Safeguarding academic integrity in the face of emergency remote teaching and learning in developing countries

Abstract

With the operationalisation of lockdowns and restrictions on public gatherings, education systems across the entire globe were confronted with an urgent need to reconsider alternative forms of teaching, learning and assessment. Some institutions in developing countries were especially hard-hit by the shift owing to inadequacies in training and infrastructure because unlike their more developed counterparts who had already made inroads into adopting online technologies, some institutions in the developing world had no such technologies in place. As such, the shift to online learning was rushed and somewhat a "learning on the job" experience for students and educators. While remote online teaching, learning and assessment are novel experiences for many higher education institutions, developing countries are incessantly presented with many challenges, particularly when safeguarding academic integrity. Invigilated assessments, which are often considered more secure, are not an option given the current situation, thus detecting any cheating would be significantly challenging. As a result, this study examined assessment security in the digital domain and critically evaluated the practices to safeguard academic integrity in developing countries across three Southern African universities, including associated challenges. Underpinned by the pragmatist paradigm, the study employed a mixed-methods research approach that utilised in-depth qualitative and quantitative data from university managers, lecturers and students to investigate how academic integrity is safeguarded in the advent of online learning. Our findings revealed that although the transition to online learning and assessment was abrupt, higher education institutions have generated creative strategies to secure and ensure the continuity of learning and assessment. Such strategies include administering several versions of the same examination, as well as the use of "text-matching" software to detect the originality of work done by students. Based on the findings of the study, it was recommended that to guarantee the authenticity of online assessment, institutions must ensure that assessment practices relate to real-world needs and the context in which students can apply acquired knowledge.

A concept analysis of misconduct: Application to nursing education

“…Mutongoza and Olawale 12 defined cheating as “any action or attempt aimed at gaining an unfair advantage over other students by undermining the values of academic integrity” (p. 3). Mutongoza and Olawale 12 examined three South African universities’ attempts to maintain academic integrity during the COVID-19 pandemic.…”

“…Mutongoza and Olawale 12 defined cheating as “any action or attempt aimed at gaining an unfair advantage over other students by undermining the values of academic integrity” (p. 3). Mutongoza and Olawale 12 examined three South African universities’ attempts to maintain academic integrity during the COVID-19 pandemic. The researchers concluded that the prevalence of academic misconduct is high among students within online assessments due to one primary antecedent: the unpreparedness of universities to shift from usual practice to online assessment.…”

“…The researchers concluded that the prevalence of academic misconduct is high among students within online assessments due to one primary antecedent: the unpreparedness of universities to shift from usual practice to online assessment. 12 Congruently, McKee et al 22 examined the relationship between the fear of missing out and unethical behaviors. McKee et al 22 refer to missing out as the state of chronic feeling of being left out of enjoyable or exciting experiences that colleagues are enjoying.…”

“…This literature revealed that the consequences of misconduct were penalties within academic institutions. 12,[15][16][17][18][19][20][21][22] Business. The business world views misconduct as a practice done throughout an entire organization or personal behavior.…”

“…Such behavior is known as misconduct when individuals do not adhere to ethical rules or regulations. [11][12][13] Interestingly, each discipline discusses misconduct from its perspective and according to specific circumstances within its settings, which may result in a very abstract view of the concept. Misconduct as a concept is vague, making it difficult to analyze its meaning; therefore, it will be examined across the disciplines of academics, business, law, and religion to produce conceptual clarity.…”