Governing Academic Integrity: Ensuring the Authenticity of Higher Thinking in the Era of Generative Artificial Intelligence

Abstract

There is a pressing need to reform governance of higher education to ensure the academic integrity in response to the contemporary implications of generative artificial intelligence. The aim of this paper is to articulate research which reveals ways in which this can be done. First, it considers what new information would help academic governors improve their work hence academic practice. It presents an academic integrity indicator framework developed through research reviews, multi-institutional case study analysis, framework and data prototyping, qualitative confirmation with experts, and quantitative analysis. Second, it explores reforms to academic governance to ensure uptake and use of such information. The paper articulates reforms to governance architectures, people and technologies/resources, and the need for external pressure from regulation, benchmarking, and cross-institutional competition. The paper concludes by sketching a research agenda for advancing this field.