Context

At a small liberal arts college, I asked: the Office of Community Standards already has a model for turning a conduct violation into a learning opportunity, the AOD amnesty pathway anchored by BASICS. What would it look like to apply that same logic to academic integrity?

Approach

This initiative-driven project responded to a rise in AI-related academic integrity violations and built on the College's existing restorative approach to conduct. I began with an analysis of institutional case data and a literature review spanning academic integrity, restorative practice, trauma-informed care, ethics of care, and motivational interviewing, alongside a scan of comparable frameworks at peer institutions.

Design Decisions

Key design choices included trauma-informed naming conventions that avoid ranking behaviors by severity, and a color system built for accessibility from the start. The Toolkit was designed as a visuals-forward, practitioner-facing packet that integrates into the College's existing practices while remaining adaptable: a "plug and play" layout other institutions could pick up with minimal customization. The full research document grounds the work in the literature, but the one-sheet and practitioner resources are built to stand alone as an approachable entry point.

Proof of Concept

Rather than propose an entirely new program, the framework builds on established models to show that a differentiated, student-centered, restorative response can be both more ethical and more effective than a uniform punitive process. It draws on existing proof of concept from peer institutions and adapts that logic to this institution's own data and practice.

Outcome

A complete set of resources: a fully-cited research document, visual frameworks, and practitioner-facing guidance materials.

CRSR Academic Integrity Framework Research Document

CRSR Academic Integrity Framework Practitioner Packet

The documents, as of summer 2026, are under review and revision with the Office of Community Standards with demonstrated interest in adoption.