involved.
• A student who knowingly helps another to commit an act of academic dishonesty is equally guilty.

Penalties are levied in relation to the degree of the relevant infraction. They range from requiring the student to re-do the piece of work, through failure on that piece of work, to failure in the course, and to dismissal from the university. See the Acadia University Academic Calendar for more information.

Link to policy

Land Acknowledgement

Acadia University [the NAME Department] acknowledges that it exists within Mi’kma’ki, the ancestral and unceded territory of the Mi’kmaq Nation. This territory is covered by a series of “Treaties of Peace and Friendship” which Mi’kmaq and Wolastoqyik signed with the British Crown in 1725 and 1726. The Treaties did not deal with the surrender of lands and resources but in fact recognized Mi’kmaq and Wolastoqyik title and established the rules for what was to be an ongoing relationship between nations. Acadia is committed to growing and nurturing this relationship and working to fulfil the Truth and Reconciliations Commission’s Calls to Action for post-secondary education 

Equity, Diversity, and Inclusion Statement

Acadia is made up of communities of diverse individuals and recognizes that its diversity is its strength. Acadia welcomes the full expression of the cultural identities of the members of the University Community. It recognizes that the services it offers cannot be delivered outside of the context of the cultural identities of the members of the University Community and that the expression of these identities is required in order to effectively pursue and achieve academic excellence. The guidance in this Policy is intended to be inclusive and mindful of this diversity in all institutional policies, programs, classrooms, and interactions; representing the human rights of members of the University Community.

Discrimination and harassment must be eliminated from the University Community. The whole post-secondary environment is committed to ensuring that individuals within the University Community are free from discrimination and harassment.

The journey towards a culturally safe and anti-racist community can only be achieved where there are simultaneous efforts to eliminate all forms of discrimination and harassment from our campus community, including the elimination of all discrimination, harassment and violence based on one’s identity, including but not limited to, gender, race, class, ethnicity, sexual orientation, disability, gender expression, and Indigeneity. This Policy will adhere to the Nova Scotia Human Rights Act (the “Human Rights Act”) and the Nova Scotia Occupational Health and Safety Act (the “Occupational Health and Safety Act”) and associated regulations, (Acadia’s 2022 Policy Against Harassment and Discrimination).

The Equity, Diversity, and Inclusion Officer is available to students and employees. The fundamental objective of the Equity Office is to prevent discrimination, sexual harassment, and personal harassment from occurring, in part by managing Acadia’s Policy Against Harassment and Discrimination. For more information, as well as for resources for students who believe they may have experienced or witnessed discrimination, sexual harassment, or personal harassment please contact Acadia’s Equity, Diversity, and Inclusion Officer, Polly Leonard, MSW, RSW (she/her/hers) at equity@ACADIAU.CA, and check out the website. 

Acadia’s Policy Against Harassment and Discrimination

Page 34 of the 2023-2024 Academic Calendar

When required, a student must complete a Declaration of Cause form and submit it, along with any relevant documents, to each of their course instructors. In the case of missing a Final Examination, the procedures for “Setting and Conducting a Special Exam” (detailed under “Examinations” in our Academic Calendar) will be followed, and the Declaration of Cause form and any relevant documents should be submitted to the Registrar’s Office.

This is also a great spot to add any desired associated text around attendance/participation requirements and expectations.

Provide for students your preferred means of being contacted and the modality.

Example - In office hours or availability through Teams at set hours.

Identify for students how and when they will be notified if there is a cancellation or last minute change to the course.

Use of AI in Classes

In this course, students are expected to submit work that reflects their own ideas and engagement with the readings as well as their writing ability. Engaging with the work of others is an important part of academic writing. All ideas and quotations borrowed from other sources must be carefully cited according to the MLA Citation Style https://style.mla.org/.

Students may not use generative AI, such as Chat GPT, or paraphrasing software, such as QuillBot, to help them complete assignments. When an assignment seems like it has been completed with the aid of one of these programs, the procedure for investigating academic integrity infractions will be followed (pages 40-41 of Acadia’s Academic Calendar at https://registrar.acadiau.ca/AcademicCalendars.html).

The use of generative AI or paraphrasing software without citation counts as a form of plagiarism. In this course, the use of generative AI or paraphrasing software, even with citation, constitutes cheating.

If you wish to take an approach that includes the use of such tools in your courses, the University of Toronto has written a very informative document on some of these tools, including some phrasing you may wish to draw from when you write your syllabus language: https://www.viceprovostundergrad.utoronto.ca/wp-content/uploads/sites/275/2023/04/Syllabus-Language-for-Gen-AI-April-2023.pdf

Share the Air Policy – PDF on HR website

Acadia is a scent-free and smoke-free campus. Everyone on campus should refrain from wearing scented products such as perfume/cologne/after-shave/hair spray etc. Violation of this policy could lead to your removal from class/lab/tutorial and potential academic penalties because of missed work.