Facing Academic Integrity Threats

The project application stemmed from the recognition that academic integrity is fundamental to the quality and trustworthiness of HE and academia itself. There was growing concern about academic misconduct in online settings, particularly heightened by the rapid digital transformation and shift to emergency remote teaching due to pandemic. Existing institutional policies and procedures for managing academic misconduct were found to vary significantly in effectiveness across institutions and countries. The project addressed several key needs. First, there was a need to establish clear benchmarks defining what makes effective institutional policies in HE, drawing upon global best practices, especially those relevant to digital and remote learning environments. Second, it aimed to specifically address the widespread and growing problems of plagiarism and contract cheating. There was a need for comprehensive, evidence-based guidance and training materials for both staff and students on how to deter and detect these forms of misconduct. Third, a significant gap was identified in the support available for teachers, students, and researchers affected by unethical academic conduct or those needing advice on reporting such practices.

Recognizing that academic integrity policies (ACIN) vary significantly between institutions and regions, a primary objective was to establish a benchmark for minimum standards for these policies in Europe and beyond. To address the inconsistencies and provide clear standards, we developed comprehensive, evidence-based academic integrity policy guidelines using a rigorous approach. We also planned to create an ACIN policy corpus to serve as a resource for researchers and facilitate future policy analysis studies. Also, to tackle the identified gap in accessible educational resources, we provided evidence-based guidance and developed training materials focused on detecting and deterring academic misconduct. These materials were intended for institutions and individuals to use in fostering a stronger culture of academic integrity, including resources on academic writing and examples of good practice. Lastly, addressing the lack of adequate support for those affected by academic misconduct was a crucial objective in establishing a support network and providing an advisory service through an interactive web portal. This aimed to offer guidance, share experiences, and provide direct support to victims of unethical academic practices.

We implemented two major international conferences functioning as Multiplier Events. We also implemented three intensive LTTAs structured as Academic Integrity PhD Summer Schools. The first LTTA was implemented as a pilot event.

The implementation of the project revolved around two major international conferences functioning as Multiplier Events, and three LTTAs, as ENAI Academic Integrity PhD Summer Schools. They were crucial for sharing progress, gathering feedback, providing specialized training, and fostering collaboration. The first multiplier event was the ECAIP 2022 conference hosted by the University of Porto in May 2022 with 183 participants. The concluding multiplier event was the FAITH Conference 2024 held in Çanakkale, Türkiye, in August 2024 with 98 onsite and 74 online participants. This event showcased the project's final outcomes and allowed international researchers to present related work. Three LTTAs were conducted as ENAI Academic Integrity PhD Summer Schools. The first, without any funds from the budget was hosted by COMU in 2022. The second LTTA took place at the University of Maribor in 2023, covering themes from research integrity and data management to AI policies and the ethical use of AI tools. The final LTTA was held at the University of Konstanz in September 2024. Its program provided foundational and in-depth lectures on academic ethics, AI policies, plagiarism, GenAI impacts, and publishing.