Nisha Panchal

Biography

The Student Conduct & Academic Integrity Officer manages all matters related to academic integrity and student misconduct.  Ms Panchal provides advice on relevant policies and procedures; investigates and prepares case files - liaising with faculty, the Registrar's Office; Academic Advising and the Academic Departments & Centres.  The Officer also triages with the Provost Office, Tri-Campus Units and consults with legal counsel - providing assessment, analysis and interpreting information and data.

7 Questions with Student Conduct & Academic Integrity Officer, Nisha Panchal

1. What can you tell us about a project you are currently working on?  With a return to campus has come the opportunity to rebuild and strengthen UTSC culture, and Academic Integrity is an important part of that. By learning and being aware of the skills, practices, and on-campus resources available to students in completing their coursework, we build resilience in students to avoid academic misconduct and contribute to a strong community of academic excellence at UTSC. With this in mind we are working to engage in meaningful outreach to students with an eye to academic integrity; specifically, I am working on an outreach plan that will utilize existing social media, peer-to-peer programs, and learning communities (particularly First Year Learning Communities) such that messaging to students includes information about Academic Integrity. The goal is not to make it scary or to quiz students about the rules and definitions, but rather to weave awareness about academic integrity as a sound academic practice throughout messaging about study skills, academic support services, and time management, with a goal of helping students avoid the desperate decision making that often leads to academic misconduct.
2. If you had to define yourself in three words, what would they be? Creative, eloquent, and genuine.
3. What do you enjoy most about your role? Having recently completed an M.Ed in Language & Literacies Education, I greatly enjoy seeing the things I learned about in action. In working on this portfolio, I get a front seat to witness how vital student development theory and strong pedagogy is, in deterring academic offences, as well as dealing with alleged academic misconduct. Principles of universal course design, scaffolded assessments, and flexibility are all aspects of UTSC courses that faculty deftly utilize, and I see how teaching in this way not only makes academic misconduct cumbersome rather than easy, but also allows for concerns with students to be flagged and addressed before they become big problems. I experience these full-circle moments almost daily, and am energized to share the knowledge that comes from this vantage point in my outreach work to departments.
4. Why U of T Scarborough?  Scarborough is home. I was born and raised in Scarborough and my dad still has the house I grew up in down the road at Morningside and Finch. Each of my older cousins and siblings all attended UTSC; for reasons of individuating, it was necessary for me to move away for undergrad. But, like salmon returning to the Rouge River each year, Scarborough called me back. In 2014, after 8 years in two different faculties downtown, I joined the UTSC OVPD, and I have not looked back. UTSC has a culture that is unique and that is growing organically to truly match our students and the community we exist in. If you are having a hard day, a walk around campus is enough to remind you of all of the good things, whether it is walking in the abundance of life in the valley, hearing drumbeats from a student activity on campus, or seeing artwork or student activities around campus.
5. What important lesson have you learned in your current role?  There are no bad students. There are students who are desperate, misguided, and disconnected, but, there is no such thing as a bad student.
6. What is the one thing people likely do not know about you? I am a voice actor. My most rewarding and fun ongoing gig is as a volunteer doing spots for 1065 Element FM (First Nations Radio). Tune in to 1065 in the coming weeks and you might hear a familiar voice encouraging you to take part in a Father’s Day contest! I also took up watercolour painting during the pandemic and have sold my botanical pieces at various shows including the UTSC indoor market. I believe that creative expression is our birthright and that the end goal doesn’t need to be profit, it can and should be enjoyment.
7. Which movie, book, or show makes you laugh the most? Hyperbole and a Half by Allie Brosch. I read it on a plane and I am certain, worried my fellow passengers with my silent, shaking laughter and the tears of mirth sliding down my cheeks.

<May 2023>