CSNN Distance Education – Artificial Intelligence and Academic Integrity

1. Policy Statement

CSNN Distance Education takes academic integrity seriously. The diplomas we issue state that the person named on them has done the work, understands the material, and is ready to practice. That is the whole point of a credential.

AI tools write on behalf of whoever is using them. That is what they are built to do. It is also what makes them incompatible with our assessments. If an AI produced the answer, we have not evaluated the student; we have evaluated the software. And we do not credential software.

This policy sets a zero-tolerance standard for AI use in graded work. Where a finding of AI use is made, the School’s first response is to verify that the student understands the course material through a customized, proctored Integrity Reassessment. A student who can demonstrate retention has the existing grade honoured. A student who cannot demonstrate retention, or whose use of AI is undeniable from the submission itself, receives a zero on the affected course.

Our approach follows the academic misconduct frameworks used by major Canadian universities. The University of Toronto, McGill, Queen’s University, and the University of British Columbia all treat unauthorized AI use as a serious form of academic dishonesty. So do we.

2. Why This Policy Exists

We assess the student, not the program.

Every piece of graded work in our curriculum should answer one question: Does the grade on the file reflect the student, or does it reflect the software? If it reflects the software, the entire assessment falls apart.

Our graduates go on to advise real people on real health matters. We have an obligation to those people, to regulators, and to the profession to make sure every credential we issue was genuinely earned by the person holding it. This policy is how we meet that obligation.

3. Who and What This Policy Covers

This policy applies to:

• Every student enrolled in any CSNN Distance Education program, certificate, module, or continuing education offering, no matter how the course is delivered.
• Every graded element, including assignments, projects, case studies, essays, research papers, reflections, journals, graded discussion posts, quizzes, tests, midterms, final exams, presentations, practicum documentation, client reports, meal plans, protocols, and anything else that contributes to a course grade.
• Every form of submission, whether typed, uploaded, pasted, emailed, recorded, or presented out loud.
• Every student, with no exceptions for enrollment status, tuition balance, academic standing, accommodations, or personal circumstances.

4. Definitions

4.1 Artificial Intelligence Tool

Any software, service, app, plug-in, browser extension, or website that uses machine learning, natural language processing, or generative modelling to produce, rewrite, translate, summarize, outline, correct, or otherwise generate content based on a user’s input.

This includes (but is not limited to) ChatGPT, Claude, Google Gemini, Microsoft Copilot, Perplexity, Grammarly’s generative and rewriting features, QuillBot, Jasper, Notion AI, Sudowrite, and DeepL Write, along with any successor, replacement, or functionally equivalent tool. If a new product launches tomorrow that writes or rewrites on your behalf, it is covered by this policy.

4.2 AI-Generated Content

Any text, argument, citation, reference list, outline, summary, paraphrase, translation, or portion of any of those things that was produced, suggested, rewritten, or meaningfully influenced by an AI tool. It does not matter whether the student later edited the output. If AI had a hand in it, it counts.

4.3 Graded Element

Any part of a course that receives a grade, or that contributes to a course grade, progression, or credential.

4.4 Flag

A signal from our detection services, from an instructor, or from a third party suggesting that a submission may contain AI-generated content. A flag is what opens a review. It is not, by itself, a finding.

4.5 Undeniable AI Use

A submission carries undeniable AI use when the AI involvement is evident from the submission itself. Examples include, but are not limited to: visible AI artifacts such as phrases like “as an AI language model” or “content generated by AI may be inaccurate” appearing in the work, hallucinated or fabricated citations that do not exist, AI metadata embedded in document properties, or a written admission of AI use by the student. Undeniable AI use does not require corroboration by detection software and is not eligible for the Integrity Reassessment pathway under Section 9.

4.6 Integrity Reassessment

A customized, proctored examination administered by CSNN Distance Education to verify a student’s retention of the course material in question. The Integrity Reassessment is the School’s primary remedy for detection-based findings of AI use. Its structure, conditions, and pass threshold are set out in Section 10.

5. What Is Not Allowed

In connection with any graded work, you may not use AI to do any of the following:

• Write any part of an answer, essay, report, reflection, or case study.
• Produce an outline, thesis statement, topic sentences, transitions, or a structural frame.
• Paraphrase, reword, “humanize,” or otherwise disguise something that an AI originally produced.
• Translate content from another language using a generative AI tool and then submit that translation as your own work.
• Summarize your textbook, your readings, your lectures, or a journal article and submit the summary as your own understanding.
• Generate citations, reference lists, or APA formatting.
• Produce answers for quizzes or exams, or rationales for multiple-choice questions.
• Write or polish the script, narration, or speaker notes for a presentation.
• Generate meal plans, supplement protocols, client recommendations, or practicum documentation that will be graded.
• Use an AI tool to proofread or “polish” work in a way that changes word choice, sentence structure, or the argument.
• Copy AI output into any notes or drafts that later get turned into a graded submission.

6. Where You Can Use AI

AI tools are part of how people learn now. CSNN does not pretend otherwise. Where AI is permitted at the School is in your studying and your thinking — not in your submitted work.

7. How We Detect AI Use

Every submission is screened. We do not rely on a single tool, because no single AI detector is reliable enough on its own. What we use instead is a combination of signals:

• Several specialized AI-detection services, cross-referenced against each other.
• Stylometric and linguistic review by trained academic reviewers.
• Comparison against your own prior submissions, so that sudden shifts in voice, vocabulary, structure, or apparent subject-matter mastery get noticed.
• Structural red flags: hallucinated citations, fabricated quotations, uniform paragraph lengths, anachronisms, and the other classic tells of machine-written text.
• Visible AI artifacts within the submission itself, including phrases that AI did not strip out of its output, embedded disclaimers, or AI-tool metadata in the document file.
• Academic interviews. If we need to, we will schedule a virtual meeting with you and ask you to walk us through your own work and explain it in your own words.

A finding of AI use is never based on one tool alone. It is based on the overall picture, weighed by Academic Affairs.

8. The Investigation

A single flag does not lead to a single consequence. A flag opens an investigation, and the investigation looks at everything.

8.1 What we look at

At a minimum, an investigation includes:

• A full re-review of every graded submission you have ever given us, using the detection methods described in Section 7.
• A plagiarism audit of those prior submissions against published sources, the open internet, and peer work.
• A review of your public-facing presence. This includes professional websites, social media, LinkedIn, practitioner directories, clinic pages, published articles, and promotional material. We are looking for misrepresentation of credentials, qualifications, scope of practice, or affiliation with the School.
• A review of your admissions file, prior-learning-assessment submissions, and any transfer credit documentation for consistency.
• Where it makes sense, a conversation with your instructors and academic advisors about any patterns they have noticed.

8.2 How the investigation is handled

Investigations are run by CSNN Distance Education Academic Affairs, with oversight from School administration. You will be contacted in writing that an investigation has been opened; while the investigation is underway, online access will be suspended. Investigations can take up to six (6) weeks to complete. Time lost will be re-added to your course timeline; however, no additional time will be granted to complete any applicable rewrites or Integrity Reassessment.

8.3 The standard we use

Findings are made on the balance of probabilities. That is the same evidentiary standard Canadian post-secondary institutions use in academic misconduct cases. We are not asking for proof beyond a reasonable doubt. A personal denial, on its own, is not enough to overturn a finding supported by detection tools, analytical review, and the judgment of Academic Affairs.

8.4 What the investigation determines

At the close of the investigation, Academic Affairs makes one of three determinations:

• No finding. The flag is closed and your account is reinstated. No record is added to your academic integrity file beyond the closed investigation.
• Detection-based finding. The overall picture supports a finding of AI use, but the evidence does not rise to the level of undeniable AI use as defined in Section 4.5. The consequences set out in Section 9.2 apply, and you are offered an Integrity Reassessment under Section 10.
• Undeniable finding. The submission carries undeniable AI use as defined in Section 4.5. The consequences set out in Section 9.3 apply. No Integrity Reassessment is offered.

9. Findings and Consequences

The School treats AI use findings on one of two tracks, depending on the nature of the evidence. The track is determined by Academic Affairs at the close of the investigation under Section 8.4.

9.1 Both tracks: shared consequences

The following apply to every substantiated finding, regardless of track:

• The finding is recorded permanently on your academic integrity file. It does not expunge, regardless of outcome.
• All financial penalties under Section 9.4 are applied to your account.
• A second substantiated finding of AI use, at any later point, ends your enrolment under Section 11.

9.2 Track One: Detection-Based Finding

Where the finding rests on detection tools, stylometric review, and the overall investigative picture — without undeniable AI artifacts in the submission itself — the School offers an Integrity Reassessment under Section 10 as the primary remedy. The goal is to verify whether you retained the course material independent of any AI assistance.

Outcomes under this track:

• You pass the Integrity Reassessment. Your existing grades on the courses in question are honoured. You proceed in the program. The finding remains on your academic integrity file. The Reassessment cost is non-refundable.
• You fail the first attempt. A second attempt is offered with a different customized assessment. The Reassessment cost is charged again for the second attempt.
• You fail both attempts. You receive a zero on the affected course(s). You may pursue a rewrite under Section 12, with the rewrite grade capped at the grade originally received on the course. All Reassessment costs paid are non-refundable.
• You decline the Integrity Reassessment. You receive a zero on the affected course(s). The rewrite option under Section 12 is not available where the Reassessment has been declined. The Reassessment is the path through which a detection-based finding can be addressed; declining it ends that path.

9.3 Track Two: Undeniable Finding

Where the submission itself contains undeniable AI artifacts, no Integrity Reassessment is offered. The consequences are as follows:

• A grade of zero (0) on the entire course in which the violation occurred. The zero is final and is recorded on your permanent transcript.
• Any additional work identified during the investigation as containing undeniable AI use also receives a zero in its course. All findings within a single investigation constitute one first-offence event for the purposes of Section 11; separate investigations opened at different times constitute distinct offences.
• A rewrite is available only as set out in Section 12, and the rewrite grade is capped at the minimum passing grade for the course.
• Proctoring under Section 9.5 is required on every graded submission for the remainder of your enrolment.

9.4 Financial penalties

The following administrative penalties are added to your student account:

What it covers	Amount (CAD, plus applicable taxes)
Integrity Reassessment — first attempt (Track One)	$250.00
Integrity Reassessment — second attempt (Track One)	$100.00
Administrative penalty for the first finding (Track Two)	$250.00
Rewrite fee, where a rewrite is offered under Section 12	As set out in the current student handbook and fee schedule
Proctoring service for future submissions (per session)	$60.00 per session

Penalties are applied to your account at the close of the investigation and must be paid before any further engagement with the School, including new coursework, transcript issuance, or conferral of your credential.

9.5 Proctoring on future submissions

After an undeniable finding under Section 9.3, every graded submission you make from that point forward is proctored through the School’s designated proctoring service, on the same terms as your final exam. This applies to assignments, quizzes, and anything else that would normally be completed on your own time. The requirement stays in place for the remainder of your studies at the School. It is not optional, and it does not lift.

After a detection-based finding under Section 9.2 where the student passes the Integrity Reassessment, proctoring is not automatically required on future submissions; the passed Reassessment is treated as having re-legitimized the student’s standing for the affected courses. Academic Affairs reserves the right to require proctoring at its discretion where the broader picture of the investigation warrants it.

Proctoring is a paid service. Each proctored session is billed to your student account at $60.00 plus applicable taxes, payable before the session is scheduled. Unpaid proctoring fees will hold any further coursework, transcripts, and credential issuance until settled.

9.6 If you have misrepresented yourself publicly

If the investigation turns up a case where you have misrepresented your credentials, qualifications, standing, or connection to CSNN Distance Education in public (for example, claiming a designation you have not earned, a graduation date that has not happened, or a scope of practice your credential does not authorize), we may also do any of the following, on top of the sanctions above:

• Send a formal cease-and-desist demanding immediate correction.
• Report the misrepresentation to applicable regulators, associations, and platforms.

10. The Integrity Reassessment

The Integrity Reassessment is the School’s primary remedy for detection-based findings of AI use under Section 9.2. It is a closed-book, proctored examination designed to verify whether the student retained the material from the courses in question.

10.1 Format

The Reassessment is administered as a virtual proctored session through ProctorFree, the same platform used for the proctored final board exam. Webcam, microphone, and screen recording must remain enabled for the duration of the session. The session is customized to the courses identified in the investigation. Typical duration is approximately two hours, depending on the number of courses involved.

10.2 Conditions and security protocols

The Reassessment is administered under the same security conditions as the final board exam. ProctorFree’s pre-session checks include identity verification, a room scan, and confirmation that no unauthorized materials or devices are within reach. The following conditions apply throughout the session:

• Your workspace must be clear of all notes, textbooks, and study materials.
• All electronic devices other than the testing computer must be turned off and out of reach. Headphones and earbuds are not permitted.
• No other applications, browser tabs, or programs may be open on the testing computer.
• One blank piece of paper is permitted for note-taking during the session.

The following are treated as cheating during the Reassessment and will be treated as an undeniable AI finding under Section 9.3, irrespective of the outcome being assessed:

• Foreign or unauthorized objects or documents detected within the vicinity.
• Excessive background noise or conversation.
• Unauthorized people within the vicinity.
• Unauthorized documents or programs open on the computer.
• Use of any artificial intelligence or third-party application during the session. This includes assistive applications such as Grammarly or speech-to-text software.
• Use of headphones or other prohibited electronic devices.

10.3 Scoring

The Integrity Reassessment is pass/fail. The passing threshold is 80%.

Question types and weighting depend on the courses involved. For case-study courses, the Reassessment includes case history questions drawn from a standardized question bank. For knowledge-based courses, the Reassessment includes true/false and/or short-answer questions drawn from the course material.

10.4 Attempts

A student is permitted a maximum of two (2) attempts at the Integrity Reassessment. The second attempt, if needed, is administered using a different question set. Fees for each attempt are set out in Section 9.4 and are non-refundable.

10.5 Access reinstatement and preparation

Upon receipt of payment for the Reassessment, online access to the learning platform is reinstated to allow the student to prepare for the session. No new coursework may be submitted during the preparation period. The Reassessment must be completed within the timeframe communicated by Academic Affairs.

10.6 What passing means

A passing result honours the student’s existing grades on the courses identified in the investigation. The student may continue in the program. Passing the Reassessment does not expunge the underlying integrity finding from the student’s record; the finding is retained as set out in Section 14.

10.7 What failing means

Failing both attempts results in a zero on the affected course(s) under Section 9.2. A rewrite may be pursued under Section 12, with the rewrite grade capped at the grade originally received on the course.

11. Second Offence: Expulsion

A second substantiated finding of AI use on any graded work ends your enrolment. This includes:

• A new flag that becomes an undeniable substantiated finding after you have already had a finding on your file.
• A finding of cheating during an Integrity Reassessment session (under Section 10.2).
• A finding of AI use during a rewrite completed under Section 12.

Expulsion means:

• You are immediately removed from every active course, with no refund of tuition.
• Your transcript carries a permanent notation identifying the reason as academic misconduct.
• You may not re-enrol in any CSNN program, certificate, or continuing education offering. Ever. This includes other CSNN branches.
• You forfeit any outstanding academic credit, practicum hours, or credentials tied to the affected courses.
• All outstanding penalties remain owed.

12. Rewrite Option

A rewrite is an option, not a right, and the terms depend on which track the finding fell under.

12.1 Rewrites after a Track One zero (failed Reassessment)

Where a student has received a zero under Section 9.2 by failing both attempts at the Integrity Reassessment, a rewrite of the affected course(s) may be requested at the standard rewrite cost set out in the current fee schedule. The rewrite grade is capped at the grade originally received on the course. A higher grade earned on the rewrite will not be applied; the student’s transcript will reflect the lower of the original grade or the rewrite grade.

A rewrite is not available where the student declined the Integrity Reassessment under Section 9.2.

12.2 Rewrites after a Track Two zero (undeniable finding)

Where a student has received a zero under Section 9.3, Academic Affairs will first determine whether the student remains eligible to sit the final board exam with the zero(s) on their transcript. If the math works out and the student remains eligible, no rewrite is offered. The zero stands.

If a zero under Section 9.3 makes the student ineligible for the final board exam, a single rewrite may be offered. The rewrite is completed under conditions set by Academic Affairs, which may include live proctoring, handwritten submission, or in-person completion. The highest grade earnable on a rewrite under this section is the minimum passing grade for the course.

12.3 Terms that apply to every rewrite

• Every financial penalty under Section 9.4 applies. A rewrite does not waive penalties already owed.
• The standard rewrite fee, as set out in the current student handbook and fee schedule, is charged in addition to penalties already owed.
• Proctoring under Section 9.5 is required on the rewrite submission(s).
• A finding of AI use on the rewrite is treated as a second substantiated finding under Section 11, resulting in expulsion.

13. Appeals

If you disagree with a finding, you may appeal it in writing within ten (10) business days of receiving written notice of the finding. Appeals are submitted to info@csnndistanceeducation.org and are forwarded internally to CSNN management and Academic Affairs for review. The appeal has to set out, specifically, what you are challenging and why, and it has to be accompanied by any evidence you want us to consider — drafts, research notes, version histories, or anything else that speaks to authorship.

The decision on appeal is final. We do not re-open appeals based on personal assurances, hardship, how much tuition has been paid, how close to graduation you are, or disagreement with the policy itself.

An appeal under this section is distinct from the Integrity Reassessment under Section 10. A student may pursue either, both, or neither. A pending appeal does not suspend the obligation to pay penalties under Section 9.4 or the suspension of online access during the investigation period.

14. Recordkeeping and Post-Graduation Reference

We keep a permanent record of every academic integrity finding. That includes the original flag, the investigation file, the evidence reviewed, the finding itself, and any Integrity Reassessment results. These records are retained indefinitely.

If, at any point after graduation, a complaint is made to CSNN about professional conduct, or a possible breach of the code of ethics or scope of practice applicable to your designation, the disciplinary committee reviewing that complaint is entitled to pull your academic integrity file and consider its contents as part of its review.

In other words: an integrity finding does not end with your time as a student. It stays on file, and it can be referenced whenever your professional conduct is under review.

15. Updated Cheating and Plagiarism Provision

This policy is read together with the School’s general cheating and plagiarism policy. That policy is now updated to read as follows:

16. Your Acknowledgement

By enrolling at CSNN Distance Education and continuing your studies, you are acknowledging this policy, agreeing to it, and accepting that it applies to you. We will ask you to confirm that you have read and understood it at registration, at re-enrollment, and, where it makes sense, before specific graded elements.

If you are ever unsure whether a tool, resource, or a specific kind of help is allowed, ask Academic Affairs before you submit. Asking beforehand is fine. Saying you were not sure, after the fact, is not a defense.