scholarly journals Academic integrity of university students during emergency remote online assessment: An exploration of student voices

2021 ◽  
Vol 6 ◽  
Author(s):  
Anne H. Verhoef ◽  
Yolandi M. Coetser

Background: This article examines the phenomenon of academic integrity during the coronavirus disease 2019 (COVID-19) pandemic, with particular reference to emergency online assessments in 2020.Aim: It explores academic dishonesty, cheating and plagiarism of university students during emergency remote online assessment, from the perspective of South African students.Setting and Methodology: The authors explore the approaches of different universities worldwide, as well as the extant literature on the topic. An examination of the current literature related explicitly to the COVID-19 online assessments reveals a dearth of engagement by researchers in the South African context. In order to address this lacuna, the authors rely on data generated from an institutional forum on academic dishonesty at a University in South Africa. It focuses specifically on the voices of students presented during the forum, which explained both why students are dishonest and ways to curb dishonesty.Results and Conclusion: The data generated show whilst some students were dishonest due to pandemic-related issues (like lack of monitoring), there are also other reasons, such as lack of time management, feeling overwhelmed and stressed and struggling with technology that contributes to student dishonesty. Students suggest that assessments be approached differently online to curb academic dishonesty. The paper concludes by providing some fundamental changes needed to address academic dishonesty.

2018 ◽  
Vol 18 (2) ◽  
pp. 205
Author(s):  
Syamsul Bahri ◽  
Ika Kana Trisnawati

This study aimed to investigate the student perceptions of plagiarism and the reasons that led to plagiarism in the students’ assignments. The population of the study included the students of English Education Department at UIN Ar-Raniry Banda Aceh, with 166 students randomly selected as the sample. Questionnaire was used as the instrument for collecting data. The data were then analyzed with the SPSS in order to obtain their descriptive statistics. The results of the study showed that there were various students’ perceptions about the notion of plagiarism and the underlying reasons for their plagiarism. It was generally understood that plagiarism wa the use of words/ideas of others recognized as one’s own. Further, the major causes of plagiarism in the assignments were due to lack of English language skills and lack of time management. In addition, the behaviors of lecturers and the university involvement in socializing the concept of plagiarism also became the causes for the higher proportion of academic dishonesty among the students. These findings are expected to be the input for the creation of campus policy so that academic integrity and better lecture system can be achieved in any university.


2013 ◽  
Vol 19 (3) ◽  
pp. 5 ◽  
Author(s):  
Chrisma Pretorius ◽  
Mandi Broodryk

<p><strong>Objective.</strong> To investigate the incidence and type of misconceptions about traumatic brain injuries (TBIs) harboured by university students. </p><p><strong>Method.</strong> A convenience sample of 705 university students were recruited and data were collected using an electronic survey. The link to the survey was sent via e-mail to all registered students at Stellenbosch University. The participants had to complete the Common Misconceptions about Traumatic Brain Injury (CM-TBI) questionnaire. </p><p><strong>Results.</strong> The findings of this study suggest that the students subscribe to misconceptions from each of the 7 categories of misconceptions about TBIs. The mean percentages of misconceptions about TBIs were calculated and the amnesia (mean 49.7%) and unconsciousness (mean 46.1%) categories were identified as the categories about which the respondents had the most misconceptions, while the mean percentages of misconceptions were lower for the categories of recovery (mean 27.6%),<strong> </strong>rehabilitation (mean 26.56%), prevention (mean 20.8%), brain injury sequelae (mean 18.7%) and brain damage (mean 8.4%). </p><p><span><strong>Conclusion.</strong> Generally, these findings appear to be in keeping with previous literature, which suggests that misconceptions about TBIs are common among the general population. This study’s identification of these misconceptions could help create awareness, provide a focus for information provision, and contribute to the development of educational intervention programmes tailored for the South African context.</span></p>


2021 ◽  
Vol LXVIII (2) ◽  
pp. 7-21
Author(s):  
Adrian Năznean

The COVID-19 pandemic forced the closure of many human activities. As a result, education quickly shifted from a classroom setting to an online one, challenging educators and students alike. Multiple issues that had barely been known to educators surfaced: technophobia, lack of rules or guidelines regarding online learning, politeness in a virtual environment, limited social interaction, but some of the greatest challenges remain cheating, and academic integrity concerns during online examinations. Technological and software advances can oftentimes identify cases of academic dishonesty. However, with mass education and faculty unpreparedness it is rather problematic to combat and avoid cheating during online assessment. This mixed-methods review based on the limited empirical research on the topic of cheating during online examinations will identify the factors that lead to cheating and will discuss the best ways of combating and avoiding academic dishonesty.


Author(s):  
Liaqat Ali ◽  
◽  
Nidal Abidal Hamid Hmoud Al Dmour

The education system has dramatically changed from physical to online due to COVID-19. Millions of learners around the world have been affected due to the pandemic caused by coronavirus. The emergence of COVID-19 has forced educational institutions to divert all strategies from physical to online platforms for the safety of the students, instructors, and all the other staff members. The processes of examining students and their assessment strategies are heavily affected due to the sudden adoption of online education than physical education at campus. The research in this paper discusses issues relevant to online assessments and the strategies used by the universities due to COVID-19 in the region of UAE. The research collected data through an online questionnaire from 312 undergraduate university students in UAE to understand their behaviour. Furthermore, their performance of online assessment is gauged through the analysis of exams transcripts and comparison is made with their previous GPA and CGPA to understand the effects of COVID-19 on their overall performance. Semi-structured interviews were conducted to discuss issues related to e-assessment and recommendations are made to improve the online assessment process in universities. The research proves that students have benefited from the online assessment.


2021 ◽  
Vol 6 ◽  
Author(s):  
Olivia L. Holden ◽  
Meghan E. Norris ◽  
Valerie A. Kuhlmeier

This paper provides a review of current research on academic integrity in higher education, with a focus on its application to assessment practices in online courses. Understanding the types and causes of academic dishonesty can inform the suite of methods that might be used to most effectively promote academic integrity. Thus, the paper first addresses the question of why students engage in academically dishonest behaviours. Then, a review of current methods to reduce academically dishonest behaviours is presented. Acknowledging the increasing use of online courses within the postsecondary curriculum, it is our hope that this review will aid instructors and administrators in their decision-making process regarding online evaluations and encourage future study that will form the foundation of evidence-based practices.


2014 ◽  
Vol 6 (2) ◽  
pp. 130-143 ◽  
Author(s):  
Justice Malebana

This paper investigates the entrepreneurial intentions of 329 final-year commerce students in a rural university in the Limpopo province. The study is based on the theory of planned behaviour (TPB). The objectives of the study were to test whether the TPB can help explain the entrepreneurial intentions of rural university students; to determine whether rural students will have intentions to start a business and to test the validity of the entrepreneurial intention questionnaire in a South African context. The study was conducted by means of a survey. SPSS was used to analyse the data. The results indicate that entrepreneurial intention of the respondents can be predicted from the attitude towards becoming an entrepreneur, perceived behavioural control and subjective norms. The findings reveal that the TPB is a valuable tool in understanding entrepreneurial intention of rural university students in South Africa. The majority of students intend to start a business in the future and the entrepreneurial intention questionnaire was found to be a valid instrument to measure the entrepreneurial intention of students in a South African context. Recommendations for policy makers, entrepreneurship educators and researchers have been highlighted.


2017 ◽  
Vol 4 (1) ◽  
pp. 14 ◽  
Author(s):  
Michael Houdyshellm

After the fall of the Soviet Union, former Soviet Republics found themselves needing to revise and sometimes create systems affecting their emerging democracies. In education for example, the former Soviet system of teaching and learning was now open for new and different methods of instruction and evaluation. In countries like the Republic of Moldova, the revision and creation of an educational system was made even more problematic as a multi-lingual and multi-ethnic population saw opportunities in more open and accessible pathways through education and into business. These opportunities gave rise to the pressures of success, and at times, by any means necessary. This has created an environment where academic dishonesty has become prevalent at all levels of education especially in higher education. This paper examines the attitudes, beliefs and practices of university students surrounding academic integrity in the Republic of Moldova.


Author(s):  
Belinda Bedell ◽  
Nicholas Challis ◽  
Charl Cilliers ◽  
Joy Cole ◽  
Wendy Corry ◽  
...  

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