Amal's Space: Fostering Academic Integrity in Educational Institutions

Published on MEPLI's Harvard Graduate of School Website

By: Siham Al Amoush & Amal Farhat

Academic Integrity: Meaning and Definition

The Tertiary Education Quality and Standards Agency in Australia (TEQSA) defines academic integrity as “the expectation that teachers, students, researchers and all members of the academic community act with honesty, trust, fairness, respect and responsibility”. However, integrity is not exclusive to academic communities; everyone, at one point in their lives or another, is obligated to make moral choices or good ethical decisions. This obligation might exert pressure on the individual, as moral and ethical choices may not always be advantageous and could conflict with personal aims.

Academic Integrity Values

Academic integrity includes a set of principles and values that require us to act responsibly, fairly, and with honesty and respect (TEQSA 2021). This means that our professional life should be approached ethically, having sufficient courage to make the right choices, and acting honorably as a community member. Academic integrity is about our character and how we behave in critical situations despite the pressure exerted upon us.

Why is Academic Integrity Important?

Maintaining academic integrity in institutions is vital as it emphasizes and guarantees work underpinned by honesty, trust, and respect. Academic integrity is a vital component of higher education institutions’ moral duty supply chain. Upholding high moral standards builds trust among the different stakeholders of the institution which ensures the credibility of the degrees and other academic output of the institution. Moreover, it fosters an environment where students, researchers, and all academics are focused on real learning which is essential for an institution to thrive and gain reputation and trust. Not to forget that when the values of academic integrity are a priority, students and academics are more likely to acquire values that drive their actions not only inside the institution but in the different roles they hold in their lives, which will help in the development of moral citizens in the nation at large. Equity and fairness are more likely to become intertwined in the culture of the institution. This ensures that all are given equal opportunities and are treated fairly.

Establishing a Context for Academic Integrity

Teachers should be proactive rather than reactive in this regard. This can be seen as generating opportunities for discussion and problem-solving before issues and challenges arise, providing the time to figure out an appropriate option for response. The following are some practices that can support students’ academic integrity education and application:

Start by identifying the six core principles for the students of honesty, respect, responsibility, fairness, trustworthiness, and courage—or what are referred to as universal values.
In collaboration with the students and the rest of the instructional team, identify the behaviors that correspond with the identified values. One way to do this is by writing the values on the left-hand side of a large sheet of paper. Add two columns, one for students and another for the instructional team, where they list the behaviors, in their respective columns, that would be required to uphold each value. Participants should discuss the importance of identifying the values and behaviors and how this impacts their work and relationships.
Establish social norms for expected behavior. This serves as an effective framework for educators and students alike. Firstly, it allows teachers to recognize shared views on role expectations and encourages moral behavior when all individuals share an understanding of what is right. Additionally, students will know that violating these values is not acceptable even among peers.
Launch an asynchronous discussion and follow it with in-class conversation. A well-timed reminder can boost and revitalize students’ practices at every academic task, be it a research paper or an assessment activity. Additionally, it may be beneficial for students to reflect on these values after they complete their tasks to elaborate on the growth of their understanding and application of values in their practice, highlighting how they have changed, what obstacles they have encountered, and what concerns they have. As a result, students can suggest modifications to practices so that they are better aligned with the values. This can be of great value toward a collective understanding.
Sustaining the application of these values by the teacher is crucial, so educators should model the behaviors they expect from students. This sets the standards for the students and provides the opportunity to observe the required behavior.

A take-home message is that teachers are responsible for initiating a culture of academic integrity that facilitates student learning and ensures that the grades they receive reflect their actual level and that the certifications are reflective of their knowledge and abilities.

Fostering Academic Integrity in the Age of Artificial Intelligence (AI)

With the vast development of AI tools and the ease of students using them to generate their assignments, it becomes crucial to create a culture of integrity among students and help them engage in practices that are driven by the already identified universal values. Educators need to discuss with students the intersection of academic integrity and use of AI tools, and what policy they must refer to when working on each assignment or academic task. As a best practice, teachers should start with the syllabus and clarify for their students the degree they are permitted to use AI, and how to link its use with academic integrity. This policy should be revisited and discussed before every assignment.

To decide if students can use generative AI for an assignment, teachers should link the assignment parameters with the learning objectives and clarify what students can produce using AI. Assessment criteria should be clarified taking into account the use of AI tools. Students may be asked to reflect on the process of working on their assignment as an additional step. Adapting reflection on the process as a practice can help students think critically about their own work and the role that AI played during the process.

In addition to making policy and expectations regarding AI usage abundantly clear, it is mandatory that teachers update their pedagogies and create assignments that promote meaningful educational experiences for the students for which they are unable to completely rely on AI. The following are some recommendations to help in this regard:

Implement project-based learning so that students utilize their higher-order thinking skills.
Include the student’s reflection on the outcome generated by AI.
Integrate a self-reflection component in the student’s assessment.

Finally, it is vital to evaluate students based on the process and not only the product. This will enhance students’ discussion of their progress during the writing process.