Towards Consistency and Transparency in Academic Integrity

This book is an outcome of the 4th International Conference «Plagiarism across Europe and Beyond» organized by Canakkale Onsekiz Mart University, Mendel University in Brno, and the European Network for Academic Integrity. The conference is co-funded by the Erasmus+ Strategic Partnerships Programme of the European Union. It aims to be a forum for sharing best practices and experiences by addressing issues of academic integrity from a wide-scope global perspective. With regards to the crucial role of ethics and honesty in academic work, universities are in need of more effective policies against infringements of academic standards. The papers in this book therefore aim to contribute to the standardization of consistent and transparent approaches to issues of academic integrity from several perspectives

Students go click, flick and cheat... e-cheating, technologies and more

The UAE is a major hub for most trades and tourism in the Middle East. Attracting diverse populations from around the globe, the country has opened its markets to local and international academic bodies to cater to the growing need for tertiary education within the nation. All or most of these colleges and universities are caught up in the need to introduce or increase the dependence of classroom teaching on two aspects of new era education: e-sources and e-technology. World-wide increase in publishing documents in electronic formats so as to reach more readers has surpassed the millions. Publicly accessible sites and academic library database memberships make these publications readily available to students at their finger tips. Where traditional methods involved slow processes of physically finding information, now students need simply type in key words and their screens spit out hundreds of articles, book chapters and journal articles that could give them related information. Add to this, various types of e-technology, inside and out of classrooms that make it easy for students to share information and complete assessments successfully. However, little or no research exists on the possible implications of the increased e-sources and readily-available e-technology on students’ attitudes toward e-cheating. This study looks into the two factors and if at all there are any affects on the alarmingly rising cases of e-cheating in the UAE

Students go click, flick and cheat: e-cheating, technologies and more

The UAE is a major hub for most trades and tourism in the Middle East. Attracting diverse populations from around the globe, the country has opened its markets to local and international academic bodies to cater to the growing need for tertiary education within the nation. All or most of these colleges and universities are caught up in the need to introduce or increase the dependence of classroom teaching on two aspects of new era education: e-sources and e-technology. World-wide increase in publishing documents in electronic formats so as to reach more readers has surpassed the millions. Publicly accessible sites and academic library database memberships make these publications readily available to students at their finger tips. Where traditional methods involved slow processes of physically finding information, now students need simply type in key words and their screens spit out hundreds of articles, book chapters and journal articles that could give them related information. Add to this, various types of e-technology, inside and out of classrooms that make it easy for students to share information and complete assessments successfully. However, little or no research exists on the possible implications of the increased e-sources and readily-available e-technology on students’ attitudes toward e-cheating. This study looks into the two factors and if at all there are any affects on the alarmingly rising cases of e-cheating in the UAE

University Students’ Perception and Satisfaction with Online Formative Assessment: A Case of University of Kabianga, Kenya

Online assessment is an evaluation of a person's abilities, behaviors, and characteristics conducted over the Internet by use of available web technologies such as Learning Management Systems (LMS). Online assessments support a variety of question types and provide tailored feedback useful in improving learning and academic achievement of the learners. Online teaching and assessment had not been popular in some parts of the world, prior the COVID-19 pandemic. However with the pandemic, learning was taken online necessitating the need to make a move towards the computerization of assessment. In Kenya, this was done in a hurry without training learners on how to handle both online learning and assessment. As a result many students were apprehensive of these processes and were resisting the shift. This study provides University of Kabianga second year students’ perspective on formative online assessment. Study was based on the Constructivist Theory of learning which holds that, learners construct knowledge and learn best when engaged in learning experiences rather than passively receiving information. Only an experience can facilitate students to construct their own knowledge. Students in this study were exposed to online assessment for the first time and their perception and satisfaction was given in a feedback survey tool emended in the LMS. Analysis of students’ feedback indicated that they were satisfied and preferred online assessment to the face-to-face written assessments. Keywords: Online Assessment, Perception, Formative Assessment DOI: 10.7176/JEP/13-32-09 Publication date: November 30th 202

Factors Affecting Cheating-Behavior at Undergraduate-Engineering

This study is a fraction of a larger-research on cheating in exams at the School of Engineering (SOE). The study-design used a descriptive-survey-approach and a document-analysis. A designed confidential self-report-questioner was applied as the main-instrument for this-study, with the sample-size of 100-subjects, and a response-rate of 95%. The tool was pre-tested to ensure its validity and reliability. The study focused on the Attribution-Theory and the Pareto-principle. The data-collection-instrument was subjected to the statistical-analysis to determine its reliability via Cronbach’s alpha-coefficient, and found high inter-item consistency (a > 0.9). The major-results of this-study revealed that 65% of respondents declared that cheating is, in fact, a common-phenomenon in the SOE; 60% of students also affirmed, that it is, actually, difficult to eradicate cheating in examinations in the SOE; and 70% of students acknowledged that they use mobile-phones to Google or to assess notes, during examinations. The results also illustrate that cheating, undeniably, is a very-real-issue of massive-concern at SOE; accordingly, several-recommendations to fight cheating were given and areas for further-research were identified as well. The findings of the study would potentially help in curriculum-development and delivery approaches, and for the improvement of the exciting or establishment of new academic-integrity-polices, which would, in turn, limit the growing-tendency by candidates, to seek short-cuts to good-grades, in their academic-endeavors. Keywords: cheating, engineering, students, questioner, integrit

Differences of Attitudes and Norms Toward Plagiarism Between First- and Continuing-Generation College Students

This quantitative, causal-comparative study examines differences in attitudes and subjective norms between first- and continuing-generation college students toward plagiarism. Research studies have reported that up to 90% of college students admitted having committed plagiarism. Plagiarism harms the student who cheats, the reputation of the school, and all associated. First-generation college students experience greater challenges in their first years of college than their continuing-generation peers and may be more at risk for resorting to plagiarism. The researcher employed the Attitude Toward Plagiarism Questionnaire (Cronbach’s score of .79) to measure attitudes and norms toward plagiarism. The findings from the administration form the basis of determining if a causal relationship exists between first-generation college student status and having positive attitudes, negative attitudes, and social norms toward plagiarism. The questionnaire was administered to 130 students enrolled in undergraduate general studies classes at a university in the south-central United States. The data were analyzed via an examination of change for each dependent variable against the independent variables of college generation status and gender. The analysis of data reveals that first-generation and female college students appear to exhibit less positive and more negative attitudes and subjective norms toward plagiarism, but not to a statistically significant level. Based on these findings, universities need to support all incoming students by educating them on plagiarism and introducing academic support structures to ease their transition into college as part of their orientation programs

University Students\u27 First Online Exam Experience: Is It Stressful or Joyful?

Objectives: The purpose of this study is to determine university students’ views on online exams during the pandemic. The study was carried out with the participation of 15 undergraduate students studying at an engineering university in Azerbaijan. Methods: Interpretive phenomenology guided the study. Data were collected through semi-structured interviews and analyzed using content analysis. Results: Research findings showed that students experienced various problems in the online exam process. The inability to solve the technical problems encountered during exams and the perception that the instructors did not have sufficient knowledge about the conduct of the online exams made it difficult for the exam process to be carried out effectively. Conclusion: Research results indicated that students who are taking their first online exam bring attention to both the positive and negative aspects of the process and discuss both the advantages and disadvantages of online exams in this context. Implications: It is critical to develop infrastructure and train human resources at this point in order to easily adapt to different crisis situations that may arise in the future that require nontraditional assessment methods

Faculty perception of online education: considerations for the post-pandemic world

In the post-COVID era, academic institutions adapted curricula, utilizing aspects of the online delivery in full or partially. Consequently, this research focuses on identifying the factors that influence faculty perceptions of effective online delivery in higher education and comparing them with students’ perceptions. The study involves semi-structured interviews with 15 faculty members at a renowned university to gain insights into their online teaching experiences during the pandemic. Additionally, 51 faculty members participated in a survey using the Relative Importance Index (RII) method to determine the most significant practices impacting online delivery. The results indicate that the most concerning factor for faculty during online delivery is facilitating students’ engagement and interactions in class, with an RII of 0.94. Controlling academic dishonesty during assessments receives a relatively lower concern with an RII of 0.67. Making lectures interactive is identified as the most challenging practice for faculty. Comparing the findings with students’ perceptions based on previous studies, both groups emphasize the significance of effective communication, interaction, and the use of technology. Faculty prioritize the delivery and organization of lectures, while students focus on engagement and interactive elements. Faculty value organization and relevance in assignments, while students emphasize instructor qualities and responsiveness

Unethical internet behaviour among students in high education institutions: a systematic literature review

The modern internet era has several advantages and disadvantages, including the advent of immoral Internet conduct in addition to better, quicker, and increased working capacity in less time. Even though the area of study on unethical Internet activity has advanced, systematic literature reviews from a comprehensive perspective on unethical Internet behaviour among university students are still lacking. As a result, this systematic literature will provide theoretical foundation that address the following research questions: RQ1-How are unethical Internet behaviours among university students classified; RQ2-What are the various theoretical lenses that are used in unethical Internet behaviour research; RQ3-What demographic and risk factors are involved in unethical Internet behaviour research; and RQ4-What are the challenges and research opportunities for unethical Internet behaviour research within university settings? To respond to a formulated set of research questions, a total of 64 publications that were published between 2010 and 2020 underwent a systematic review. The study illustrates how university students’ unethical Internet activity is categorised. This study offers a comprehensive grasp of the factors that affect unethical Internet behaviour and an overview of the theories that have been utilised to explain and forecast unethical Internet behaviours in this sector. This study discusses literature gaps for future research to contribute to human ethical behavioural studies