Academic integrity – a university-wide collaboration
Thursday 4 July: Conference day two, 11:00am – 11:30am parallel session
Venue
Room 6 – 303-B05 Sem
Presenters
Lachlan Condon
Monash University, Australia
Amy Han
Monash University, Australia
Melissa Santoso
Monash University, Australia
melissa.santoso@monash.edu
Nicole Scoble
Monash University, Australia
Dr Steven Yates
Monash University, Australia
Background
With academic misconduct becoming an increasingly complex and often ambiguously defined concept, Monash University Library – with the support of the broader Monash community – sought to elucidate ethical issues through the redevelopment of their online academic integrity tutorial. The impetus for redeveloping the existing tutorials stemmed from a combination of factors. They had become outdated, not just in appearance, but also content and structure, especially with the emergence of new issues such as contract cheating. Consequently, a complete overhaul was needed, one which would reflect the changing needs of both academics and students alike and align with Monash’s Academic Integrity Policy.
Initial focus groups were conducted with students in 2017, who expressed a greater desire for information about collusion and contract cheating, leading to a re-evaluation of the tutorial’s direction. The Library’s Digital Learning and Teaching team engaged with a variety of stakeholders–including educational designers, librarians, copyright advisers, and students–with the intention of implementing academic integrity as a university-wide requirement.
By employing an agile project management approach, all levels of stakeholders were effectively managed, greatly streamlining the process and ensuring that deadlines were kept. Predicated upon a development research methodology, the initial stages of development– wherein the overall direction, content, and format of the project was determined–involved extensive consultation not just with subject matter experts, but also student focus groups. The modules took shape throughout the design and development stages via continual formative review and, with the project nearing completion, focus groups were again conducted, leading to further changes surrounding visual overload and accessibility.
The resulting product is one which differs greatly from its predecessor. In the four months since going live in December 2018, there have been a total of 36,110 page views; this represents a 44.8% increase over the same period a year earlier when the old modules were in use. Usage data is continuously being monitored, with a further round of focus groups and surveys already in planning.
The completion of the academic integrity tutorial represents a true collaboration process across the university. Its completion – and subsequent successful uptake – would not have been possible without the contribution from all stakeholders involved, including academic staff, students, educational designers, content experts and university administrative staff. Their contribution of content and reviews throughout the development process not only ensured the tutorial’s relevance and effectiveness, but also helped to promote its visibility and accessibility throughout the university. The adoption of an agile methodology proved successful, particularly in regards to meeting the demands of a multi-stakeholder environment, allowing for the co-creation of quality resources throughout all stages of the project’s lifecycle, culminating in a jointly owned resource. It is the hope of the presenter that it may spark inspirations through the sharing of our experience of this complex yet rewarding collaboration.
Presentation topic
Tertiary – Collaboration
