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by Amy Lin, the Teaching & Learning Centre
in the September 2019 issue
For the past couple of years, the term “academic integrity” has gained momentum and there is great interest in better understanding why and how students cheat. Much of the conversation has centred around policy, sanctions, educating students, and what technology is available for the detection of cheating. However, a clear understanding of how assessment design can be used to reduce academic integrity infractions has not yet been brought to the forefront.
Assessment design can be used to promote academic integrity. Here are a few considerations in your assessment design that can reduce cheating.
These recommendations are calling on educators to consider how they approach assessment design so that students are engaged in authentic, relevant, and personalised assessments. Assessment design that supports creativity, problem-solving, critical thinking, and metacognition enhance academic integrity which will also support students in their development of workplace skills and competencies – a place where integrity and problem-solving are required.
References:
Bretag, T., Harper, R., Burton, M., Ellis, C., Newton, P., van Haeringen, K., Saddiqui, S., & Rozenberg, P. (2019). Contract cheating and assessment design: exploring the relationship. Assessment & Evaluation in Higher Education, 44(5), 676.
Dick, M., Sheard, J., Bareiss, C., Carter, J., Joyce, D., Harding, T., & Laxer, C. (2002). Addressing student cheating. Working Group Reports From ITiCSE: Innovation & Technology in Computer Science Education, 172.
Scott, S. (2017). From Plagiarism-Plagued to Plagiarism-Proof: Using Anonymized Case Assignments in Intermediate Accounting. Accounting Perspectives, 16(4), 247–268. https://doi.org/10.1111/1911-3838.12154
Save the Dates!
International Day of Action Against Contract Cheating: Wednesday, October 16, 2019
Academic Integrity Week: October 16 to 18, 2019
Stay tuned and get involved! More information on these events will be posted on the website and in SeneNews. There will be activities for both students and faculty all week.
For more academic integrity information before October:
✔ Get reacquainted with the Academic Integrity Policy.
✔ View the resources available to students and faculty on the website.
✔ Complete the Academic Integrity Policy Module for faculty and instructors. This is a self-paced online training module. You’ll learn about the academic integrity resources available to students and faculty, you’ll explore how a culture of academic integrity is being implemented at Seneca to raise awareness to students and help them avoid violations, and you’ll apply the academic integrity policy to specific scenarios. Upon completion, you’ll be eligible to claim a Teaching & Learning Centre micro-credential (Micro-credentials at Seneca).
✔ Participate in the Promoting a Culture of Academic Integrity course this semester. You’ll learn strategies to make cheating/plagiarism less worthwhile to students as well as improve student learning. This course discusses creating class environments that support ethical choices, activities that promote awareness of what is and isn’t an academic integrity offence, and assignments designed to reduce academic integrity offences. It begins on September 18 and is open for registration in MyPD.
Image credits:
Photo by Thomas Drouault on Unsplash
"Maze" by ThatsABigIf is licensed under CC BY 2.5
"Meeting" by Bastien Delmare from the Noun Project
View the September 2019 issue of the Academic Newsletter.
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