Enhancing academic integrity in a UAE safety, security defence emergency management academy – the Covid- 19 response and beyond

Abstract

Globally, academic integrity and misconduct is a continuing conundrum for education institutions. Whilst the online (internet based and remote) delivery of education is not new, the onset of Covid-19 with accompanying health and safety limitations and the consequential rapid transition to emergency online delivery of education has, for many, exacerbated the need to focus on emerging potential for new forms of student academic misconduct i.e., e-dishonesty. This paper presents the strategies developed by a higher education institution specializing in university courses for safety and security professionals in the United Arab Emirates to address academic integrity during Covid-19 and beyond. The fundamental approach draws on lessons learnt from across the education community and focuses on engaging a comprehensive whole of Academy (faculty and student) commitment to a high standard of academic integrity. The research investigated the outcomes of the academic integrity interventions in a total student population of 631. The early trending results of the strategies are encouraging, whilst monitoring of the ever-changing academic assessment landscape is pivotal to ensure these early trends are validated and sustained. The strategies developed and deployed by the Academy are replicable and offer a contribution to the demanding and complex challenge of establishing academic integrity within educational institutions across the world.

Evaluation of Higher Education Students' views of the use of Generative AI in a Middle Eastern University

“…While cultural factors are important, we should beware of using culture as a static notion. Culture and the reasons that drive students to engage in academic misconduct are subject to ongoing change (Davies & Al Sharefeen, 2022).…”

E-learning in a Jordanian higher education institution

“…Studies in comparable milieus were conducted and reported on successes and challenges associated with student and faculty adoption of online learning (see Adnan and Anwar, 2020 ; Davies and Al Sharefeen, 2022 , 2022a ).…”

Beyond Exams: Investigating AI Tool Impact on Student Attitudes, Ethical Awareness, and Academic Dishonesty in Online College Assessments

“…The investigation of the frequency and qualities of the various forms of academic dishonesty plays a crucial role in developing a comprehensive comprehension of the significant obstacles that educators and institutions face when striving to uphold academic integrity in online educational settings. While research reflected a decrease in plagiarism cases from 1990 to 2020 (Curtis & Tremayne, 2021;Curtis, 2022), the onset of the COVID-19 pandemic has introduced new challenges, leading to an increase in reported incidents of academic dishonesty (Efetie, 2021;Stoesz et al, 2023;Erguvan, 2021;Basken, 2020;Jenkins et al, 2023;Yazici et al, 2022;Elsalem et al, 2021;Chang et al, 2021;Davies & Al sharefeen, 2022;Gamage et al, 2020;Wahab et al, 2022;Malik et al, 2023;Münscher, 2022;Hazra & Priyo, 2022;Erguvan, 2021;Janke et al, 2021;Maryon et al, 2022;Comas-Forgas et al, 2021;Ives & Cazan, 2023;Maryon et al, 2022). Similarly, the pandemic situation has impacted the attitudes and viewpoints of both students and academic staff (Perkins, 2023) and the post-pandemic phenomenon introduced yet another challenge of academic dishonesty tool.…”