Internal system for ensuring academic integrity in higher education institutions

Abstract

The integration of the domestic higher education system into the European Higher Education Area has led to the implementation of a system for upholding academic integrity standards in the practices of higher education institutions. At the legislative level, the new edition of the Law of Ukraine "On Higher Education" was adopted in 2017. The National Agency for Quality Assurance in Higher Education played a significant role in introducing the system of ethical norms compliance in domestic higher education institutions. Since 2019, the agency has been accrediting educational programs, during which participants in the educational process are required to disclose their practices and procedures for adhering to academic integrity. In October 2019, the National Agency approved "Recommendations for Higher Education Institutions on the Development and Implementation of a University System for Ensuring Academic Integrity" based on the best European and domestic practices. A content analysis of the recommendations indicates that the university system for ensuring academic integrity consists of the following components: 1) normative framework (codes, regulations); 2) structural units and authorized commissions (commissions, support groups); 3) informational base (websites, sections, informational and methodological materials); 4) tools for implementing the principles of academic integrity in the educational and research activities of the university (professional development, online courses, lectures and training, informational-consultative support); 5) tools for monitoring compliance with academic integrity in educational and research activities (surveys of participants in the educational and research process, checking works for signs of academic plagiarism).