Academic Integrity at TAFE NSW

Academic integrity means being honest and ethical in your studies. At TAFE NSW, we value honesty, trust, fairness, respect and responsibility.

Academic integrity builds trust between students and teachers. It ensures your hard work is recognised and supports real learning.

By acting ethically, you build character and take responsibility. This helps prepare you for study and work.

If you don’t follow our academic integrity policies, we’ll invite you to a meeting to talk about what happens next.

Academic integrity is a shared commitment by staff and students to 6 fundamental values:

• honesty
• trust
• fairness
• respect
• responsibility
• courage.

No matter how tough things get, you must not be dishonest.

We know difficult circumstances can affect your studies. Talk to your teacher if you need help. You can also use our support services.

Read our academic integrity policy and procedure. Learn more about academic integrity by completing the module for your course:

• higher education
• Diploma of Nursing
• all other courses.

These modules include information about generative AI. You can also visit our generative AI page to learn more.

We offer many support services. It’s your choice whether or not you use them. If adverse events hinder your task submissions, apply for special consideration.

Higher education students should see sections 7 and 11 of the higher education assessment procedure [PDF, 310 KB]. If it’s for medical reasons, apply using this form. Your practitioner must fill in this form [PDF, 475 KB], not write a letter.

Vocational Education and Training (VET) learners should contact their head teacher.

We offer many free services to help you uphold academic integrity:

• Counselling and career development services
• Disability support services
• Study support including:
  • Access to review your assessment with a foundation skills teacher. Keep in mind the review is not on the content but the structure, phrasing, spelling and grammar.
• Library services including our:
  • Researching and referencing hub to help staff and students with research skills, referencing, study and writing skills and digital literacy.
  • Referencing skills and how to book a librarian for a one-on-one session, either face-to-face or online. Check the library calendar for scheduled training sessions.
• Subject guides relevant to your course.

If there has been a potential academic integrity breach, this is what you can expect to happen.

• If your teacher, assessor or exam supervisor thinks there’s been a breach, they’ll report it to your head teacher or course coordinator.
• You’ll get an email explaining the concern and inviting you to a meeting. You can bring a support person. If you can’t attend, reply to the email within 7 days to arrange another time.
• At the meeting, you can explain what happened and share any relevant information. The academic integrity team will listen and may suggest support services to help you avoid future breaches.
• After the meeting, a decision will be made based on the evidence. You will be informed of the outcome via email.
• If you don’t agree with the outcome, you can appeal within 20 business days. To do this, submit an appeals form. Check the academic integrity procedure [PDF, 1.4 MB] for valid reasons to appeal.

Learn how to use AI safely and ethically with these resources:

• Understanding academic integrity
• Academic integrity explained in 10 languages
• Artificial intelligence: advice for students
• Identifying, avoiding and reporting illegal cheating services

If you have any questions about academic integrity, or if you would like to become one of our student representatives, contact our team.