Building academic integrity through online assessment apps

Abstract

The Covid-19 pandemic of the last two years is having an immense effect on teaching and learning in higher education. The rapid shift to online assignments and examinations in response to the pandemic and the consequent lockdown forced higher education institutions to become innovative with regard to online assessment. Furthermore, academic integrity during online examinations is a crucial concern since it affects the quality and trustworthiness of examination systems in higher education. In our experiences and according to course reports by lecturers at the largest distance education university in South Africa (Unisa), students handled online assessment in varied ways, which ranged from honesty to students being guilty of copy-and-paste and students assisting other students or phoning somebody for assistance. The two main research questions were: what is involved in academically dishonest behaviours in online courses, and can digital technologies such as online invigilator applications contribute towards academic integrity? The purpose of this exploratory case study was to analyse the types of challenges experienced by Baccalaureus Educationis (BEd) and Postgraduate Certificate in Education (PGCE) students during fully online examinations. We want to propose guidelines for instructors and administrators in their decision-making process regarding online evaluations and encourage future studies that will form the foundation of evidence-based practices. The study further focused on a new app referred to as the Invigilator Application (IA). This app was compulsory for students to use during their online assessment, and our interest is to discover how the IA may contribute towards academic integrity. The findings are reported in terms of the cheating behaviour that occur in different components of course assessments and are discussed in terms of personal motivation theory and broader social and community pressures.