By Sue Hackett, Quality and Qualifications Ireland (QQI), and Yvonne Overdevest, Accreditation Organisation of the Netherlands and Flanders (NVAO)
Academic Integrity is a core component of quality education. The phenomenal rise of artificial intelligence is just one of recent seismic shifts in how higher education (HE) is perceived, designed, delivered and assessed. These shifts have triggered significant changes to the traditional educational landscape, at times embraced with open arms, or reviled as disruptive.
The very real challenges and risks posed currently to the academic integrity of our HE students, educators and systems through the unprecedented onslaught of online ‘cheating services’ (including both contract cheating and file-sharing services) have to be recognised and actions taken to build defences and resilience within our HE systems. To foster cultures of academic integrity, staff and students alike need to be educated to recognise unethical and illegal services that compromise the integrity of the individual student and HE in general.
In this context, we are glad to announce the publication of the report on Academic Integrity by the ENQA Academic Integrity Working Group, which, reiterating the key message of many experts in this field, states that academic integrity is everyone’s responsibility. The following key factors highlight the need for a collective focus on academic integrity:
- the mobility of learners;
- the massification of HE leading to a significant increase in student enrolment
- the expansion of HE transnational education;
- the increasingly diverse student profile, e.g., working whilst learning, online as well as on campus;
- the increasingly competitive (inter)national employment environment;
- the unfettered growth of the online global environment;
- the reach and impact of social media;
- the advancement and rapid diversification of artificial intelligence including the development of new technological educational models.
None of these are negative developments in themselves. However, it has to be acknowledged that, if not managed and resourced, these developments offer opportunities for external online companies to exploit students and undermine HE systems. Typically, these companies may masquerade as empathetic, friendly providers of support for students; in fact, they are exploiting student vulnerabilities, misleading and manipulating students and staff with incorrect information, and ultimately, creating an environment which may lead to students being blackmailed or having their identities stolen. In all cases, the academic integrity of the student will have been irrevocably compromised.
The global industry offering these ‘cheating services’ to students is not inconsequential. It is widespread, extremely resourceful (and well-resourced) and, according to expert estimates (see report) worth millions (if not billions) of dollars.
So, what can quality assurance agencies do to support the promotion of academic integrity and the peripheralisation, if not eradication, of this type of online provision? The findings of the research carried out by the Working Group describe a significant range of data received in relation to academic integrity and the agencies’ respective activity in this area. From this, four over-arching themes emerged:
- Theme 1: the academic integrity landscape: what does it look like?
- Theme 2: the need for focused research: how can we generate more evidence and data on what is happening?
- Theme 3: professional development: what do educators and students need to know? What kind of education/training can be provided to enlighten and empower the key stakeholder groups?
- Theme 4: the commercial ‘cheating’ industry’: What risks does this pose? How can it be effectively combatted?
Two main conclusions and recommendations emerge from the data analysis:
The need for action (inaction is simply not an option) to both
- foster cultures of academic integrity within and across HE systems and to protect the integrity of qualifications (including protection of students, staff, employers and society at large);
- enable the development of a common collective approach to address the challenges and threats from this global online environment.
There is, without doubt, significant work needed to address the challenges as laid out in the report. This will require dedicated time, resources and funding. At present, there is a good deal of expertise out there, but it is not located within one domain, and it is not being managed coherently across the EHEA to ensure synchronicity, optimal impact and non-duplication of effort.
We look forward to hearing your responses to the report and hope that it stimulates and inspires future initiatives.