How the values of 'Academic Integrity' are influencing Universities in the UK and America
A simple Google search on 'academic integrity' on UK web pages indicates that these values are becoming explicitly spoken about in British institutions. You may have been asked to sign a 'Declaration of Academic Integrity' declaring your familiarity with university regulations concerning cheating and plagiarism, and stating that the submission is your own work. Such practices are now increasingly common in UK universities, such as at the University of Glasgow for example.
In American Universities, there is evidence of the same concerns. In a letter from Professor Bill Taylor, an American professor of Political Sciences wrote a detailed letter to his students explaining his position on academic integrity. You may be interested in what other American educators have agreed as the Ten Principles of Academic Integrity. These are the principles American academics are encouraged to use in developing a culture of academic integrity in their lecture rooms in the US, summarised below:
- Affirm the importance of academic integrity.
- Foster a love of learning.
- Treat students as ends in themselves.
- Promote an environment of trust in the classroom.
- Encourage student responsibility for academic integrity.
- Clarify expectations for students.
- Develop fair and relevant forms of assessment.
- Reduce opportunities to engage in academic dishonesty.
- Challenge academic dishonesty when it occurs.
- Help define and support campus-wide academic integrity standards.
It is not uncommon for students in North American universities to be encouraged to take an Academic Integrity Test, see for example at the University of Manitoba in Canada.