Originally published by the Academic Integrity Office in the Student Affairs newsletter.

Generative AI is here, and everyone is trying to figure out how to live with it.

That is especially the daily reality for Academic Integrity Facilitator Oluwaseun Odeyemi. When an instructor flags an assignment that looks a little “off” (maybe the prose is suddenly much more polished, or the voice doesn’t quite sound like the student’s previous work), it lands on his desk.

But Odeyemi is quick to emphasize one crucial point: suspicion isn’t proof, and it can’t be treated that way.

“The first meeting with the student is not accusatory, it’s inquisitorial,” Odeyemi explains. The goal isn’t to trap anyone; it’s a conversation. Instructors simply want to understand the process behind the work: Walk me through how you wrote this. Do you have a rough draft? What research did you do? How did you arrive at this answer?

Often, there’s a perfectly reasonable explanation, and many conversations end with instructors fully satisfied that the work doesn’t violate the class policies.

The bigger challenge isn’t just catching misuse; it’s figuring out where the lines are. In some classes, using AI to brainstorm or clean up code is encouraged. In others, using it to generate prose undermines the exact skills the assignment was designed to teach.

That makes clarity essential. The best defence against an accidental integrity violation is clear communication between instructors and students on the class policies. Can ChatGPT be used to brainstorm? To get feedback on a written assignment? To check grammar?

Ultimately, academic integrity isn’t about playing cat-and-mouse or outsmarting a chatbot. It’s a campus culture built around honesty, trust, fairness and respect.

Academic Integrity Week runs from October 19 through 23. It’s an opportunity for all of us, students and faculty alike, to continue the conversation about what AI can do, where its limits are, and how to maintain the value of a MacEwan education.

What happens when work is flagged?

If an instructor suspects that an assignment doesn’t comply with course requirements, here is what the process actually looks like:

Step 1: The conversation

The instructor will reach out to schedule a meeting. This chat is meant to give students a chance to explain their process.

Step 2: Resolving the concern

If an explanation clears things up, the instructor files a “no violation” notice and the record is cleared.

Step 3: Formal reporting (if needed)

If concerns remain, the instructor submits an incident report along with a proposed outcome (such as a reduced grade or a chance to redo the work).

Step 4: Review and appeal

If the student disagrees with the outcome, they have 10 working days to request a review hearing, where an independent faculty adjudicator takes a fresh look at the evidence.