Institutionalizing Academic Integrity: Administrator Perceptions and Institutional Actions

Abstract

Issues surrounding student cheating and plagiarism are ubiquitous in higher education. Research has consistently found gaps between policies and practices on our campuses, a struggle for those student affairs professionals charged with institutionalizing the value of academic integrity. While the motivations and roles of students have been explored in some depth, there has been less research on the roles of faculty and administrators in managing academic integrity issues institutionally. Using a survey developed from institutional theory and academic integrity research, the authors collected academic affairs administrators’ perceptions of academic integrity institutionalization. The results suggest the utility of a sharper focus on cultivating faculty as key change agents and reduced attention to students. The implications for student affairs and academic administrators are several including increased strategic attention to reducing obstacles to successful institutionalization of academic integrity while engaging faculty more thoroughly in the process.