Given the unique nature of our shared circumstances, we need to ensure we maintain our academic credibility. It is essential at the best of times, and given the context of an online learning environment, it is crucial we collectively maintain our integrity as both educators and students.

Authenticity is a rare and precious commodity. The authenticity of your studies is something that we, collectively as a staff, recognize as a special kind of trust we share with you and that you share with us.

Assignments and assessments shared with you aren’t created to simply produce a number; they are shared to produce a skill set. When you plagiarize or cheat to produce a number, you are cheating yourself out of a skill set you will need in your future. As the DSM team moves forward into an online forum, the same academic rigor and integrity that was expected of you within the walls of the school still apply. Instances of plagiarism and cheating will still be met with the same consequences they would have if you were in the building.

The purpose of an education is so much greater than a grade. Though we are faced with new challenges and opportunities in the face of our shared circumstances, the trust we give and share is as important as ever. Integrity is something we all aspire to; please honour the trust necessary for us all to achieve it.