Pathways to Academic Integrity: Supporting Students through a Community of Practice Approach

Abstract

This paper charts the establishment and holistic development of a college-wide Community of Practice (CoP) on Academic Integrity at Hibernia College (HC), a Higher Education Institution (HEI) provider of blended learning in Ireland. The establishment of the CoP was initially motivated by a perceived need to address potential increased risks of academic misconduct in light of developments in generative artificial intelligence. However, a literature review, collaborative faculty discussions and facilitation of focus groups with students across HC programmes, re-directed the focus of the CoP towards addressing the potentially punitive nature of academic integrity policies, procedures and their implementation and co-creating student supports. This re-aligned the work of the CoP towards a collaborative academic integrity policy review informed by Bretag et al.’s (2011) five core elements of exemplary policy and towards co-creation of resources to support students in their own practices. This represents more holistic approaches to policy design and strategy which authentically engage students with academic integrity practices. The conceptual framework presented by Wenger et al. (2011) for promoting and assessing value creation in communities and networks and the cycle of value creation is utilised by the CoP. In sharing this process, participants will learn how a co-creation, CoP approach to fostering and facilitating an Academic Integrity culture could be applicable to their institutions and support the deconstructing of ambiguous policy into accessible resources.