Abstract:

Issues surrounding academic integrity and the authenticity of work by students is a prevalent issue that became more prevalent during Covid-19 lockdowns. In some cases, this saw students completing un-invigilated assessments which raised questions about the authenticity of their work. Some of this has been exacerbated with the emergence on Generative Artificial Intelligence (GenAI) tools like Chat GPT.

The purpose of this paper is to outline the background, development, and implementation of an online Academic Integrity Module (AIM) at the University of Canterbury (UC) in New Zealand and to analyse the outcomes from the perspective of the authors. The authors between them hold or held the roles of a lecturer whose students were required to complete the module; a departmental academic integrity officer; a long serving proctor; an academic dean; an academic developer; and the implementer and coordinator of the module, with this representing a wide range of staff that have been involved in the development, implementation and operation of the module.

A brief literature review is presented that highlights the benefit of implementing and the processes of implementing similar online modules at other institutions (Curtis et al., 2013; Lowe et al., 2018; Morris, 2023; Sbaffi & Zhao, 2022; Raza et al., 2023).

The AIM was launched in 2021 and by the end of 2023 had been completed by over 10,000 students. The module had been embedded in enough courses so that from the start of 2024 all students commencing any of the 22 undergraduate degrees at UC would be required to complete the module. This was achieved at a course level without requiring changes to degree regulations. There was a reduction of academic integrity breaches reported. Content covering issues relating to the use of GenAI tools like ChatGPT was added to the module at the start of 2024.

An overview of the content of the module is presented along with the consultative process that was undertaken to develop the module. Technical issues surrounding the implementation of the module on the Moodle Learning Management System are presented along with data regarding the percentage of student in key courses who completed the module, and positive experiences of lecturers, academic integrity officers and proctors.

The processes and the outcomes experienced by UC through the implementation are analysed, and conclusions are drawn relating to the successful implementation of the module, with future steps in the offering of the module being identified.

References:
[1] Curtis, G. J., Gouldthorp, B., Thomas, E. F., O'Brien, G. M., & Correia, H. M. (2013). Online academic-integrity mastery training may improve students' awareness of, and attitudes toward, plagiarism. Psychology Learning & Teaching, 12(3), 282-289.
[2] Lowe, M. S., Londino-Smolar, G., Wendeln, K. E., & Sturek, D. L. (2018). Promoting academic integrity through a stand-alone course in the learning management system. International Journal for Educational Integrity, 14, 1-11.
[3] Morris, E. J. (2023). Integrating Academic Integrity: An Educational Approach. Handbook of Academic Integrity. Springer, 10, 978-981.
[4] Raza, M. A., Raza, M. A., Raza, M. K., & Ashraf, M. A. (2023). Fundamentals of Academic Integrity: The Need of Hours. J Edu Psyc Res, 5(3), 761-766.
[5] Sbaffi, L., & Zhao, X. (2022). Evaluating a pedagogical approach to promoting academic integrity in higher education: an online induction program. Frontiers in Psychology, 13, 1009305.

Keywords:

Academic Integrity, Assessment, Online, Assessment.