Academic Integrity Matters (AIM) Course

Academic Integrity Matters (AIM) Logo

Course Description

The Academic Integrity Matters (AIM) course is a self-guided, professional-development course designed to help students develop an understanding of what academic integrity is, why it matters, how to avoid academic misconduct, and the key components of the LU Student Code of Conduct - Academic Integrity policy. 

The course has 8 modules, each consisting of a short video and a text-based summary of the same material from the video. Students have the option to either watch the video, read the text, or do both, and then complete a short, 5-question quiz to test their acquired knowledge. Students must score 100% on the related quizzes to pass each of the modules. Once students have successfully completed all 8 quizzes, they will be awarded a Certificate of Completion- Academic Integrity Matters.

We now offer AIM Annual Refresher Modules. These refresher modules will automatically appear in the content section of the AIM course as an optional module once a student has received their AIM Certificate of Completion. Students who successfully complete the annual refresher quiz will be issued an AIM Annual Refresher Certificate valid until August of the current academic year. 

Getting to the AIM Course

Please use the following instructions to access the Academic Integrity Matters (AIM) course:

  1. Go to MyCourselink (https://mycourselink.lakeheadu.ca)
  2. Log in using your Lakehead username and password
  3. Click the "Self Registration" in the menu at the top of the page
  4. Select "Academic Integrity Matters (AIM)" from the list
  5. Follow the steps presented until it confirms that you've been registered
  6. The AIM course will now be on your D2L/MyCourselink homepage
  7. Follow the instructions to complete the modules

Course Contents

The AIM course covers the following topics:
  • Module 1- What is Academic Integrity?
  • Module 2- The Academic Conversation
  • Module 3- Academic Writing & Plagiarism
  • Module 4- Citation (Citation Styles)
  • Module 5- Cheating
  • Module 6- Working in Groups
  • Module 7- Beyond Your Time as a Student
  • Module 8- Student Code of Conduct - Academic Integrity

Time Commitment 

  • AIM was designed to be completed quickly and easily 
  • Each of the 8 modules is comprised of:
    1. a short instructional video (approx. 3 minutes long)
    2. text-based presentation of the same material (if necessary)
    3. 5-question quiz that tests their understanding of the material (approx. 5 minutes long)
  • Most students should be able to complete the course in about 1-2 hours

Incorporating AIM Into Your Course (For Instructors)

  • Instructors may recommend that students work through these materials for their own benefit, or they can incorporate required completion of the 8 modules into their courses
  • Instructors requiring this course or awarding marks to students for completing AIM can easily verify achievements (see below)

Tracking Course Completion (For Instructors)

  • After successfully completing all 8 modules (with a score of 100% on each of the 8 quizzes), students will be awarded with a Certificate of Completion- Academic Integrity Matters
  • There are 2 ways instructors can track which students have received an AIM Certificate of Completion or an Annual Refresher Certificate: 

1.  Completion Checking Tool

  • This easy to use tool can be added to an instructor's list of courses on their D2L homepage by emailing mycourselink@lakeheadu.ca and requesting access to the "Completion Checking Tool"
  • Once the administrator adds the tool to the instructor's list of courses, they simply need to click on the "Completion Checking Tool", select the appropriate course code from the drop down menu, click "AIM Report" and then "Download Report" for their respective class list.
  • This report will show if and when the full AIM Certificate of Completion and the Annual Refresher Certificates were earned by students in the class. The report is a .CSV file that can be opened in Excel.  

2. Manual Submission of Certificates

  • To manually collect certificates of completion, set up an Assignment folder in mycourselink
  • Instruct students to upload their certificates to this folder
  • Instructors can then verify who has or hasn't completed the course

Instructional Videos