The Office of Academic Initiatives and Integrity and the Teaching Innovation and Pedagogical Support (TIPS) Team have worked together to develop and compile resources to help faculty promote the culture of integrity in a remote teaching environment. Stress and remote assessments and exams can increase the likelihood that students will engage in different forms of academic misconduct. Additionally, there are websites and internet resources aggressively marketing toward college students that offer study aids, papers, and solutions to problems for a fee. It is also a common practice for private companies to request students provide access to course materials such as test questions, assignments, and examples of graded work. Finally, tools such as the GroupMe application are a great way for students to connect, but when soliciting assistance on assignments or exams in which collaboration is unauthorized students will find themselves in violation of the university’s academic integrity policies.

Clear and consistent communication, low-stakes assessments, flexibility, and clearly articulated learning goals are all proven strategies that decrease the likelihood that students will engage in academic dishonesty. The Academic Integrity and Remote Teaching website provides additional resources and strategies to faculty to help them promote integrity and prevent academic misconduct. The site also includes assignment/exam guidelines, examples of common academic integrity violations in a remote/hybrid environment, and supplemental syllabus statements in addition to the Faculty Approved Academic Honesty Syllabus Statement. Sample syllabus statements may also include:

Unauthorized Websites or Internet Resources

There are many websites claiming to offer study aids to students, but in using such websites, students could find themselves in violation of our University’s Academic Integrity and Code of Student Life policies. These websites include (but are not limited to) Quizlet, Bartleby, Course Hero, Chegg, and Clutch Prep. The U of A does not endorse the use of these products in an unethical manner. These websites may encourage students to upload course materials, such as test questions, individual assignments, and examples of graded material. Such materials are the intellectual property of instructors, the university, or publishers and may not be distributed without prior authorization. Furthermore, paying for academic work to be completed on your behalf and submitting it for academic credit is considered ‘contract cheating’ per the Academic Integrity Policy. Students found to have committed this type of violation, face a grading penalty of ‘XF’ and a minimum one-semester academic suspension per the University of Arkansas Sanction Rubric. Please let me know if you are uncertain about the use of a website.

Unauthorized Use of Technology for a Quiz or Examination

Students are not permitted to collaborate on any quiz or examination without specific permission from the instructor in advance. This includes collaboration through GroupMe, WhatsApp, or any other form of technology to exchange information associated with a quiz or examination.

The following is not all-inclusive of what is considered academic misconduct for quizzes or examinations. These examples show how the use of technology can be considered academic misconduct and could result in the same penalties as cheating in a face-to-face (in-person) class:

• Taking a screenshot of an online quiz or exam question, posting it to GroupMe or WhatsApp, and asking for assistance is considered academic misconduct.
• Answering an online quiz or exam question posted to GroupMe or WhatsApp is considered academic misconduct.
• Giving advice, assistance, or suggestions on how to complete a question associated with a quiz or examination is considered academic misconduct.
• The use of online websites (Quizlet, Chegg) or search engines (Google) when exam instructions indicate these are not allowed is considered academic misconduct.
• Gathering to take an online quiz or exam with others and sharing answers in the process is considered academic misconduct.

Electronic Devices

During tests and quizzes turn off and put away all electronic devices that have not been specifically authorized.  Having an unauthorized electronic device visible to yourself or others constitutes an academic integrity violation.

<List here any specifically authorized electronic devices such as a calculator>

Other Items

Any object that your instructor feels will interfere with conducting a fair test is prohibited.

<List here any specifically unauthorized items>

Please note: If a student or group of students is found to be exchanging material associated with a quiz or examination through any form of technology (GroupMe, WhatsApp, etc.) or using any unauthorized resources (Googling answers, use of websites such as Quizlet, Course Hero, Chegg, etc.), I am required to report this matter per the University of Arkansas Academic Integrity Policy.