(This article has been updated from its original version, published in March 2023.)
Academic misconduct is on the rise. Test-takers are now using generative AI (GenAI) tools like ChatGPT to do their coursework, and they’re employing increasingly sophisticated methods, such as deepfake AI software, to bypass exam integrity controls.
Technology advancements—namely GenAI—have unquestionably led to an “exponential increase in academic integrity breaches,” according to the UK’s Higher Education Policy Institute (HEPI). Recent research has linked the public launch of GenAI to a:
- 411% increase in academic integrity breaches at Abertay University,
- 278% increase at Herriot Watt University, and
- 68% increase at Glasgow Caledonian University.
Let’s be clear: This surge is not happening at these universities—or at UK universities—alone. They’re happening everywhere, whether institutions are recording data about it or not.
The Hidden Costs of Academic Misconduct
Higher-ed institutions can accrue tremendous financial, legal, and reputational costs if academic cheating instances are left unaddressed or mishandled. These costs can be serious, including potential lawsuits and loss of funding and/or accreditation. They can also strain institutional teams: New data reveals that academic staff spend 93.3 hours investigating 100 cases of suspected misconduct, while administrative staff spend 176.4 hours. HEPI generalized these costs across all public universities and found that cheating costs the US economy $196 million per year and the British economy £12.4 million per year.
Ways to Mitigate the Risks of Cheating Without Spending More
It’s increasingly difficult to mitigate academic misconduct, but live online exam proctoring remains an effective deterrent. However, not every institution has the budget to accommodate such a solution. Here are eight key strategies to minimize cheating at your institution without spending more money.
#1: Provide Consistent Communication About Academic Misconduct
Communication around your academic honesty policies and expectations should start at the beginning of the semester and last until the end. More specifically, you should clearly state for your students what does and doesn’t constitute academic cheating. Doing so can have an enormous impact on test-taker behavior. For example, recent studies show that 18% of students think using unauthorized materials on an exam does not count as cheating. Clarifying that these materials are, in fact, prohibited could reduce unintentional cheating instances by almost 20%.
It’s equally important to communicate how dishonest behavior will be prevented or detected. This conveys to your students that you take academic integrity seriously . . . and they should too. Consider this: About 73% of students claim they’re less likely to cheat if there’s a risk of detection. That explains, in part, why cheating occurs in 70% of unproctored exams but only 15% of proctored exams.
#2: Form an Academic Integrity Committee
An academic integrity committee—made up of representatives from your institution’s faculty, student body, and administrative staff—can act as ground zero for deterring academic dishonesty. They can do things like conducting surveys to determine the current culture and attitude toward academic integrity at your institution. You can also task them with investigating reported incidents of cheating or staying ahead of new methods, such as the use of ChatGPT or resources like Chegg and Course Hero.
#3: Develop an Academic Integrity Checklist
Have your committee put together a checklist for academic integrity. Include best practices for pre-exam communication, syllabus verbiage, vigilance during exams, and post-exam follow-up. This checklist can act as a baseline for your faculty as they develop and administer their exams. Once you have a checklist developed, encourage—or require—faculty members to complete it for each course and exam they administer.
#4: Validate and Socialize Honor Codes
Many institutions require students to acknowledge academic integrity policies at the beginning of a course or when they begin their exam. This is a good tactic, but it’s more effective to do so after they’ve taken the exam.
Having a specific statement that asks the test-taker to confirm that the work they are submitting is entirely their own and that they’ve not used any unpermitted resources elevates the gravity of the honor code. It increases the awareness that someone is paying attention to their conduct. It can also make it more difficult to claim ignorance of the code later.
#5: Encourage Information-Sharing Among Faculty
It may be tempting for faculty to silo themselves when it comes to addressing academic misconduct. Whether they choose to make a formal report or not, sharing cheating instances with fellow faculty members—without naming individual test-takers, of course—can be an immense benefit.
When faculty members share this information, their department or the institution may be able to spot patterns of misconduct. With those patterns identified, they can then rally together to address them on a wider scale. Additionally, when institutions encourage this as a policy—and assure faculty they will not be disciplined over academic cheating in their classes—instructors feel more comfortable sharing with each other, their deans or department heads, and the administrative staff.
#6: Publicize Academic Misconduct Enforcement Measures
One of the best things an institution can do to help prevent academic cheating in higher education is to proactively publicize how the incidents were handled and what disciplinary measures were taken. Do not share any identifying information on who was involved in the academic misconduct, but do disclose the consequences of the cheating. When test-takers see cheaters being reprimanded and possibly punished—by means such as failing a course or suspension from the program—they are less likely to engage in cheating behavior. In addition, publicizing enforcement measures helps assure honest test-takers that the institution supports them in their journey toward a valid, credible degree.
#7: Disclose the Number of Academic Misconduct Incidents
It might seem counterintuitive, but candidly admitting that academic cheating has occurred can help mitigate future instances. This type of open acknowledgment sends two messages: First, it lets your faculty know that you take these instances seriously and that they should too, which encourages them to be more vigilant. Second, it lets potential cheaters know that the institution is unafraid to call out misconduct and respond with appropriate disciplinary action.
#8: Crack Down on Cheating Companies
There are too many websites selling academic dishonesty—under the guise of academic support and tutoring—to stop all of them. Many of them pop up one day only to disappear the next, making it seem impossible to prevent them. However, there are a few big providers who dominate the contract cheating industry. Blocking them can have an immense impact.
Make sure that your academic integrity policy names these specific companies as being banned from use. This will let students know that you are not only serious about preventing cheating but also aware of the methods they might use to cheat. You can even have your IT departments block the well-known providers on your campus servers.
Taking Action Against Academic Misconduct
It’s easy to feel overwhelmed by the potential impact a culture of cheating might have on your institution. The above steps are a great start at deterring cheating in your institution. Given the financial and legal risks of not protecting exam integrity, you’ll want to take further steps to safeguard your exams and reputation as well. When you’re ready to do so, a professionally trained proctor, or—in an increasingly online world—the right remote proctoring solution, can be invaluable in both preventing and detecting cheating in your exams.
Learn more about how to evaluate remote proctoring solutions—and the hidden costs associated with some of them.