Academic Integrity in a Digital Age

In section 1.1 you were introduced to academic integrity concepts. In this section you will learn about values of academic integrity. As you are now aware, integrity creates a foundation for success in all aspects of life. In academia, integrity sets a foundation for success and growth in becoming a good professional in the workplace. It prepares learners for personal and professional challenges they might be facing in their daily life during and after the learning process (Fishman, 2014; Edussuriya, Marambe, Wanniarachchi & Ramanayake, 2014; Resurreccion, 2012). In many cases, academic integrity involves a commitment to such fundamental principles as honesty, trust, fairness, respect and responsibility within all academic endeavours. The question then is, in what ways are academic integrity values dishonoured? What facilities this dishonest? Are these values relevant only in higher education? Answers to these questions are complex and multifaceted. For example, with the increased use of internet resources, challenges (particularly plagiarism) related to academic integrity are said to increase (discussed in detail in 1.5). 

For the purpose of this section, a commitment to academic integrity enables academic communities to translate ideals into action. With the free flow of information through the use of internet, different types of academic dishonesty appear to be common. These include plagiarism (both intentional and unintentional), cheating, fabrication and aiding dishonesty. But what might be the reason for this? Possibly, the following may explain the causes of academic dishonesty: the value we put in coursework and being widely used; students not being aware of what plagiarism is all about, and the dependence on plagiarism diction/ detection tools.

Academic institutions flourish when they observe the values of academic integrity. Within academic institutions, it is common to find listings of behaviours that are prohibited and their related consequences. When these values are implemented, they support a change in learners’ behaviour that facilitates academic communities to translate ideals into action.There is no doubt that most institutions will lower their reputations because of poor implementation of five fundamental values of academic integrity in their goals of teaching, learning, and research. The five fundamental values are honesty, trust, fairness, respect and responsibility (Fishman, 2014).