Student Breaches of Integrity: Introduction

Abstract

This introduction begins by recounting a compelling story about a challenging academic integrity case that occurred during the summer of 2016. The author reflects upon his experience as an academic integrity professional and, using the story as a heuristic, highlights the importance of professional development and cross-departmental, as well as interdisciplinary, collaboration to address academic misconduct effectively. The chapters introduced by this essay focus on such topics as the Courageous Conversations model and its effectiveness in lowering the adversarial nature of conduct hearings, the role of the Ombuds office as an strategic partner for university-wide academic integrity efforts, the importance of disciplinary-specific approaches, the impact of Covid-19 on academic integrity education, accountability, and management, and the emerging challenge of artificial intelligence. The introduction emphasizes the value of continuous learning, the adoption of new practices and methods, and re-imagining systems to better promote cultures of academic integrity on university campuses and the higher education industry writ large.