UNC Hosts Open World Program from Ukraine
May 10, 2017
UNC Global Affairs
The University of North Carolina at Chapel Hill welcomed five university administrators and officials from the Ministry of Education and Science in Ukraine who were participating in an Open World Program on academic integrity in higher education in April 2017.
The delegation was able to explore the program’s theme from a variety of perspectives while at UNC. Amy Holway, coordinator of student conduct in the Office of Student Conduct, gave the group an overview of the UNC Honor Code, the most common violations that occur and the responsibilities and services of the office. Following the overview, the delegation explored the organization and its procedures and roles in the Honor System with undergraduate and graduate students engaged in the Honor Court and the attorney general staff. A panel of faculty members shared their experiences related to the academic integrity on the Chapel Hill campus. Discussion ranged from the importance of creating good assignments and mitigating violations by students, to academic integrity violations by faculty in academic journals and research, as well as the differences in academic integrity violations with undergraduate students and graduate students.
“I really enjoyed the opportunity to speak about UNC’s Honor System and how we respond to student violations of the Honor Code,” Holway said. “Our discussion reminded me that we are working to address global challenges – not just challenges at UNC – and I appreciated hearing the perspectives of professionals from a different country.”
Kimberly Abels, director of the Writing Center at UNC, and Gigi Taylor, ESL specialist at the Center, emphasized that although plagiarism is considered an issue of integrity, students often commit violations out of ignorance. Abels and Taylor shared the services and resources the Writing Center provides to educate students about the role of sources in academic writing and how to integrate sources appropriately to prevent plagiarism.
After a campus tour, the delegation’s final meeting was with Scott Daugherty, interim vice president for international, community and economic engagement at the University of North Carolina General Administration. The delegation learned about the university’s system and higher education in North Carolina and discussed differences and similarities to the role of the ministry and higher education in Ukraine.
Authorized by the U.S. Congress, the Open World Program promotes greater understanding and cooperation between the United States and the countries of Eurasia by bringing emerging leaders to the United States on weeklong visits for networking and professional development. The Triangle-based portion of the program was hosted by International Focus, a community-based organization that supports cross-cultural understanding and international exchange through educational programs and community events.