Navigating Academic Integrity in the Digital Era: Challenges, Strategies, and Solutions

In contrast to the slower pace of adopting online learning seen in the previous decades, the COVID-19 pandemic brought about a rapid and widespread shift to online education. However, this sudden transition also led to an increase in academic dishonesty, posing a threat to the integrity of online courses. Many educational institutions and educators are uncertain about how to effectively respond to these new forms of cheating. This research aimed to understand the recent changes in academic dishonesty based on the latest literature. The study revealed concerning trends: new methods of contract cheating and collaborative cheating, shifting perceptions of cheating among students, a reported increase in online cheating, and a lack of strong institutional efforts to address these challenges. Despite these difficulties, the study also identified a range of potential solutions, both innovative and well-established, that can help counteract the problem of academic dishonesty, provided there is a willingness and the necessary resources to implement them. Keywords: Academic Dishonesty, Online learning, Contract Cheating, Cheating DOI: 10.7176/JEP/14-25-05 Publication date:September 30th 2023

Trainee Teachers Attitudes toward Macro-Teaching: Resource Impact and Mentors Perspectives

Macro-teaching is a technique used to prepare trainee teachers for the real classroom setting. This technique enables trainee teachers to experiment and learn relevant teaching skills through interactions with their lead mentors and mentors. This study assessed the attitude of trainee teachers towards macro-teaching from the perspective of lead mentors and mentors. The study also assessed the importance of school resources in macro-teaching exercise. Using a qualitative case study research design, and Braun and Clarke’s inductive thematic analysis approach 194 respondents’ responses were used for analysis. The study findings revealed a positive attitude among trainee teachers toward the macro-teaching exercise. It also revealed that school resources, particularly infrastructure and teaching and learning resources were inadequate and also not available in some public basic schools in the Bono East region. The findings found this to adversely affect trainee teachers’ competency development in the teaching profession. The study recommends that the Ministry of Education through the Ghana Education Service should provide school resources such as staff common rooms and reading materials for basic schools in the municipality to promote quality teaching and learning in schools

Trainee Teachers Attitudes toward Macro-Teaching: Resource Impact and Mentors Perspectives

Macro-teaching is a technique used to prepare trainee teachers for the real classroom setting. This technique enables trainee teachers to experiment and learn relevant teaching skills through interactions with their lead mentors and mentors. This study assessed the attitude of trainee teachers towards macro-teaching from the perspective of lead mentors and mentors. The study also assessed the importance of school resources in macro-teaching exercise. Using a qualitative case study research design, and Braun and Clarke’s inductive thematic analysis approach 194 respondents’ responses were used for analysis. The study findings revealed a positive attitude among trainee teachers toward the macro-teaching exercise. It also revealed that school resources, particularly infrastructure and teaching and learning resources were inadequate and also not available in some public basic schools in the Bono East region. The findings found this to adversely affect trainee teachers’ competency development in the teaching profession. The study recommends that the Ministry of Education through the Ghana Education Service should provide school resources such as staff common rooms and reading materials for basic schools in the municipality to promote quality teaching and learning in schools

School resources and attitudes of trainee teachers toward macro-teaching: Perspectives of mentors and mentees in the Bono East Region, Ghana

Teaching is an essential occupation in society and to attract and retain professional teachers in the classroom, teaching practice which is a training requirement for teachers needs to be productive. The study assessed trainee teachers’ attitudes toward macro-teaching and the availability of school resources needed to aid in the teaching and learning process. Using a qualitative case study research design, 370 participants were conveniently and purposively sampled from two districts and one municipality in the Bono East region. Braun and Clarke’s inductive thematic analysis approach was adopted and the narratives of the participants were used for the analyses. The study findings revealed a positive attitude among trainee teachers toward the macro-teaching exercise. The findings also revealed that school resources such as infrastructure were inadequate and also not available in some public basic schools in the Bono East region. The study recommends that the Ministry of Education through the Ghana Education Service should provide school resources such as staff common rooms in the basic schools in the municipality to enhance teaching and learning in the region