@kkeairns eLearning Blog

Best practices to promote academic integrity in online courses

I recently came across the Best Practice Strategies to Promote Academic Integrity in Online Education reference again and thought it was worth sharing here. This list of best practices was created in 2009 by WCET, the UT Telecampus and the Instructional Technology Council (ITC).

As a member of the University of Denver’s Honor Code Advisory Council, I understand how important it is to promote a culture of academic integrity in higher education. One of our most passionate members, Dr. Michael Kerwin, wrote an excellent opinion in the Denver Post this summer called, “Cheating Epidemic? Why is it so prevalent and what steps can be taken to stop it? that provides a brief overview of the issue and some practical steps to prevent cheating.

Below are a few selected strategies outlined in the best practices guide:

• Establish a campus-wide policy on academic integrity that articulates faculty & student responsibilities
• Encourage faculty to report every suspected violation and act upon it.
• State the academic integrity/academic honesty policy within the online learning environment and discuss it early in the course.
• Incorporate academic integrity strategies into professional development and faculty training offerings.
• Define academic integrity and cheating and clearly explain what is considered dishonest and unacceptable behavior.
• Provide rubrics, or detailed grading criteria, for every assignment at the beginning of the course so students understand how they will be graded.
• Use a variety of assessment strategies (quizzes, short and long papers, test questions that require the application of a theory or concept.
• Require students to turn in a draft, and their bibliography or references prior to the paper’s due date.