University signs up to Academic Integrity Charter
13 Sep 2021
The University has joined 133 UK higher education institutions in signing up to the Quality Assurance Agency (QAA)’s Academic Integrity Charter
Launched on 21 October 2020, the Charter was developed with the support of the QAA Academic Integrity Advisory Group in response to the fact that academic misconduct is a growing problem globally, and the need to ensure across the sector that every student’s qualification is genuine, verifiable and respected.
Signing up represents an institutional pledge to implement the Charter’s principles and commitments through a ‘whole community’ approach; working with staff and students, and in collaboration with other institutions, to protect and promote academic integrity and take action against academic misconduct. It signifies the importance of supporting students so that they are able to make the right decisions around academic integrity. It’s everyone’s responsibility to know and understand our position and what we can do about it.
Professor April McMahon, Vice-President Teaching, Learning and Students, highlights the significance of the University signing up to the Academic Integrity Charter: “It’s great news that our University has signed up to the Charter, and that we will be supporting our students to help them make the right decisions for their academic futures.”
The Charter provides a baseline position upon which providers should build their own policies and practices. Towards the end of 2021, the QAA will report on emerging sector practice, including how institutions have used this Charter. This information will shape future work within our own institution going forward.
This decision builds on work the University has already begun promoting academic integrity, including advice to students on avoiding academic malpractice and the staff-facing Contract Cheating Toolkit which covers prevention, detection and ultimately guidance on how to take action where cases are detected. It contains information for Academic Advisors, Programme Directors, PASS leaders and Peer Mentors, as well as suggestions on how to introduce discussions around ethics and malpractice into your teaching.
Further resources for staff:
- Toolkit: Referring academic malpractice cases to the University Disciplinary Panel (UDP) (Advice and Response team)
- Academic Malpractice Procedure
- TLSD web pages on Academic Malpractice and Plagiarism
- The University is also making available a suite of resources from the Open University, some of which will support academic integrity. Resources from the new Jumpstart University hub will be made available in the first instance for Welcome, Induction and Transition via the Faculty reps
Current resources for students:
- Guidance to students on Plagiarism and other forms of Malpractice
- An e-poster, Work Hard, Work Honestly, has been developed by current students to raise awareness
- The My Learning Essentials resource Avoiding Plagiarism
- A warning about Essay Mills in the ‘Scams and Risks’ section of the Student Support Microsite