Strategies for Combatting Academic Misconduct - …€¦ · · 2015-11-25Faculty must articulate to students consequences for academic misconduct and confront all incidents of academic

©2014 The Advisory Board Company 1 eab.com

Student Affairs Forum

An Analysis of Academic Integrity Programming and Tutoring Support at Large, Public Institutions in the United States and Canada

Strategies for Combatting Academic Misconduct

eab.com Custom Research Brief


Student Affairs Forum

Peter Cellier

Research Associate

Anna Krenkel

Research Manager

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Table of Contents

Table of Contents ..................................................................................................................................... 3

1) Executive Overview ............................................................................................................................. 4

Key Observations .................................................................................................................................. 4

2) Student Solicitation of Unethical Academic Services ..................................................................... 5

Integrity Assessments ........................................................................................................................... 5

Student Motivation ................................................................................................................................ 7

International Students ........................................................................................................................... 8

3) Academic Integrity Programming and Support Services ................................................................ 9

University Branding ............................................................................................................................... 9

Academic and Tutoring Support............................................................................................................ 9

Student Programming ......................................................................................................................... 11

Faculty Programming .......................................................................................................................... 14

4) Consequences of Academic Misconduct ........................................................................................ 16

Reporting Structures ........................................................................................................................... 16

Sanctions ............................................................................................................................................. 17

5) Research Methodology ..................................................................................................................... 20

Project Challenge ................................................................................................................................ 20

Project Sources ................................................................................................................................... 20

Research Parameters ......................................................................................................................... 21


1) Executive Overview

Proactive and visible tutoring and academic support services help prevent

students from engaging in academic misconduct. Instructors can incentivize

students to attend tutoring sessions with extra credit and opportunities to revise

assignments. Tutoring services should send tutors into classrooms and integrate

academic support with coursework, to demonstrate to instructors the value of tutoring

and academic support services. Tutoring and academic support services can further

increase student traffic by advertising in student union buildings and online.

Integrate academic integrity programming into new student orientation and

continue programming through the academic year. Staff at profiled institutions begin

academic integrity programming at new student orientation with presentations about

collegiate academic rigor and importance of developing ethical academic habits. They

consistently brand all academic integrity outreach and distribute small, ubiquitous items

like post-it notes and pins to maximize proliferation of branded materials. Academic

integrity presence at large, campus-wide events such as athletic events and dances,

and academic integrity “office hours” in heavily trafficked areas like libraries and student

union buildings ensure frequent student contact with academic integrity programming.

Design courses and assignments to discourage academic misconduct. Advertising

for unethical academic and tutoring services targets students’ frustration with tedious

assignments. Faculty members must adjust assignments from year to year, assess

critical analysis and application of material as opposed to rote memorization of content,

and discuss assignment value and purpose with students to deter them from cheating.

Transitions from infrequent, high-stakes testing to more frequent and varied

assignments emphasize content mastery over performance.

Integrate academic integrity programming into the classroom with online modules

and frequent classroom discussions. Engage students in the classroom with

academic integrity learning modules to promote understanding of relevant policies and

expectations. Faculty members should discuss academic integrity policies with students

before all major assignments and exams to demonstrate commitment to academic

integrity. Faculty must articulate to students consequences for academic misconduct

and confront all incidents of academic misconduct with students informally or through a

formal adjudication process.

Allow an informal, but documented, resolution process between instructors and

students for minor academic misconduct cases to improve metrics collection.

Faculty members and discipline officers at many profiled institutions report that formal,

legalistic adjudication systems for incidents of academic misconduct discourage

documentation. Allow faculty members greater flexibility to adjudicate incidents of

academic misconduct directly with students, but require documentation of even informal

disciplinary interactions with students to increase actionable data on trends of student

academic misconduct on campus. Consider reserving formal adjudication system for

severe or repeat cases of academic misconduct.

Key Observations


2) Student Solicitation of Unethical Academic Services

Academic Integrity Officers at Most Profiled Institutions are Aware of Unethical Academic Services Offered to Students

Despite unethical academic service existence, few academic integrity officers recognize

student solicitation of unethical tutoring and academic services as a common occurrence

or a pervasive problem. Academic integrity officers at all institutions are most concerned

with more traditional forms of academic misconduct, including:

▪ Plagiarism

▪ Cheating

▪ Inappropriate collaboration

Where student solicitation of unethical academic services does occur, academic integrity

officers target service providers with two methods:

▪ Institution D sent cease and desist letters to online providers who had displayed the university’s brand and logo in their email advertisements to students

▪ Institution A posted stickers on top of advertisement fliers for unethical services saying “Don’t do it, don’t be a cheater” and “Academic Integrity Matters” with links to the academic integrity office’s website.

Notwithstanding the above examples, academic integrity offices at all profiled institutions

report greater success with strategies that target students rather than unethical service

providers. These include:

▪ Robust tutoring and academic support services

▪ Extensive academic integrity branding and classroom integration

▪ Academic misconduct reporting and adjudication

To Best Determine the Prevalence of Academic Misconduct Among Students, Contacts Conduct McCabe’s Academic Integrity Survey

Donald McCabe, formerly a professor at Rutgers University, is an expert in the study of

academic integrity and misconduct among college students. His research focuses on

student and faculty attitudes about academic integrity and misconduct, the prevalence of

academic misconduct among college students, and student motivations for and faculty

reactions to academic misconduct.

Institution G and Institution B administer McCabe’s survey at regular intervals (i.e.,

every six years at Institution G) to:

▪ Determine the prevalence of academic misconduct on campus

▪ Measure academic integrity and support services’ efficacy

▪ Guide future academic integrity programming and policy efforts

Integrity Assessments


Indicates Student Behavior Indicates Student Opinion of Misconduct Severity

More Than

Once

Not

Relevant

Not

Cheating

Trivial

Cheating

Moderate

Cheating

Serious

Cheating

Donald McCabe Academic Integrity Survey – Sample Questions1

1) “Academic Integrity Rutgers University Survey,” Rutgers University, accessed May 13, 2014, https://honesty.rutgers.edu/rutgers.asp

Working on an assignment with others when the instructor asked for individual work

Using an electronic/digital device as an unauthorized aid during an exam

Copying material from any written source and turning it in as your own

Turning in work done by someone else

Administer Shorter, Targeted Versions of McCabe’s Survey to Students at Large, Campus-Wide Events

Institution C asks students to respond anonymously to a 12-question version of

McCabe’s survey at a large, annual, campus-wide event in exchange for t-shirts and other prizes. Ethics Center staff aggregate responses into two scores:

▪ An Academic Integrity Value Scale (AIVS), which illustrates degrees to which students value academic integrity and where a higher score indicates greater support for academic integrity values.

▪ An Academic Integrity Behaviors Scale (AIBS), which illustrates degree to which students engage in academic misconduct, and where a higher score indicates greater condemnation of academic misconduct.

Nine hundred students responded in less than an hour; staff publish a report of these findings annually to guide future academic integrity programming and policy.

Institution C’s Ethics

Center found:

Female students ▪scored higher on both scales.

Domestic students ▪scored higher on AIVS than international students, but AIBS scores were equal.

A majority of ▪students (67%) indicated that they would report a fellow student for academic integrity violations.

Never Once


Findings from a McCabe survey

Poor Time Management and Student Frustration Lead to Academic Misconduct

Contacts at all institutions report that students most often engage in academic

misconduct, including solicitation of unethical academic and tutoring services, as an act

of desperation. Students who manage their time poorly and do not understand the

purpose of their assignments are at a greater risk of soliciting unethical academic

services.2

2) “About Lashzone: Our Story,” Lashzone, accessed May 22, 2014, http://lashzone.com/pages/about

Student Motivation

Determine approximate rates at which national versus international students engage in academic misconduct

Ask students to report basic demographic characteristics:

▪ “Are you of domestic or international origin?”

▪ “What is your class standing/major?”

Assess student attitudes towards different kinds of academic misconduct

On a Likert-Scale:

▪ “How important is proper source citation?”

▪ “How severe is plagiarism of online sources?”

Discover student motivations for engaging in academic misconduct

“Why do students cheat?”

▪ “Because they are lazy”

▪ “Because they are concerned about their grade”

▪ “Because they were not adequately prepared to take an exam or turn in an assignment”

Unethical Service Provider Advertisement: www.lashzone.com3

“In 2010, Lashzone’s founders discovered university education is nothing at all like what they advertise in high schools and magazines. They realized it’s a deceitful system—much like a bank—designed to rip people off; the only difference is that it’s doing so with a mask called education. They began to discover: not only are students not being taught anything practical or useful, they are actually being miseducated and forced to pay for material that has nothing to do with actual life problems. In the end, all you are left with is a paper that has a university stamp on it that’s only good for collecting dust on your bookshelf—essentially a $40,000 Mr. Clean towel (price varies). Today, thousands of students have joined us and helped to make Lashzone a huge community. They’ve helped Lashzone by becoming writers, database administrators, customer support representatives, site developers, and much more. Whether you need to get through your final exams, or just get through your assignments; we have the tools you need to achieve your goals.”

http://www.lashzone.com/


Language Barriers and Cultural Differences Drive International Students to Engage in Academic Misconduct

International students face pressures beyond what domestic students must contend

with, leading many to struggle with standard coursework. Academic integrity outreach

much direct international students to existing support services (e.g., tutoring centers and

International Student Services).

Common International Student Pressures:

International Students

International

Student

International students may not cite sources correctly and may view collaboration with other students as acceptable.

▪ Clearly describe assignment rules

▪ Require international students to solicit tutoring center support to learn citation methods

Cultural Differences

Economic stress, familial pressure, and stringent visa requirements place international students at greater risk to commit academic misconduct

▪ Partnerships between international student services office and tutoring centers increase support

Status

Pressures

Many international students speak English as a second language.

▪ Refer international students to tutors trained to provide ESL support

▪ Allow extra test-taking time to alleviate pressure

Language

Barriers


3) Academic Integrity Programming and Support Services

Develop Visible Academic Integrity Brand to Increase Student Adoption of Policies and Resources

Pervasive branding influences student behavior and encourages an ethical student

culture on campus because it increases peer pressure that discourages students from

engaging in academic misconduct. Consistent, uniform branding on all academic

integrity programming and outreach builds academic integrity relevance and presence

on campus.

Strategies to Change Student Behavior Through Branding

Provide Ethical Academic Support to Students to Discourage Academic Misconduct

Academic integrity offices at all profiled institutions provide tutors with academic integrity

training to ensure that students receive ethical support. Tutoring and academic support

services are most useful to students when tutors are non-judgmental of work and will

answer questions students feel uncomfortable asking (e.g., “how can I access the

library?,” “how do I create a bibliography?”)

Though most tutoring services are located in a single building (e.g., Student Union or

Student Success Office), Institution E created a tutor registry that lists independent

students who provide tutoring services. These students complete a six-hour tutor

training, must have received a 3.5 grade in the courses for which they wish to tutor, and

must maintain a 3.0 overall GPA. In return they may advertise their services to students

on the Academic Learning Centre’s website.

University Branding

Start at

Orientation

▪ Institution C staff hand out branded postcards to

students and parents

▪ Outline academic integrity policies and expectations; profile available tutoring and academic support services

Maintain

Presence

▪ Frequent events and presence in common areas (e.g., libraries) increases student awareness of academic integrity

▪ The Academic Integrity Office at Institution G

hosts giveaway events with academic integrity branded post-it notes, magnets, and athletic bandanas

Academic and Tutoring Support


Institution D Centre for Writers

▪ Partially baseline funding from university budget, partially discretionary

▪ Free to students

▪ Tutor training addresses international student pressures and needs

▪ Fifty percent of students who register for tutoring support are international students

▪ Students demonstrate demand for 90-100% of tutor hours year-round

▪ Appointments available through website

▪ Fifteen-hour base training

▪ Three to four hours shadowing

▪ Closely supervised initial tutoring, regular meetings that include further training

▪ Primary tutoring offices in two main libraries

▪ Some academic units pay to have dedicated tutors for first-year students

o Plan to expand into more academic units

▪ 5,000-6,000 students visit tutors per year

▪ Mandatory, 3-credit, semester-long course

▪ Must be second-year student or older

▪ Must participate in 3 biweekly re-trainings per semester to be rehired

▪ Operates in single office

▪ Graduate and undergraduate tutors available

▪ Funded through student fees

▪ Free to students, faculty, and alumni

▪ Centre director trains tutors to provide ESL and international student support

o Course addresses international student pressures and needs

▪ Centre provides eight hours of writing instruction to international students during two-week summer “bootcamp” for incoming international students hosted by International Student Services

Two Academic Support Service Models:

Institution C’s Ethics Center hosts three academic training workshops per term for

international students. One tutor, trained by Ethics Center staff to provide ESL and

international student support, works with four to five international students in 30-40

minute sessions. Session topics include strategies to effectively manage time, and

practicums on proper paraphrasing, citation, quotation, summarization, and plagiarism.

International students are not required to attend, but professors encourage attendance

and Institution C’s Ethics Center saw student demand double, from 25-50 participants

in 2013.

Tutoring and academic support services are most effective when students are

encouraged to visit and use them through multiple avenues. The following describes a

model for maximizing student utilization of tutoring support while providing feedback to

faculty on assignment quality and student attitudes about assignments:

Institution E Academic Learning Centre

Funding

Structure

Tutor Training

Utilization

International

Student Support


Advisors, peers, and student groups refer students to support services

Online resources direct students to support services

Instructors send students to tutors

Tutors provide instructors with assignment feedback

Feedback and Referral System for Academic Support Services

Target Students with Proactive Academic Integrity Programming to Maximize Awareness and Minimize Academic Misconduct

Academic integrity office and ethics center staff at all institutions give in-class

presentations to students; most of these presentations occur during introductory-level

courses with many or highly weighted writing assignments. These courses are often

most difficult for new students, who are not used to writing collegiate-level essays, which

places them at a greater risk of committing academic misconduct. Institution C finds

that a 15-30 minute customizable presentation allows staff to quickly prepare

presentations for a maximum number of both undergraduate and graduate classes.

Student Programming

Strategies to Integrate Academic Support into the Classroom and Maximize Student Utilization of Tutoring Services

▪ Create facilitated writing groups (i.e., tutors and students) that meet during multiple phases of an assignment (e.g., thesis development, outlining, drafting)

▪ Assign content tutors to provide dedicated support to courses and students

▪ Offer in-class revision sessions

▪ Use incentives, like extra credit or opportunities to revise assignments, to encourage students to use academic support services

▪ Consider scheduling repeat and follow-up appointments for struggling students with regular email reminders

▪ Allow “drop-ins” to maximize tutor accessibility during finals and other high-stress periods

Tutoring Support

Classroom


Conduct Academic Integrity Outreach to Major Student Service Providers

A majority of profiled academic integrity offices and ethics centers conduct outreach

(e.g. presentations, workshops, promotional events) at major hubs for student activity

and foot traffic to increase dissemination of academic integrity values. Enlisting and

training student academic integrity ambassadors (i.e., student volunteers) increases

student-to-student propagation of academic integrity content and improves the likelihood

that other students will support academic integrity policies.

Academic Integrity Outreach Network at Institution G:

Office of Academic Integrity

The Student Success Office contains the writing

center, international student support, and peer mentors and coaches who provide support to students

Academic integrity ambassadors include

graduate students and senior undergraduates who receive training from Office of Academic Integrity staff.

The Student Housing Office

provides a large audience for academic integrity posters and other outreach

Academic integrity ambassadors and office of academic integrity staff hold office hours in libraries for one to two

hours and offer branded prizes to students who participate in academic integrity activities

Academic integrity offices incorporate programming and outreach into new student orientation to encourage students to lead ethical collegiate careers. Institution B‘s

academic integrity office conducts an all-day onboarding initiative for new students that teaches time management skills and proper citation.

Where universities do not allocate time during scheduled orientation events for academic integrity offices, academic integrity staff should partner with faculty to give academic integrity presentations and workshops during class time to students early in the academic year.


Consider Online Training Modules as to Integrate Academic Integrity Content into Classroom

Academic integrity and ethics officers at all profiled institutions conduct in-class

presentations, discussions, and workshops. Online content can increase information

dissemination to more students than staff can reach, and online training modules

supplement in-person academic integrity programming.

All profiled institutions maintain academic integrity websites and use advertising to

direct students to available resources, which include academic integrity handbooks,

student conduct policies, and directories of available academic support services.

Institution D worked with a local filmmaker to create academic integrity-themed

music videos and comedy sketches. Students reported these videos to be very

effective forms of academic integrity programming.

Structured Academic Integrity Training3

3) “Virtual Academic Integrity Lab,” University of Maryland, University College, accessed May 14, 2014, http://www.umuc.edu/students/academic-integrity/vail-tutorial.cfm.

Graduate Academic Integrity Module (AIM) – Institution G

Developed by Institution G’s, Office of ▪

Academic Integrity

One to two hours of content on: ▪

o University policies on academic offenses, intellectual property, and student discipline

o Common violations of academic integrity policy

o Available academic integrity resources

Mandatory for graduate students: must ▪complete within eight weeks of first term (otherwise ineligible to register for second term)

Must attain 75% on quiz; however the module ▪is non-credit and does not affect GPA

Mandatory for undergraduates by 2016 ▪

Virtual Academic Integrity Lab (VAIL) – Institution B

Developed by the University of Maryland, ▪University College

One and a half hours of content on: ▪

o Understanding academic integrity, plagiarism, and cheating

o Understanding how to avoid plagiarism

o Documentation styles

o Plagiarism policies

Not mandatory, but academic integrity office ▪staff recommend faculty incorporate training modules into introductory composition and other writing-intensive courses

Students must complete a quiz at the end of ▪each of four training modules

After successfully completing all four quizzes, ▪students receive a certificate of completion

http://www.umuc.edu/students/academic-integrity/vail-tutorial.cfm


Promote Academic Integrity to International Student in Partnerships the International Student Services Office

Institution B’s International Student and Scholar Services Office hosts an International

Student Week, during which Institution B’s Academic Integrity Office partners with

several international students host a question-and-answer panel on academic integrity.

Institution B’s Academic Integrity Office also gives presentations during international

student orientation.

Institution D offers academic integrity workshops to international students who visit the

International Student Services Centre. ISSC email newsletters and faculty encourage

attendance at these events. Presentations stress the importance of understanding

university and faculty academic expectations, highlight available academic and tutoring

support, and provide information about common forms of academic misconduct and how

to avoid them.

Sample Email to International Students

Institution G

Promote Academic Integrity and Integrate Academic Integrity Content into Coursework

Academic integrity officers report integration of academic integrity content into courses

to be among the most effective programming initiatives. Students whose instructors

present academic integrity expectations and policies throughout the course, and

reiterate them before all major assignments and exams, are less likely to commit

academic misconduct.

Institution C’s Ethics Center hosts three themed “Ethics Lunches” per year, open to

faculty, staff, and graduate students, which feature academic integrity presentations,

success stories, concerns, and strategies.

Faculty Programming

International

Student Experience

Email Newsletter

Resources and Upcoming Events:

▪ Guidebook for New International Students

▪ Campus activities

▪ International Student Experience team contact info

Important Dates:

▪ Registration and move-in

▪ Orientation schedules

Available Support Services:

▪ International peer mentors

▪ English conversation circles

▪ English conversation partners

▪ English conversation hour

Regular newsletters to international students increase campus integration. The more involved international students are in campus life, the more likely branding initiatives and peer pressure are to influence their behavior around branding initiatives.


Design Courses, Assignments, and Exams to Discourage Academic Misconduct:

Academic integrity officers at a majority of profiled institutions report that faculty course

and assignment design decisions affect student risk for committing academic conduct

violations. Institution B reports that course design is the university’s most effective

defense against student academic misconduct.

Course Design Strategies:

Clarify

Learning

Outcomes

Faculty that introduce every assignment with a discussion of that assignment’s purpose illustrate connections between the assignment and student outcomes. Students who understand an assignment’s importance and value are at a lower risk to commit academic misconduct and solicit unethical services.

Assess Higher-Level

Thought

Unethical service providers target student frustration with tedious assignments that rely on rote memorization. Assignments that require critical analysis and practical application of materials are difficult to plagiarize, and faculty can more easily convince students of assignment importance and worth.

Change

Assignments

Year to Year

Faculty effort to create unique assignments contradicts unethical service provider advertisements that instructors shortcut with assignment design, which validates student solicitation of unethical services. It also ensures that current students do not inappropriately collaborate with past students or plagiarize past work.

Emphasize

Mastery over

Performance

High stakes course and assignment design increases student stress and risk of committing academic misconduct in desperation. Transitions from high stakes, single test assessment structures to more frequent, lower stakes testing allows students to revisit difficult concepts.

Vary Assignment

Format

Mix short essays with in-class projects, longer essays, and exams to more accurately determine student aptitude for content. Instructors who are more aware of student progress throughout course duration can target struggling students with support interventions, such as extra office hours or referrals to the tutoring center. Proactive support decreases student risk of academic misconduct.


4) Consequences of Academic Misconduct

All Profiled Institutions Identify Two Academic Misconduct Reporting Structures

A hearing process involving student and faculty representatives is common to adjudicate

cases of academic misconduct that faculty formally report to conduct offices and deans.

However, all institutions recognize that instructors do not report all instances of

academic misconduct, and that many instructors would prefer to resolve instances of

suspected plagiarism or cheating themselves. Academic integrity officers and faculty

report that informal resolution options allow sanctions to be learning experiences, rather

than punitive.

Many informal resolution structures involve no documentation of the offense, making it

difficult for conduct offices to collect meaningful data on student academic misconduct.

Allowing instructors to informally resolve some instances of academic misconduct, while

reporting the case and its outcomes, can increase academic integrity offices’ ability to

track programming efficacy.

Institution D observes a strong correlation between concerted academic integrity

campaigns (e.g. big surveys, video releases) and the number of academic misconduct

cases that students and faculty members report.

Reporting Structures


Informal Academic Misconduct Resolution Process

Institution B

Conduct Code Sanctions for Academic Misconduct Vary in Level of Prescription Across Profiled Institutions

Student conduct codes at all profiled institutions categorize solicitation of unethical

academic services as plagiarism. However, only Institution F and Institution C conduct

codes mention “the purchase of material” as a punishable offense, under plagiarism.

Doing so allows discipline officers, academic integrity officers, and legitimate tutoring

service providers to more effectively discourage students from soliciting unethical

services.

Sanctions

Seventy percent of students who receive a sanction from a faculty member following the informal resolution process agree to and complete that sanction.

Instructor presents student with evidence of academic misconduct.

Does student deny engaging in academic misconduct? ▪

Has the student employed the voluntary resolution process in the past? ▪

Is the student a graduate student? ▪

Is the student currently serving a conduct probation? ▪

If the answer to one or more questions is “yes” or student refuses to enter

voluntary resolution process with instructor, or rejects instructor’s proposed sanction then:

Instructor and student present case to ▪academic integrity council, composed of two students nominated by student government and two faculty members nominated by faculty senate

Conduct code mandates an “informal ▪give-and-take” between instructor, student, and relevant witnesses

Formal Resolution

If answer to all question is “no” and

student agrees to enter voluntary resolution process with instructor, then:

Instructor and student discuss academic ▪misconduct incident

Instructor recommends sanction, which ▪may include:

o An “F” on assignment or in course

o One-year conduct probation

o Notation on transcript if student found guilty of academic misconduct in the past

Informal Resolution

If the student is found to have committed academic misconduct, Office of Student Conduct and Academic Integrity records offense, sanction, and ensures student

compliance with imposed sanction(s)


More Prescriptive

Less Prescriptive

Conduct Code Sanctions for Academic Misconduct

Institution Informal Resolution Option

Possible Sanctions for Plagiarism

Institution G

Instructor meets with student, ▪proposes sanction, and reports sanction to Associate Dean who decides if sanction is acceptable

Grade of suspect work reduced to ▪“failing” or “zero”

Further five marks off final course ▪grade

Repeat offenses escalate in ▪severity, include suspension, three-term suspension, and expulsion

Institution D

Instructor meets with student ▪and proposes sanction

Reports to dean if student ▪refuses meeting or sanction

Instructor must report code ▪violation by student to dean

Instructor may recommend ▪sanction

“Inappropriate Academic Behavior” ▪automatically demands an “intermediate-level” sanction, such as:

o Mark reduction, mark of “zero,” reduction of course grade, “F” in course, or remark on transcript

Institution F

Instructor meets with student, ▪proposes sanction, and reports sanction to dean

Instructor may not recommend ▪any sanction more severe than a failing grade on suspect work

Grade of suspect work reduced to ▪“failing” or “zero,” or by percentage appropriate to degree of academic misconduct

Student may be asked to resubmit ▪work

Institution B

Instructor meets with student, ▪proposes sanction, and reports sanction to dean who decides if sanction is acceptable

Formal hearing instigated if ▪student refuses meeting, sanction, or is ineligible to receive informal sanction

Typically an “F” grade on ▪assignment or in course

One-year conduct probation ▪

Notation on transcript if student ▪formerly found guilty of academic misconduct

Institution E

Instructor must report cases of ▪academic dishonestly immediately to department chair

Department chair may choose ▪informal resolution

None prescribed ▪

Institution C Instructor meets with student ▪

and proposes sanction None prescribed ▪


Institutions Lack Actionable Data on Academic Misconduct due to Reporting Failure

Most profiled institutions report lack of data on academic misconduct as the primary

impediment to assessing academic integrity programming efficacy. For this reason,

academic integrity and discipline officers want to allow faculty members to adjudicate

some incidents of academic misconduct themselves, provided they report such incidents

to deans. Discipline officers may use aggregated data to track trends over time, and can

determine repeat offenders.

As a result of data collected from informal resolutions between instructors and students,

in addition to data from formal hearings, Institution B has observed a significant

increase in the number of academic misconduct cases reported to the Office of Student

Conduct and Academic Integrity in the past six years. Despite this increase, data

indicate low individual recidivism.

Findings from the Annual Report from the Disciplinary Committee

Institution E

Year Total # of Incidents of Academic Dishonesty

Total # of Students at Institution E

Percentage of Student Body

2008-2009 228 26,238 0.87%

2009-2010 243 27,476 0.88%

2010-2011 265 27,751 0.96%

2011-2012 286 28,430 1.01%

2012-2013 352 29,181 1.21%


5) Research Methodology

Leadership at a member institution approached the Forum with the following questions:

▪ What level of demand exists on campus for unethical academic services? What

motivates national and international students to solicit these services, and to engage

in academic misconduct more broadly?

▪ How do contacts deter national and international students from soliciting unethical

academic services, and from engaging in academic misconduct more broadly?

▪ What tutoring services do contacts offer to national and international students? How

do contacts ensure that students receive ethical service from tutors?

▪ Which students can access university-approved tutoring services? How do contacts

structure service offerings?

▪ What academic support exists for international students?

▪ What relationship exists between contacts’ academic integrity policies and tutoring

services?

▪ What consequences exist for students who solicit unethical tutoring and academic

services?

▪ How do contacts adjudicate violations of academic integrity and student conduct

policy?

The Forum consulted the following sources for this report:

▪ EAB’s internal and online research libraries (eab.com)

▪ The Chronicle of Higher Education (http://chronicle.com)

▪ National Center for Education Statistics (NCES) (http://nces.ed.gov/)

▪ Websites of profiled institutions

▪ “About Lashzone: Our Story,” Lashzone, accessed May 22, 2014,

http://lashzone.com/pages/about

▪ “Academic Integrity Rutgers University Survey,” Rutgers University, accessed May

13, 2014, https://honesty.rutgers.edu/rutgers.asp

▪ “Virtual Academic Integrity Lab,” University of Maryland, University College,

accessed May 14, 2014, http://www.umuc.edu/students/academic-integrity/vail-

tutorial.cfm

Project Challenge

Project Sources

http://nces.ed.gov/

http://lashzone.com/pages/about

https://honesty.rutgers.edu/rutgers.asp




The Forum interviewed academic integrity officers and directors of tutoring centers at

large, public institutions in Canada and the United States.

A Guide to Institutions Profiled in this Brief

Institution Location

Approximate Institutional Enrollment (Undergraduate/Total) Classification

Institution A* Pacific West 22,700 / 28,300 Research University

Institution B Mid-Atlantic United States

19,600 / 24,700 Research University

Institution C South United States

26,500 / 32,500 Master’s University

Institution D Western Canada

31,900 / 39,500 Medical Doctoral

Institution E Western Canada

25,200 / 28,700 Comprehensive

Institution F Western Canada

25,200 / 32,200 Medical Doctoral

Institution G Central Canada

29,400 / 34,500 Comprehensive

*Profiled through secondary research only

Research Parameters

Documents

Strategies for Combatting Academic Misconduct - …€¦ · · 2015-11-25Faculty must articulate to students consequences for academic misconduct and confront all incidents of academic