Pairing Policy with Technology to Build a Culture of Academic Integrity

The University of Maryland Global Campus (UMGC) is a large distance-learning institution that has been a leader in online education. Their philosophy on academic integrity is focused on teaching and learning with integrity, ensuring students develop authentic and demonstrable knowledge, skills, and abilities. They emphasize that academic integrity is an academic function, centralizing efforts within Academic Affairs.

The Challenge

UMGC faced challenges with traditional punishment-oriented approaches and contract cheating. They found their existing policies focused on what not to do rather than a more formative approach.

Strategy for Success

UMGC established the Office of Academic Integrity and Accountability as a resource center. They shifted their philosophy to center students in their learning and academic integrity journeys. They developed rigorous policies, including providing students a voice in the matter and clear guidelines and procedures. They also leveraged educational technology like Turnitin Feedback Studio , reframing it as a "text similarity analysis" tool instead of a "plagiarism checker." They encouraged draft submissions and faculty development activities to promote academic integrity and the use of Turnitin as a learning tool.

Achieving a Boost in Student Engagement

Since launching their academic integrity initiative, UMGC has seen a decrease in formal cases of academic misconduct. They observed a significant increase in instructors providing detailed feedback through Turnitin Feedback Studio and increased utilization of Turnitin in course sections. They also found increased student engagement with feedback. UMGC continues to develop their program and has formed the Coalition for Online Integrity (COIN).