Cheating is nothing new, and with internet access and the move to online learning, the opportunities to act without academic integrity have become more readily available. The discussion about academic integrity is often seen as a student-based issue, and thus tends to focus on dishonesty, cheating, and plagiarism and how we might reduce these behaviors by students. 
As an instructor, you must decide how you choose to approach and address academic integrity in your classes. Research supports that instructors might increase academic integrity among their students by creating an environment that promotes honesty, responsibility, and fairness, instead of focusing on penalties. Instructors are facilitators of their class and as such can work to create positive relationships and an atmosphere that supports academic integrity (Boehm, 2009; Stearns, 2001).
One of the first steps we can take is to ensure that students understand what academic integrity entails in general, at the University level, and in the classroom. Sometimes students might cheat or plagiarize just because they do not understand the basic definition of what it is and guidelines to avoid doing so. The ASU Library states,
Most sources define academic integrity (or academic honesty) as the foundation for academic life. It is the manner in which you behave in an academic environment when you do research, writing a paper or creating a project. The fundamental five values in this academic process are honesty, trust, respect, fairness and responsibility. Academic integrity is the commitment to live by these values. Plagiarism is an aspect of academic integrity in that using another's ideas, words, theories, illustrations or graphics, opinions or facts without giving credit is dishonest.For more information and tools on how to maintain academic integrity during research and writing, visit the ASU Library LibGuide on Academic Integrity. Are we ever going to achieve 100% academic integrity? Probably not, but we can utilize tools to promote and improve it.
What can you do in online and in-person classes to reduce incidences of Academic Integrity?
- Let students know that YOU take academic integrity seriously.
- Clearly define your policy and the University’s policy, and provide current links and resources.
- Given the current age of social media, clearly explain to students how they might unintentionally ‘cheat’ by posting assessment information online.
- Design your assignments and assessments to promote academic integrity. Examples of this might include breaking down a large assignment into small lower stakes assignments or allowing plenty of time for students to complete the assignment or assessment.
- Use the tools provided for you! To detect plagiarism for online submissions at ASU, Canvas has integrated Turnitin software.
ASU continues to develop tools to improve academic integrity based on current best practices. The Office of the Provost provides instructor resources to help. The Teaching Innovation Center is also developing a 30 minute learning module to provide information and tools to instructors and teaching assistants, with a follow up one-on-one session with an instructional designer. Stay tuned!
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No matter what stage of your educational or professional career pursuits, acting with integrity is a cornerstone of leadership and good citizenship. Integrity is a character-driven commitment to honesty, doing what is right, and guiding others to do what is right. Arizona State University students and faculty are expected to act with integrity in their educational pursuits. (ASU Office of the Provost)
References
- Boehm, P.J., M. Justice, S. Weeks (2009) Promoting academic integrity in higher education. Community College Enterprise. 15(1), 45-61. https://eric.ed.gov/?id=EJ839138
- Stearns, S.A. (2001) The Student- Instructor Relationship’s Effect on Academic Integrity. Ethics and Behavior. 11 (3), 275-285. https://www.tandfonline.com/doi/abs/10.1207/S15327019EB1103_6
Tiffany is an ELS PhD candidate in the School of Life Sciences at Arizona State University. Her research focuses on how we can work with communities to find collaborative solutions to pollution. She is also committed to teaching, learning, and continuing to improve educational environments, particularly online.
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