Students invited to take a survey on academic integrity at UAA

Dear UAA Student:



The Ad Hoc Faculty Senate Committee on Academic Integrity would like to ask for your help with an important survey we are conducting on academic integrity at the University of Alaska Anchorage.



UAA is taking part in a nationwide survey of college students on the subject of academic dishonesty. The purpose of this study is to find out about the current state of academic integrity at our nation's colleges and universities. This 15-minute survey is similar in design to studies other students have taken for 20 years at more than 190 schools, involving more than 185,000 students. The survey asks you how big a problem you think academic dishonesty, plagiarism and cheating are at UAA, and whether or not you have personally engaged in various types of academically dishonest behaviors. Please be assured that the survey is totally anonymous. It will not ask for your name or other personal identifiers and there will be no way to trace your responses once they have been submitted. In fact, the data will be sent directly to Dr. Don McCabe, they survey's designer at Rutgers University. He will make sure that there is no identifying information on the surveys before he shares it with UAA. This is to ensure your privacy and confidentiality. Please note that only individuals who are 18 years of age or older can participate in the study.



The survey is being administered to students in two ways: through e-mail and in a sampling of general education requirement classes. You are being asked to complete the survey online. If you have already completed the survey in a class, you may ignore this email and any follow-up reminders. If you have not completed the survey yet, we hope you will do so. Although there are no benefits to you personally, your participation will contribute toward better understanding the issue of academic integrity among students at UAA.



It is possible that you will feel uncomfortable answering some of the survey questions. If this occurs, you are advised to skip the question or you may choose to stop taking the survey at any time. There are no other foreseeable risks related to your participation in this study. Your participation in this study is voluntary; you may refuse to participate without any penalty. You are also allowed to skip any question(s) you do not want to answer. Your cooperation is very much appreciated.



The raw data collected will be accessible only to the researchers participating in this survey. The final data analysis will be done by a non-UAA researcher (Dr. McCabe), and only a summary of the survey findings will be shared with the UAA community.



If you have questions, you may contact the principal investigator, Dr. Donald McCabe at Rutgers University at (973) 353-1409, or one of the UAA principal investigators, Dr. Claudia Lampman in the Psychology Department at (907) 786-1619 or Michael Votava in the Dean of Students Office at (907) 786-1214. If you have any questions about your rights as a volunteer in this research, please contact Dr. Christiane Brems, Vice Provost for Research and Graduate Studies at UAA at (907) 786-1099 or you may contact the IRB Administrator at Rutgers University at: Office of Research and Sponsored Programs, 3 Rutgers Plaza, New Brunswick, NJ 08901-8559, by telephone at (732) 932-0150 ext. 2014, or by e-mail at humansubjects@orsp.rutgers.edu. 

The survey is available online at:

 http://honesty.rutgers.edu/alaska.asp.


Thank you very much!