Academic Integrity
Use the sections below to explore the Teaching Enhancement Unit's work in the area of academic integrity.
This work is informed by and complements the work of the National Academic Integrity Network and the National Academic Integrity Guidelines and Principles & Lexicon.
DCU promote shared responsibility and a holistic approach to promoting academic integrity. This shared approach is evident in our Annual Academic Integrity Week (October) as well as the year-long work we support to promote academic integrity.
#ExcelWithIntegrity
Programme - commencing 17 October 2022
Explore the tabs below to peruse events and resources related to staff, students and/or both. Some events are scheduled during National Academic Integrity Week, and others take place at other times of the year.
Explore and learn
- Library LETs Tutorials will help you develop your referencing skills while building on your understanding of academic integrity and good academic practices.
- Watch short videos on Understanding Academic Integrity and access resources to learn how to identify, avoid and report illegal cheating activities
- Learn about the dangers and implications of Contract cheating through Contract Cheating video (Certificate) by the University of Galway.
- Explore Academic Integrity Modules for students in STEM developed by the University of Waterloo. The modules are specifically targeted towards undergraduate students in STEM fields.
- Learn through Academic Integrity Tutorial for students developed by University of Maryland Global Campus
- Explore the resources at the My Own Work website to support your own academic integrity
Explore and Learn
- Browse the Academic Integrity Hub on Loop which is aimed at academic staff involved in designing assessment and who are interested in embedding good academic integrity practices therein.
- Check out blogs focused on Syllabus strategies that support academic integrity and Setting Practitioner Goals for the Academic Year
Thursday 20 October 2022
- Register for webinar directed towards HE staff: ‘First impressions - first year student concerns around academic integrity and how to alleviate them’ by Dr Zeenath Reza Khan, University of Wollongong in Dubai on Thursday 20 October 2022.
- Sign up for The Sipping Point: See what DCU colleagues have done with redesigning assessment and implementing Team-Based Learning (TBL) - both approaches that potentially support academic integrity. Thursday 20 October at 12 noon. All welcome!
#IUADigEd Webinar - Monday 17 October 2022
Topic: Approaches to supporting students' academic integrity
Time: Monday, October 17, 2022 12:30 PM Dublin
For National Academic Integrity Week, join us for a panel discussion looking at various initiatives to support students' academic integrity. Facilitated by Rob Lowney (DCU), we look forward to welcoming Michelle Tooher (University of Galway), Fiona O'Riordan (DCU), Marta Bustillo (UCD), Billy Kelly (NAIN) and others, to talk about raising awareness, student declarations and working with students to address academic integrity in our institutions.
Research and Reflections Workshop - Wednesday 19 October 2022
Time: 12:00-13:00
A workshop for DCU staff and students, facilitated by Dr Fiona O’Riordan and Dr Gillian Lake, which aims to highlight research around academic integrity.
Other National Academic Integrity Week 2022 Events
Monday 17 October, 10.00 – 11.00
Chaired by USI: National Student Panel: discussion on academic integrity and student engagement
A panel discussion chaired by the USI Academic Affairs Officer, joined by five SU Sabbatical Officers from higher education institutions (HEIs) around the country. The discussion will focus on how students enrolled in Irish HEIs engage with academic integrity.
Joining link: Microsoft Teams meeting
International Day of Action Against Contract Cheating - Wednesday 19 October
At 14:00: "Irene and Thomas LIVE - An Academic Integrity Conversation"
Irene Glendinning (Coventry University, UK) and Thomas Lancaster (Imperial College London, UK) chat about contract cheating and the future challenges with academic integrity. Register here.
At 15:00: "How Everyone Can Contribute to Academic Integrity": Coordinated by Mary Davis, Oxford Brookes University
This webinar will be a roundtable discussion with students and faculty from universities across the globe. Register here.
Other activities on the International Day of Action Against Contract Cheating
Friday 21 October, 11:00-12:00
University of Galway: Let’s talk about Academic Integrity
This is a 45 minute workshop presented by Dr Mairead Greene and Dr Michelle Tooher, Centre for Excellence in Learning and Teaching (CELT), University of Galway. It will explore the issues raised in higher education when tackling academic integrity. Click here to join the Microsoft Teams meeting (Meeting ID: 397 617 144 828 Passcode: XnJsbK).
Other events to note
- AAEEBL Digital Ethics workshop: Accessibility in ePortfolio Design and Instruction, Tue Oct 25th 2022, 6:00 pm - 8:00 pm IST, register here.
- ICAI Webinar: Students Engagement & Honor Councils, Friday, October 28, 2022, 5 - 6pm IST.
- ICAI Annual Conference, 8th-11th March, 2023.
- 9th European Conference on Ethics and Integrity in Academia (ECEIA) 2023, University of Derby, 12th-14th July 2023.
- Ethics Unwrapped series by University of Texas at Austin McCombs School of Business. Ethics Unwrapped is a free, accessible and research-based educational programme that presents the latest research in ethics with top experts using creative approaches.
- Browse through QAA resources (UK) for a wealth of activities and guidance around academic integrity.
- Familiarise yourself with the Glossary for AI
Several other TEU projects fall under the umbrella of assessment and academic integrity - the largest of which is the IUA led project “Enhancing Digital Teaching and Learning (EDTL)” where the main focus for DCU is assessment. This project builds on work of the “Y1Feedback” project led in DCU by the Open Education Unit and “Integrity” project led by the TEU. “Students as Partners in Assessment” is an area of current focus and aligns with national initiatives such as NSTeP. We have also formed a community of practice around the use of Interactive Orals as an approach to improve academic integrity. This selection of case studies illustrate examples of impact of the various projects relating to assessment where they led to change in teaching practices and publications for the staff involved. Another example of impact would be the for the last two years we have, with the support of the Student’s Union, run Academic Integrity week, a suite of activities and events to promote academic integrity with staff and students.
DCU is engaging in a unique University-wide Academic Integrity Awareness Campaign. This project is influenced by the work of NAIN (National Academic Integrity Network), and builds on existing DCU TEU projects and initiatives. It is a year-long (March 2021-February 2022) SATLE National Forum funded research project. This two-phased project will act as a tool for more focused conversations around academic integrity. It is envisaged that this work will build capacity and raise awareness of academic integrity with all DCU stakeholder groups. This, in turn, will we hope, influence both cultural and ethical changes across the university, through a renewed sharing of responsibility for the promotion of academic integrity. Watch out for invitations to surveys, focus groups and dissemination workshops. For any information on this project please contact the principal investigators, Dr Fiona O’Riordan [fiona.m.oriordan@dcu.ie] and Dr Gillian Lake [gillian.lake@dcu.ie].
Learn more about our work with the DCU community to capture their declarations around academic integrity.
#ExcelWithIntegrity
DCU TEU developed a suite of twelve principles for academics to help them design assessments that promotes academic integrity. These principles are informed by an extensive scoping review.
<< Introductory Video
A small group of DCU academics across all five faculties are using interactive oral assessments as a viable alternative to traditional assessments. This short 2 min. video provides a quick introduction to the approach through the voices of both students and academics involved in the initiative.
The TEU is collaborating with Griffith University, Queensland, Australia, to pilot interactive orals as a viable alternative assessment to the traditional end of semester exams. An Interactive Oral Assessment is a two-way conversation using an authentic scenario, usually a work-based or professional type scenario. Using the scenario with prompts, free-flowing, two-way conversation develops in a more real and stress-free manner. It is designed to be a curious type of conversation where the prompts allow students to showcase their learning in a natural type environment. In this way is it different from an oral exam or a Viva where a question and answer format is used within strict exam conditions that can be sometimes stressful for the student.
There is a small group of about 8 DCU academics piloting this approach, led by the TEU in collaboration with Griffith University. Griffith University has extensive experience, and a body of evidence-based research to show that interactive orals are an authentic assessment approach that effectively helps prepare students for employment, and when used as part of strategically designed integrated assessment, promotes academic integrity. Whilst being an effective alternative assessment tool to end of semester exams, it is also proven to be efficient and scalable. A TEU Interactive Oral User Guide is available to support academics wishing to use this approach.
An exciting extension to the DCU Interactive Oral CoP is a shared Interactive Oral CoP with Griffith University and Charles Sturt University in Australia. The first meeting was held on 24th November 2021, hosted by the TEU. At a two hour meeting over twenty academics (eight from DCU) presented vignettes of their use of interactive oral across all disciplines. This shared CoP will continue to meet twice a year to collaborate and share experience and research in this space.
Building a culture of academic integrity in our institution involves bringing students and staff together to consider the full spectrum of academic integrity issues, and to co-construct an appreciation of academic integrity as ethical behaviour that should infuse all our teaching, learning, assessment and research approaches.
Dr Sarah Elaine Eaton from University of Calgary delivered a keynote at a National Forum seminar at DCU in October 2021 on this topic.
Slides from seminar: "Building a shared culture of academic integrity"
Abstract of Dr Eaton's keynote
Licensed under CC BY 4.0
DCU Teaching Enhancement Unit (TEU) worked with partner universities on the INTEGRITY project, funded under the KA2 strand, aimed at enhancing the quality of teaching and learning processes that are based on the principles of academic integrity, supported by policies, mechanisms, and tools that help prevent and detect cases of plagiarism in higher education. As part of this collaboration, TEU developed a resource toolkit for academics to support them in designing assessments that actively encourage academic integrity. The suite of resources advanced for the toolkit includes a literature review publication; a set of twelve principles and related explanations; interactive glossary; self and team checklists; animated scenarios; and a collection of case studies. All resources can be accessed under a Creative Commons license at https://teuintegrityproject.wordpress.com/. Work on resources and learnings from this project is being expanded through the IUA EDTL work and other smaller projects.