Initiative Lead
University College Cork

Primary Contact
Kathy Bradley
kathy.bradley@ucc.ie

€56,136

Student Success

Academic integrity is the cornerstone of the research and academic community in the university. Policies in the area are currently under review and although robust, there appears to be a lack of understanding throughout the colleges as to their content and implications. Gallant and Stephens (2020) argue that universities have an ethical obligation to educate the students and staff and create developmental opportunities for all to move away from a solely punitive system, which can often induce cheating. The move from punitive measures to a more developmental/educational approach in addressing the academic integrity issue will involve creating an academic educational opportunity and potential digital badge opportunity for both staff and students. In parallel, this initiative will investigate the use of lockdown browsers as an alternative solution for students being able to use their own devices in exam settings.

This initiative seeks to:
• create educational opportunities for staff and students in the area of academic integrity.
• recruit and appoint Academic Integrity Ambassadors amongst staff and student populations to foster a community of shared practice.
• design a developmental approach to foster academic integrity, which serves different cohorts of students across the colleges, for example part-time students, undergraduate students, post graduate students.
• create uniform structures and standards for ease of communication with students.
• To work with our Disability Support Service to scope the use and advance a trialling of the potential use of lockdown browsers under invigilated examination conditions with a specific cohort of students.