Hello! My name is Abigail Warner, and I am a doctoral student at South College. My dissertation topic is academic misconduct reporting trends, and I am seeking institutional participants for my research study.
The unceremonious shift to emergency remote teaching (ERT) during the COVID-19 pandemic resulted in stress and confusion for both students and faculty, as well as a breakdown in communication. News outlets reported on the seemingly dramatic increase in academic misconduct cases at colleges and universities nationwide (Dey, 2021). One study by Lancaster and Cotarlan (2021) found that the number of test-related questions on Chegg increased by 196.25% when comparing five-month time periods in 2019 and 2020, suggesting that the higher levels of reporting were, in fact, correlated with higher cases of misconduct. Subsequent studies have found additional evidence that students were more likely to cheat on exams and assignments through unauthorized resources, collusion, and contract cheating during ERT than pre-Covid (Maryon et al., 2022).
Less is known, however, about academic misconduct reporting trends after higher education institutions returned to full operating status. Have they followed the path set during the pandemic? Or have they reverted to pre-pandemic levels since the end of ERT? You can help answer these questions!
I am requesting access to academic misconduct reporting data from colleges and universities. The proposed research aims to examine the differences in trends before, during, and after the pandemic with a particular focus on the frequency, type, and severity of infractions. Insights gained from this study can be used by participating institutions to refine both proactive and reactive strategies for combatting academic misconduct. Only data that specifically addresses the scope of the study will be collected, and all personally identifiable information will be removed. Additionally, Dr. David Rettinger, ICAI’s Research and Assessment Committee chair, has agreed to support the research and help ensure all data is anonymized.
If your institution is willing to participate in this study, please reach out to me at aw5729@south.edu. I am available to provide additional information and answer any questions you may have. Thank you for your consideration!
Lancaster, T., & Cotarlan, C. (2021). Contract cheating by STEM students through a file sharing website: a Covid-19 pandemic perspective. International Journal for Educational Integrity, 17(1), 1–16.
Maryon, T., Dubre, V., Elliott, K., Escareno, J., Fagan, M. H., Standridge, E., & Lieneck, C. (2022). COVID-19 Academic Integrity Violations and Trends: A Rapid Review. Education Sciences. https://doi.org/10.3390/educsci12120901
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