ACADEMIC INTEGRITY

Respect for learning begins with Academic Integrity. This is not a new concept in education however, the conversation around academic integrity is shifting due to new and novel ways that students can potentially circumvent systems in place, if they wish to act dishonestly.

The most recent challenge that has sprung up for schools is the impact of AI on education. You may have seen recent news articles about Open AI’s ChatGPT chatbot, which is a text based artificial intelligence tool that has the ability to answer questions and write essays creating completely unique products. It also has the ability to mimic various writing styles. Clearly this is an amazing feat of technology, but one that is causing some headaches for schools and universities. Assessment in high school is still largely based on final ‘products’ produced by the student such as an essay, project, research paper or other written task. This new technology can easily create a product that is of decent quality and with minimal guidance from the student. Scrutinizing the final product, it could prove difficult to attribute the writing to any particular source and detect as plagiarism. This of course poses a major challenge for educators where there is no concrete evidence of plagiarism. The fact that AI technology can quickly learn and adapt writing styles, also avoids the question of ‘whether it is the student’s voice or not’ which means this type of cheating could arguably fall unnoticed and give the student a pass through the assessment task.

Of course the vast majority of students understand the importance of academic integrity and have good academic practices in place. Most students don’t cheat; however this new advent of technology and its sophistication is something teachers, students and parents need to be aware of. So, what can we do to help prevent instances of academic dishonesty in any shape or form, taking place? One possible solution is to adjust how we assess students. We could focus our assessment more on the process of learning and problem solving, rather than just assessing the final product created. However, it is also clear that schools need to be very clear when it comes to educating students about academic integrity and reinforcing the idea that having strong ethical values is important and everyone’s responsibility.

How do we support students at ISB when it comes to learning about Academic Integrity?

Skills associated with good academic practices are interwoven into our taught curriculum. We place emphasis on honing skills required for research and learning, ensuring that every student has the necessary tools to be a successful student. Our core values of integrity, responsibility and being value-driven are evident in our anchoring documents and help guide our conversations with students and parents. We have clear policies and procedures in place to educate about academic integrity allowing students to approach their studies in an ethical and honest way. This helps students to make good decisions that upholds both personal values and those of our wider school community. Students must understand that academic integrity is an extension of one’s own personal integrity and teaches students about honesty and trust. It is important to show that you have done the work yourself, while also valuing and acknowledging the work of others and how this has come to play a role in one’s own research.

At the end of the day, it is the responsibility of each student to uphold these principles and continue to develop academic skills that ensure they can be successful lifelong learners.