Overview
The focus on academic integrity has never been greater.
In our current society, where recent advances in technology have led some to question the value of academic learning and others to view expertise itself as disposable, it is critically important that students recognise the value of a university education.
So, what is so special about studying at a university? Often, it is the ticket to successful future employment. At your university, you access and learn from experts in the field, but critically, it is also a training ground for students to respect the education process. Although it may not always be stated explicitly, a university education helps you recognise how knowledge and a greater understanding of our world advance, while reminding you of the role you play in this ongoing progress.
At the heart of academic integrity are certain immutable values. These are not often detailed explicitly, but they are central to the education process. One goal of the university is to develop these values in how you conduct yourself, both while on campus and beyond. They include respecting others’ work, accepting responsibility for your actions, displaying honesty and fairness in your efforts, engendering trust through your actions, and demonstrating the courage to act with integrity when opportunities to do otherwise present themselves.
These values are repeated throughout this module. There are also practical skills that you can use to demonstrate academic integrity throughout your studies. These include:
- Time management
- Citing and referencing
- Media literacy
- Understanding how to use generative AI in your studies
This module contains five sessions, each featuring a presentation that should take approximately twenty minutes to complete. As well as the core content, there are several activities and resources that you can access to help guide your journey as a student seeking to study with academic integrity.
Learning Outcomes
By the end of this course, you will be able to:
- Recognise the values and principles of academic integrity;
- Apply learning strategies that help you study with academic integrity;
- Explain the importance of citing and referencing the work of others in the context of academic integrity;
- Use media literacy skills to distinguish reliable, high-quality information from sources of lesser standing;
- Identify the opportunities and challenges presented by generative AI in an academic integrity context.
Course Developers
This open course was developed by the National Forum for the Enhancement of Teaching and Learning in Higher Education in partnership with:
Catherine O’Donoghue
SME, CPID, TUS
Eimear Kelly
SME, CPID, TUS
Dr Geraldine McDermott
Reviewer, CPID, TUS
Tom Aherne
Learning Technologist, CAP, SETU
Mags Connolly
Learning Technologist, CAP, SETU
Ken Doyle
Design Specialist, CAP, SETU
Dr Nuala Harding
TUS Academic Integrity Course Development Project Lead
Acknowledgements
This course is part of My Digital Backpack, developed under the N‑TUTORR programme and funded by the European Union under the NextGenerationEU initiative, as part of Ireland’s National Recovery and Resilience Plan (NRRP).
