Examining the ethical environment in higher education

Abstract

Higher Education Institutions (HEIs) across the world have found themselves faced with new challenges on issues of ethics. Much of this has been centred on issues of assessment: plagiarism, buying essays, sharing/lending of previously passed work and the stealing of marked/returned work of others. Institutions still treat academic misconduct as largely a behavioural difficulty rather than an issue of ethics (or education), suggesting that academia places a far greater emphasis on combating new forms of dishonesty than it does on encouraging ethical habits and a healthy ethical environment. To date, the majority of research in this area has examined these forms of academic misconduct from the point of view of the student and/or the university, with the perspective of academics receiving very limited attention. Our hypothesis is that academics are perhaps best placed to provide the education needed to create and sustain an ethical environment, and we argue that being ‘ethically aware’ is a critical factor in the development of academic competence for all parties. This study adds to existing research in three ways: firstly, by highlighting the importance of an overall framework for an ethical environment within HEIs; secondly, by suggesting an ecological model of key parties (the university, students and academics) with responsibility for this environment in assessment; and thirdly, by including new evidence (generated by a survey of academics) to extend our understanding of their views on these issues.

Rebuilding Public Confidence in Educational Assessment

“…But such behaviours should perhaps not be startling, given some compelling arguments which claim that a culture of competition across society embeds acceptance of cheating as a part of life (Crittenden et al, 2009;Kajackaite and Gneezy, 2017). In education, the blurring of what constitutes acceptable behaviour related to high-stakes assessment is reshaping our beliefs about ethics and ethical practices (Peters, 2015;Richardson and Healy, 2019). I am torn in my reactions to teachers cheating in high-stakes examinations -such behaviour is morally unacceptable, but I do feel that we should not be surprised when cheating is revealed.…”

Design Thinking as a Paradigm to Support the Ethical Revival in Higher Education

“…As organizations, modern universities are very complicated systems. No longer simply 'places of learning' or "repositories of knowledge" (Richardson & Healy, 2019). The classic university has undergone considerable transformation as a result of massification and marketisation of higher education (Richardson & Healy, 2019).…”

“…No longer simply 'places of learning' or "repositories of knowledge" (Richardson & Healy, 2019). The classic university has undergone considerable transformation as a result of massification and marketisation of higher education (Richardson & Healy, 2019). Going to university is no longer an interval in which to learn to live a more 'significant life' (Oakeshott, 2004;Collini, 2012cited in Richardson & Healy, 2019.…”

“…Going to university is no longer an interval in which to learn to live a more 'significant life' (Oakeshott, 2004;Collini, 2012cited in Richardson & Healy, 2019. The purpose of universities for students has become much more utilitarian with emphasis on employability (Richardson & Healy, 2019). Universities now have multiplicity of purpose including "educating students to lead productive lives", "conducting research and creating new knowledge", "protecting and supporting diverse points of view", "serving as engines of opportunity and social mobility", and "defending important values" (Guthrie, 2019).…”

“…The actions taken in institutions to deal with corruption, fraud and other breaches of integrity in higher education tend to be combative (Richardson & Healy, 2019); finding ways of 'making it harder' to breach integrity or discouraging breaches through harsher penalties. For example, the issue of students cheating or plagiarising on assessments is a growing problem.…”