Culture Of Academic Integrity Research Articles

Means of Forming a Culture of Academic Integrity of Postgraduate Students: Experience of Ukraine and the European Union

Means of Forming a Culture of Academic Integrity of Postgraduate Students: Experience of Ukraine and the European Union

THE MODERN TEACHER AS A SUBJECT IN THE PROCESS OF FORMING FUTURE PHD`S CULTURE OF ACADEMIC INTEGRITY: TEMPORA MUTANTUR, ET NOS MUTAMUR IN ILLIS

The article is aimed to characterize the skills and qualities of a modern university teacher in Ukrainian higher education as a subject in the process of forming the culture of academic integrity for the future Doctor of Philosophy. The instructor must showcase a profound grasp of the various scientific fields they teach, possessing the foundational knowledge to tackle diverse socio-economic, production, and cultural challenges. Furthermore, it is crucial for the instructor to remain abreast of new research, discoveries, and hypotheses, anticipating the evolving landscape of the science they teach and fostering a culture of scientific and pedagogical thought. Effective communication skills are essential for instructors, facilitating lucid and accessible explanations of intricate concepts and enhancing students’ comprehension of the material. The instructor’s capacity to stimulate the intellectual growth of PhD candidates, nurture creative and critical thinking, and employ innovative teaching methodologies delineates a high level of professionalism. An instructor should also be committed to encouraging the personal development of students, fostering their critical thinking, creative autonomy, and self-expression. All these efforts contribute to the cultivation of academic integrity among PhD candidates. In essence, these characteristics converge to transform the instructor into not just a conduit of knowledge but also a mentor who nurtures the scholarly potential of future PhDs.

THE MODERN TEACHER AS A SUBJECT IN THE PROCESS OF FORMING FUTURE PHD`S CULTURE OF ACADEMIC INTEGRITY: TEMPORA MUTANTUR, ET NOS MUTAMUR IN ILLIS

The article is aimed to characterize the skills and qualities of a modern university teacher in Ukrainian higher education as a subject in the process of forming the culture of academic integrity for the future Doctor of Philosophy. The instructor must showcase a profound grasp of the various scientific fields they teach, possessing the foundational knowledge to tackle diverse socio-economic, production, and cultural challenges. Furthermore, it is crucial for the instructor to remain abreast of new research, discoveries, and hypotheses, anticipating the evolving landscape of the science they teach and fostering a culture of scientific and pedagogical thought. Effective communication skills are essential for instructors, facilitating lucid and accessible explanations of intricate concepts and enhancing students’ comprehension of the material. The instructor’s capacity to stimulate the intellectual growth of PhD candidates, nurture creative and critical thinking, and employ innovative teaching methodologies delineates a high level of professionalism. An instructor should also be committed to encouraging the personal development of students, fostering their critical thinking, creative autonomy, and self-expression. All these efforts contribute to the cultivation of academic integrity among PhD candidates. In essence, these characteristics converge to transform the instructor into not just a conduit of knowledge but also a mentor who nurtures the scholarly potential of future PhDs.

NORMATIVE-LEGAL ASPECTS OF PROMOTING A CULTURE OF ACADEMIC INTEGRITY IN THE CONDITIONS OF KNOWLEDGE ECONOMY DEVELOPMENT

The article discusses issues of academic integrity in higher education institutions with consideration of legal support. In the context of promoting a culture of quality, the implementation of international principles of academic integrity is a priority for the development of the education system. Academic integrity is an important component in the training of specialists at higher education institutions and depends on the policy of promoting a culture of integrity, establishing clear rules and assessments that encourage creativity. The study of promoting a culture of quality and academic integrity includes methods of theoretical analysis, comparative analysis, assessment of the state of the education system, legislative support, formation of new approaches to developing policies of academic integrity in universities to improve the quality of training and the employability of graduates as competitive specialists in the labour market. The value of the article lies in the in-depth study of the interaction between promoting a culture of academic integrity and the quality assurance of education. The aim of the article is to study the legal aspects of promoting the principles of academic integrity and the quality assurance of education in the context of the knowledge economy.

Plagiarism in Academic and Professional Settings: Dimensions, Consequences, and Preventive Measure

Plagiarism defines as the act of using another person's work or ideas without giving proper crediton. Plagiarism is a widespread problem in both academic and professional settings. Plagiarism brings about a wide range of consequences from academic penalties such as failing grades to legal repercussions in professional contexts. It can manifest itself in a variety of ways, including the outright copying of content or the paraphrasing the text without correct or lack of referencing. In addition to this, it is detrimental to the principles of intellectual honesty and stifles the development of skills in critical thinking. This article describes the many facets of plagiarism, including its numerous ramifications and the potential preventative steps. Both employers and educational institutions have a responsibility to adopt preventative actions in order to solve this problem. Implementation of instructional programs on appropriate ways of citation, the cultivation of a culture of academic integrity, and the utilization of systems that detect instances of plagiarism are the solutions.

Academic Integrity Training Module for Academic Stakeholders: IEPAR Framework

The global surge in academic misconduct during the COVID-19 pandemic, exacerbated by remote teaching and online assessment, necessitates a comprehensive understanding of the multidimensional aspects and stakeholders' perspectives associated with this issue. This paper addresses the prevalent use of answer-providing sites and other types of academic misconduct, underscoring the challenge of detecting all or most of the student misconduct. Exploring factors such as faculty inexperience in remote teaching and assessment, the paper advocates for proactive measures to preserve integrity in education. Emphasizing the need for a culture of integrity beyond traditional classrooms, the paper reviews existing models, then details steps to create a framework using the International Labour Organization (ILO)’s TREE training method. It presents the IEPAR framework (Inspiration, Education, Pedagogical considerations, Assessment design, Response and Restorative practice), and assesses its effectiveness. Incorporating faculty feedback, the paper concludes with evidence-based findings, positioning the IEPAR framework as a robust approach for addressing academic misconduct and fostering a culture of academic integrity in higher education through responsible training of all stakeholders.

Academic Integrity Strategies: Student Insights

This paper reports the key findings from two student surveys undertaken at our institution in the academic years 2020-21 and 2021-22. The research was based on the Bretag et al. (2018) student survey undertaken in various Australian universities. After discussions with both Bretag and Harper, we adapted the questions to our context – a Russell Group university in the UK – but included similar questions to enable a comparison, and to find out if there were common themes. The main aim of the surveys was to understand our students’ awareness of what is meant by the term ‘academic integrity’, defined as ‘being honest in your work, acknowledging the work of others and giving credit where you have used other people’s ideas/data’ https://secretariat.leeds.ac.uk/wp-content/uploads/sites/109/2022/12/academic_integrity.pdf. The responses provided an important insight into student attitudes to academic integrity, their understanding of academic malpractice, and their awareness of the penalties if found to have plagiarised, and if found guilty of contract cheating (Medway et al., 2018; Morris, 2018; Harper et al., 2019). The surveys also identified what students would find useful in developing their understanding of academic integrity, and this underlines the importance of consulting our students. Key findings include gaps in the information provided to students, the need for regular and timely reminders of the principles of academic integrity, and the need for guidance to be written using student-friendly language. The findings informed our recommendations in terms of teaching and learning at School/Faculty level and to policy at University level, to further support student success. In the context of the key issues raised by the Quality Assurance Agency for Higher Education (QAA) Academic Integrity Charter (2020), we discuss examples of best practice currently undertaken at the University of Leeds, on-going discussions regarding developments, and our recommendations for further embedding a culture of academic integrity. We argue that all students should have the same baseline experience and therefore promoting this ethos is the responsibility of all staff who teach and support students.

Compliance with standards of academic integrity in us higher education institutions

Peculiarities of compliance with norms of academic integrity in institutions of higher education of the United States of America are considered. In US universities, special Departments of academic integrity have been created, the task of which is to monitor compliance with the norms of academic integrity of all those involved in the educational process. Codes of academic integrity have been developed in all institutions of higher education in this country. The codes contain rules and principles that justify decent educational behavior within the community, develop norms that make it possible to prevent manifestations of academic dishonesty. The work of the Department of Academic Integrity is analyzed and its direction is shown. In order to prevent, consider and fix violations of academic integrity, a legal procedure in the form of a document (Charge of Academic Dishon-Form) has been developed in the USA. Academic Integrity Centers have been established in US universities. Such Centers define academic integrity as a set of five fundamental values: honesty, trust, justice, respect, responsibility. The tools used to ensure the culture of academic integrity in the USA are highlighted. For this purpose, an analysis of the educational process of the University of Chicago, the University of California at Northridge, the University of South Carolina, the University of Stevenson in Maryland, the University of Western Kentucky, and the State University of New Jersey was carried out. In US universities, academic integrity is accepted as a norm, which has turned into a traditional, mandatory element of education. The Standards of Conduct in US Universities have been developed for the academic community. These are Codes of Honor. The main institutional means in the USA in the field of academic integrity are shown.

IMPLEMENTATION OF THE PRINCIPLES OF ACADEMIC INTEGRITY IN THE EDUCATIONAL AND SCIENTIFIC ENVIRONMENT OF THE KYIV NATIONAL UNIVERSITY OF TECHNOLOGY AND DESIGN

Implementation of the principles of academic integrity in the educational and scientific environment of the Kyiv National University of Technology and Design (KNUTD) requires a comprehensive approach, which involves clear methodological recommendations, educational programs and institutional support. KNUTD strives to develop a culture of academic integrity, ensuring that students, teachers and researchers adhere to ethical standards in their educational and scientific activities. This involves preventing plagiarism, promoting honest research methods and fostering a sense of responsibility and integrity in the academic community. The purpose of this article is to provide an example, improve practical approaches, generalize and popularize the system of implementation of the provisions of academic integrity that promote academic integrity among higher education students, postgraduate students, and academic staff of the Kyiv National University of Technology and Design. The main task of the research is to create an environment where academic integrity is valued, understood, and practiced by all members of the university community by enhancing the quality of education, research, and scholarship while maintaining the highest ethical standards. The research methodology consists in the study of normative documents of Ukraine and internal regulations of KNUTD on issues of academic integrity. The main directions for achieving the set goal should be: policy development (development of a clear policy of academic integrity and codes of conduct that define plagiarism, plagiarism and other forms of academic misconduct, outline the consequences for violations and ensure a fair and transparent disciplinary process); educational programs (Integrating academic integrity into the educational process, including modules on proper citation, research ethics, and the consequences of academic misconduct); technological integration (implementation of plagiarism detection tools to detect and prevent plagiarism in academic tasks and research papers); institutional support (establishment of an academic integrity office or committee to oversee policy implementation and review reported cases); ongoing evaluation (regular evaluation of the effectiveness of academic integrity programs through surveys, feedback mechanisms, and case studies).

A model for preventing academic misconduct: evidence from a large-scale intervention

It is well known that students intentionally and unintentionally commit academic misconduct, but how can universities prevent academic misconduct and foster a culture of academic integrity? Based on a literature synthesis, an actionable Model for Preventing Academic Misconduct is presented. The model’s basic premise is that students’ voluntary participation in individual courses or academic integrity modules will have far less impact on preventing academic misconduct than required faculty or university-wide programming in core courses. In validating the model, the steps taken by the School of Business at a Canadian university to prevent academic misconduct are examined. Two online tutorials were created and implemented as required modules in the School of Business introductory core courses. Actual academic misconduct incidents recorded by the University from 2016 to 2021, a three-year pre-intervention period and a two-year post-intervention period partly covering the COVID-19 outbreak, are used to gauge the model’s effectiveness in preventing academic misconduct. The findings are discussed through a Social Learning Theory lens: the high-level implementation gives rise to a culture of academic integrity propelled by the establishment of common knowledge.

Borrowing in Visual Art Works: Aspects of Attitude Formation in the Educational Environment

The aim of the article is to highlight certain aspects of attitude formation in the educational environment to the issue of borrowing in visual art works and in project and design activities. Results. Borrowing, considered as the transformation of something into one’s own property, can take different forms, with appropriation as borrowing someone else’s work (part of it) to express new content and visual plagiarism as an ethical violation, presenting someone else’s visual work (part of it) under one’s own name, including. The analysis of research related to borrowing in visual art works gave grounds to single out the socio-cultural, pedagogical, psychological, moral and ethical, legal, and technological aspects of attitude formation to the issue of borrowing in visual art works and in project and design activities. The range of attitudes towards borrowings in works of art is determined, ranging from acceptance to denial of the existence of original works, and can be perceived under different conditions as a neutral, positive, and negative phenomenon. The article proposes recommendations for preventing visual plagiarism in creative student projects, which can be applied by teachers in educational and methodological activities. The scientific novelty lies in identifying and analysing the socio-cultural, pedagogical, psychological, moral and ethical, legal, and technological aspects of attitude formation in the educational environment to the issue of borrowing in visual art works. Conclusions. Considering the identified aspects of attitude formation in the educational environment to the issue of borrowing in visual art works is crucial for developing a well-balanced strategy of behaviour by teachers and improving the methodology of teaching the educational components of artistic and design educational programmes regarding the formation of a culture of academic integrity and prevention of visual plagiarism in the development of visual works. The issue of responding to manifestations of visual plagiarism in the educational environment, the development of a set of methodological measures to promote a zero-tolerance stance towards plagiarism, and the conscious and constant adherence to professional ethics in the field of visual art require additional study and detailed analysis taking into account existing practices.

Building a Culture of Academic Integrity through Restorative Justice

Restorative justice (RJ) is a philosophy and set of values and principles that can inform justice practices and responses to harm. Its processes aim to address needs, repair or transform relationships, and promote understanding, meaningful dialogue, and direct accountability. Ethical and mindful approaches to RJ processes have the potential to address power imbalances, enhance community participation, establish relationship-based environments, and respond more meaningfully to human needs, which promotes social justice. A restorative lens has been applied to post-secondary environments in relation to academic and non-academic harms that occur on and off campus between students, faculty, and staff. This workshop will describe what we are learning through taking a restorative approach to building a culture of academic integrtity at Kwantlen Polytechnic University. Workshop participants can expect us to cover the following topics:* Describe the principles and procedures of restorative justice in relation to promoting a culture of academic integrity* Identify the benefits of restorative justice as an effective response to academic integrity violations compared to punitive approaches

Academic Integrity Policy Analysis of Alberta and Manitoba Colleges

Dealing with matters related to academic integrity and academic misconduct can be challenging in higher education. As a result, students, educators, administrators, and other higher education professionals look to policy and procedures to help guide them through these complex situations. Policies are often representative of an institution’s culture of academic integrity. For these and other reasons it is therefore important that policies and procedures are reviewed regularly and updated to ensure that they align with current educational expectations and societal context. In this presentation, we share the results from our policy analysis of 16 colleges in the Canadian western provinces of Alberta and Manitoba. Data extraction and analyses were performed using a tool developed based on Bretag et al.’s five core elements of exemplary academic integrity policy. Our results showed inconsistencies in college polices in terms of the intended audience for the documents (e.g., students, faculty, administrators), varying levels of detail, inconsistent definitions, or categories of misconduct (e.g., plagiarism, cheating) and little mention of contract cheating. We compare the results of this study with previous academic integrity policy research in Canada for colleges in Ontario (Stoesz et al., 2019), as well as universities (Miron et al., 2021; Stoesz & Eaton, 2022). We also discuss the recent increase in the use of artificial intelligence tools such as ChatGPT and GPT-3 and what this could mean in the context of academic integrity policy. We conclude with recommendations for policy reform in the Canadian college context. Our findings may be useful to those working in community colleges and polytechnics elsewhere.

Educating College Students on Academic Integrity: What Roles do Teachers Play in the Quebec Province?

Over the past 15 years, there has been a shift from detecting and sanctioning academic misconduct to preventing and promoting desired academic practices (Ferguson et al., 2007). According to Gray and Jordan (2012), teachers represent an influential figure to enhance students’ understanding of academic standards. However, a study conducted by Löfström et al. (2014) reveals that educators do not share the same perspectives on how academic integrity should be taught and whose responsibility it is to teach it. Moreover, Peters et al. (2019) developed a conceptual framework illustrating seven roles adopted by educators when teaching academic integrity, with each end of the spectrum identified as acting as “Ambassador” to being completely “Detached” (p. 6). These two teams of scholars examined the teaching of academic integrity at the university level, but little is known about how this is taught at the college level. This is why we explored the situation in seven colleges[1] across the province of Quebec in Canada. During our communication, we will present results from semi-structured interviews with 17 college teachers. A discussion will follow on winning strategies utilized by college teachers for promoting academic integrity among the student population. Finally, we will recommend further avenues of exploration in the domain of teaching and learning at institutions of higher education to foster a culture of academic integrity. [1] In the Quebec province, colleges are called cégep (collège d’enseignement general et professionnel) to prepare students for university studies or provide them with technical skills to enter the labour market.

Reflecting on Creating a Culture of Academic Integrity at the University of Manitoba: CSAI 2023 Greetings

This month, we publish our first issue of the sixth volume of the Canadian Perspectives on Academic Integrity (CPAI), and highlight the abstracts from the Canadian Symposium on Academic Integrity (CSAI) 2023 hosted by The Centre for the Advancement of Teaching and Learning, University of Manitoba. This issue also features an original research article focusing on the understanding and perspectives of plagiarism of undergraduate students at the University of Toronto.

Building a Culture of Academic Integrity: Meeting Students Where They Are

How can we meet students where they are to provide academic integrity instruction? By moving to the centre of campus and engaging students in walk-up learning opportunities outside the classroom. In this presentation, faculty members from the Library and Learning Centre will share their collaborative experiences in creating new academic integrity supports for students in an institution where Academic Integrity does not fall under the umbrella of an institution's Teaching & Learning Centre or a dedicated Academic Integrity Office. Participants will learn about a new collaborative initiative to engage students in learning about academic integrity that includes a series of interactive activities in a central space on campus. This collaborative tabling between the Library, Learning Centre, and Student Life allows students to explore ideas they have, ask questions, and engage in learning activities outside the “normal” learning environment of classroom, library and tutoring spaces and connect the students to the services offered for deeper learning through knowledge of the available resources. Time will be reserved for others to share similar programming and ideas.

AI as Part of the Pedagogy: A Restorative Justice Approach

Concerns around academic integrity (AI) are a national and international focus, as academic misconduct incidents have increased in recent years. Most institutions have committees, departments and policies dedicated to addressing AI, and increasingly recognize the punitive approach as ineffective and counter-productive. Accordingly, many institutions have transitioned from a punitive and reactive approach to an educational and preventative approach, and various faculty members struggle to develop strategies supporting this approach. Restorative justice provides a strong foundation and framework for this transition. Dr. Pawlychka will outline the restorative justice philosophy and share innovative and practical strategies for faculty to use in the classroom to increase student responsibility and capacity for AI while strengthening the faculty-student relationship. Her approach to fostering a culture of academic integrity begins at course and curricula development and continues through all aspects of course delivery, in-class discussion, and instructor-student contact. She will share pedagogical methods, based on RJ philosophy, current research, professional experience, and student feedback, that have resulted in decreased academic misconduct incidents, strengthened student commitment to academic integrity, and enhanced enjoyment of both teaching and learning! Strategies presented will include tips for in-class AI discussion, redefining terminology, development of AI handouts and assignments, and restorative approaches when meeting with students. Participants are invited to bring ‘scenarios’ for discussion.

Pre-Service Teachers Beliefs about Plagiarism: An Attribution Theory Lens

There is a growing body of research examining why students engage in plagiarism, and what they know about plagiarism, but little of this research is conducted from a theoretical perspective. Moreover, the perspectives of preservice teachers are important to investigate as they have been described as the “future gatekeepers of academic integrity” (Fontaine et al., 2020). Therefore, the purpose of this study was twofold. First, to examine the opinions of preservice teachers in terms of what constitutes plagiarism. Second, following the principles of Attribution Theory, to investigate how the controllability (e.g., intentional, or accidental plagiarism) of the act of plagiarism impacted participants' beliefs concerning (a) responsibility, (b) emotions, (c) help-giving, and (d) reporting. We used a within-person repeated measures design with three levels of controllability manipulated through hypothetical scenarios of plagiarism to collect data from 201 pre-service teachers. Overall, preservice teachers had strong opinions about plagiarism (e.g., It is always wrong to plagiarize). Moreover, when scenarios included students who engaged in plagiarism that was controllable, participants were more likely to perceive the student as responsible, felt anger towards them, support punishment, and recommend reporting the student, than when the act of plagiarism was not seen as controllable. We provide recommendations for instructors and administrators for supporting students. Moreover, the results and recommendations here will be used to foster discussion about the controllability of cheating and the associated cognitions, emotions, and actions. This conversation will address fostering a culture of academic integrity from a theoretical perspective to support faculty and students.

Student perceptions of academic misconduct amongst their peers during the rapid transition to remote instruction

The sudden move from traditional face-to-face teaching and learning to unfamiliar virtual spaces during the early weeks and months of the COVID-19 pandemic demanded many members of educational communities around the world to be flexible and teach and learn outside of their comfort zones. The abruptness of this transition contributed to instructors’ concerns about academic cheating as they could no longer assess learning and monitor student progress using their usual strategies and methods. Students also experienced disruptions to their usual ways of learning, which may have contributed to poor decision-making, including engagement in academic misconduct. The present study examined students’ beliefs about increased engagement in academic misconduct by their peers during the rapid obligatory transition to remote instruction due to the COVID-19 pandemic in March 2020. In January 2021, a retrospective online survey was distributed to students in undergraduate courses. We focused our analyses of the responses from students at a single university in Canada. We found that beliefs of increased cheating depended upon student gender (men vs women), status (domestic vs international), year of study (Years 1/2 vs Years 3 +), and discipline (Science, Technology, Engineering, and Mathematics vs Social Sciences and Humanities). These are important findings as they provide insight into the nature of the culture of academic integrity during a stressful and confusing period in postsecondary students’ lives.

The Quest for Quality in University Education in the Post-COVID-19 Era

Plagiarism is a major global challenge to quality assurance in higher education. Various efforts have been made to overcome the menace including the use of anti-plagiarism tools. At the same time, many questions have been raised about the efficacy of the current generation of tools in detecting, preventing plagiarism, and guaranteeing the quality of education. This paper examines the limitations of plagiarism detection tools in enhancing the quality of academic outcomes and proposes measures for improvement. The paper argues that while anti-plagiarism software has a role in preventing plagiarism in academic writing and academic integrity, they are not the panacea to the plagiarism pandemic, especially in the COVID-19 era. It proposes that there is a need to reform methods of assessment and implement forward-looking policies to address the underlying causes of plagiarism, provide students with appropriate information literacy skills training, and above all cultivate a culture of academic integrity in higher education institutions (HEIs).