Encouraging academic integrity for graduate impact Dr Erica Morris Senior Adviser Quality enhancement, assessment and academic integrity The Higher Education Academy BMAF Subject Network Conference, Bournemouth, May 2010

Exploring the links Academic integrity matters Graduates matter Key strategies Discussion questions Conclusion Overview 2

Exploring the links 3 Assessment: diverse and authentic EmployabilitySkillsAttributes Academic integrity Values

Changing focus – Academic misconduct – Promoting academic integrity Teaching, learning and assessment Policy analysis: approach – Integrity, punitive, mixed – Implementation ‘Aligning’ policy and practice Academic integrity in higher education 4 Bretag et al(2011)

‘The academic enterprise is rooted in a culture of integrity, founded on honesty and mutual trust... Academic integrity should be valued and promoted by the institution and it should underpin... all aspects of its teaching and learning strategy’ Academic integrity matters 5 Park (2004, pp )

Module on academic honesty Staff development – Assessment design Staff-student dialogue – Teaching sessions ‘developing students to graduate as ethical self- regulating professionals’ Institutional strategy 6 Clarkeburn and Freeman (2007, p22)

Student employability profiles Comprehensive analysis – Competencies and skills – Priorities from employer perspectives – Variation in terminology and definitions – Skills gap Graduates matter 7 Jackson (2010)

CompetencyFinding Honesty and integrityRelates to ‘ethics and responsibility’ Ranked as the most important employability skills Employers particularly impressed’ 1 CommunicationWriting skills as vital (71% of employers) Ranked 16 th as skill most satisfied with Many employers were unsatisfied with oral communication skills 2 Team workingRanked 10 th most important skills of 28 85% recent graduates demonstrated skill 1 Modern graduates 8 1 IOD (2007), 2 CIHE (2008), cited in Jackson (2010)

‘To.. enhance employability and the immediacy of adding value to enterprises, not only must businesses articulate what they need and want from graduates, it is also important that graduates are aware of what they are learning and its use in the workplace’ Taking matters further 9 Jackson (2010, p55, my emphasis)

Student induction and transition e-mentoring e.g. Hill and Reddy (2007) Peer mentoring Original, realistic, meaningful Live projects (Graham, n.d) Web tools and technologies (Waycott et al, 2010) Assessment design Strategies 10

Discussion questions 11 Promoting good academic practice: what innovative strategies might be used? Can we instil ‘academic integrity’ for graduates – and does this enhance graduate impact? What approaches are needed to investigate employers’ priorities with regard to graduates attributes and skills – how might academic integrity be ‘translated’?

Summary 12 Importance of academic integrity in higher education, a focus over last 10 years in response to concerns about student plagiarism Personal integrity and honesty: important attribute in graduates, but issues in how they relate to employability skills Innovative approaches to teaching, learning and assessment have a vital role to play in promoting a diverse range of ‘ready’ attributes and skills

Policy works: recommendations for reviewing policy to manage unacceptable academic practice in higher education Supporting academic integrity: approaches and resources for higher education Guidance publications 13

Bretag, T., Mahmud, S., East, J., Green. M., James, C., McGowan, U., Partridge, L., Wallace, M., and Walker, R. (2011) Academic Integrity Standards: A Preliminary Analysis of the Academic Integrity Policies at Australian Universities. Council for Industry and Higher Education (2008) Graduate employability: What do employers think and want? Cited in Jackson (2010). Clarkeburn, H. and Freeman, M. (2007) To plagiarise or not to plagiarise: an online approach to improving and motivating honest academic writing. International Journal of Management Education, 6(3), Available from: [17 January 2011]. Graham, J. (n.d) Live Projects. Employability case study. Available from: [18 January 2011]. Hill, R. and Reddy, P. (2007) Undergraduate peer mentoring: an investigation into processes, activities and outcomes. Psychology Learning and Teaching, 6(2), Available from: [18 January 2011]. Institute of Directors (2007) Institute of Directors skills briefing – December 2007: Graduates employability skills. Cited in Jackson (2010). Jackson, D. (2010) An International profile of industry-relevant competencies and skill gaps in modern graduates. International Journal of Management Education, 8(3), Available from: [17 January 2011]. Park, C. (2004) Rebels without a clause: towards an institutional framework for dealing with plagiarism by students. Journal of Further and Higher Education, 28, 3, Rees, C., Forbes, P. and Kubler, B. (2007) Student employability profiles: A guide for higher education practitioners. Graduate Prospects, The Council for Industry and Higher Education, The Higher Education Academy. Available from: loyability/Employability_profiles_print_pdf&site=york [4 October 2010]. loyability/Employability_profiles_print_pdf&site=york Ryan, G., Bonanno, H., Krass, I., Scouller, K. and Smith, L. (2009) Undergraduate and Postgraduate Pharmacy Students Perceptions of Plagiarism and Academic Honesty. American Journal of Pharmaceutical Education, 73(6), 1-8. Waycott, J., Gray, K., Clerehan, R., Hamilton, M., Richardson, J., Sheard, J. and Thompson, C. (2010) Implications for academic integrity of using web 2.0 for teaching, learning and assessment in higher education. International Journal for Educational Integrity, 6(2), References 14