Academic Integrity & London School of Management Education

In the age of the AI Bot, ChatGPT and Bard, there is a lot of talk about the impact that new technology may have on Higher Education, not just in terms of how it is delivered and curated, but also in how students respond to the challenge of evidencing their learning. Some believe that augmented search and synthesise capabilities will bring deeper and more effective learning, whilst others see a potentially existential threat to what HE is intended to deliver to candidates.

One way of sifting through the arguments and arriving at a balanced and coherent view around new technology is to take a longer-term perspective on the underlying tenets of University-level education, and to focus on the principles of Academic Integrity established centuries ago and still as relevant to the student journey today as they were when first laid down.

What do we Mean – Academic Integrity?

It is assumed, generally speaking, that when working together towards the achievement of academic qualifications, knowledge and capabilities designed to evidence change in students, that this is made possible through the academic integrity of all parties. This means that to be truly transformational, HE is based on ‘the expectation that teachers, students, researchers and all members of the academic community act with honesty, trust, fairness, respect and responsibility and courage’ during the process.

Why is it important in Higher Education?

According to the International Centre for Academic Integrity, without a commitment to these fundamental values, the work of educators and students and those involved in supporting the learning journey may lose value and credibility. The six values ensure, if adopted consistently, that education is informed and improved by better quality ethical decision making and behaviour, which ‘enable academic communities to translate ideals into action.’

The corollary, of course, is that without proactive commitment to the 6 values of academic integrity, Higher Education risks acceptance of less positive influences, lower ethical and moral standards and less effective behaviour around the learning journey for educators and students alike. Without academic integrity, the whole process is much more susceptible to misconduct, misunderstanding and lack of learning, all of which damages the student, their tutors and their institutions.

What does Academic Integrity involve?

Each of the six fundamental principles is associated with specific behaviours, including:

• Honesty – Giving credit to source content owners, evidencing findings, being objective and acknowledging the influence axiological issues and perception in work
• Trust – following guidance, demonstrating understanding, acting with genuine intent
• Fairness – working within the rules, taking responsibility for actions, being open-minded
• Respect – active listening, acting on feedback, acknowledging different perspectives and the possibility of alternative explanations for observed phenomena
• Responsibility – accepting accountability for actions, embracing challenge, delivering to specified standards, enforcing boundaries
• Courage – embracing the unknown, taking action to resolve conflict, enduring discomfort to demonstrate commitment, defending academic integrity, accepting the risk of failure (but trying anyway)

Where these behaviours are at the heart of dialogue between tutors, students, administrators and awarding bodies there is a greater likelihood of academic integrity overcoming personal, institutional and social threats to academic achievement.

For students?

Behaviours associated with successful academic achievement include:

• Seeking early clarification of issues arising from assignment briefs
• Making early progress on background research in support of learning (NB it is almost always best to focus first on the materials provided academic staff, rather than pursuing independent lines of enquiry)
• Seeking early feedback on initial drafts of your work
• Avoiding:
  • Waiting till submission deadlines approach before starting work
  • Seeking outside help in completing assignments (NB external agents never have access to the key resources you will have covered in your studies)
  • Seeking extensions to deadlines

For Higher Education Institutions (HEI)?

Achieving Academic Integrity in support of successful student outcomes requires HEI to consider:

• Assigning sufficient tutor resources to modules
• Avoiding large cohorts with limited access to module leader resources
• Promoting dialogue between staff and students as a natural part of academic engagement
• Encouraging and supporting students to seek clarification, guidance and feedback on their work in progress (NB ensuring this is accounted for in workload calculations)
• Creating a culture of open communication, quality and common goals for students and staff, around each individual mode of study and delivery

How does LSME achieve this?

The great news is that staff at the London School of Management Education (LSME) are already acknowledged to be excellent at ensuring Academic Integrity across all programmes at the college. This is achieved through:

• Promotion of a culture of academic integrity at LSME, aligned with the LSME Vision and Mission, and featuring:
  • High levels of student participation in all quality processes
  • High staff to student ratios
  • The provision of Individual Learning Plans (ILP) for all students as an anchor for discussions around the academic progress of each learner through their time at LSME
  • Regular personal check-points to ensure students remain motivated and engaged in their studies
  • Regular course-level academic reviews including student participation
  • Action taking on objective reports provided by independent External Examiners for all academic programmes
  • Integration of academic quality principles and procedures in line with awarding bodies such as the University of Chichester, Pearson Education and related industry bodies (QAA, OfS, Ofsted etc)
  • Highly accessible and responsive Senior Management who participate proactively in assessing the student journey at LSME as part of a process of continuous improvement.
  • Regular in-house and external training for staff and management in cutting edge approaches to enhancing quality in supporting the student learning journey in Higher Education.
• Integration of the student voice, employer needs and economic indicators in the planning, design and delivery of the LSME mission for all stakeholders
• Deployment of student support services to encourage success, such as tutoring resources for each programme, the Employability and Enterprise Hub (EEH), provision of counselling services and a strong focus on an inclusive curriculum to accommodate diverse student needs.

The result is that many other institutions and bodies, including those with national and international standing, look at LSME and how Academic Integrity is enshrined here as a model for their own aspirations and planning. You can be sure you are in good hands as you study here at LSME!

For more information, please email info@lsme.ac.uk – we will be pleased to hear from you!

References

• https://www.forbes.com/sites/jasonwingard/2023/01/10/chatgpt-a-threat-to-higher-education/
• See, for example, the 6 values set out in https://academicintegrity.org/images/pdfs/20019_ICAI-Fundamentaal-Values_R12.pdf
• https://www.qaa.ac.uk/docs/qaa/guidance/contracting-to-cheat-in-higher-education-third-edition.pdf
• See Ransome J and Newton P M (2017), Are we educating educators about academic integrity? A study of UK higher education textbooks. Assessment and Evaluation in Higher Education. March 2017, pp 1-12