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Imagine being wheeled in for a medical procedure and recognizing one of the providers at your bedside as someone who you suspected of cheating in the medical course you teach. Suddenly, the real-world implications of academic dishonesty become alarmingly clear. An audience member shared this story with our team at a conference a while back, and it serves as an important reminder to this day. Academic integrity is not confined to the walls of educational institutions; it has profound effects on professional competence and public safety. 

As educators, our paramount responsibility is ensuring that our graduates are truly competent. This commitment to academic integrity has been central to my role throughout my time at Western Governors University (ºÚÁÏ´«ËÍÃÅ). For nearly twenty years, I have endeavored to strike the right balance, protecting the value of the student’s credential while providing a positive assessment experience. We must do this one by one and at-scale (3.7 million assessments in 2024). 

The Importance of Academic Integrity in Higher Education

Academic dishonesty remains a significant concern in higher education, with a substantial gap between the number of students who engage in cheating and those who are caught. This trend is supported by research. A published in 2022 found that 28% of students admitted that they would likely cheat for a number of reasons ranging from family pressure as the highest motivation to job promotion as the lowest motivation.

Beyond the classroom, academic dishonesty can have far-reaching effects. Professionals who graduate without mastering essential competencies endanger lives in healthcare, compromise financial and data security in business and IT and risk the welfare of future generations in teaching. Employers also rely on the credibility of academic credentials to make informed hiring decisions. Ensuring academic integrity is not about punitive measures; it is about upholding the trust placed in higher education by students, employers and society.

ºÚÁÏ´«ËÍÃÅ’s Approach: Balancing Integrity and Student Experience

ºÚÁÏ´«ËÍÃÅ is committed to fostering a learning environment that prioritizes both academic honesty and student success. One of the most significant steps we’ve taken is implementing secure proctoring measures, including a lockdown browser, to uphold the credibility of assessments. A lockdown browser connects test takers to their proctoring sessions and locks down the testing computer's functionality based on settings controlled by exam administrators. This includes restricting actions like copy and paste, screenshot functions, printing, browser window size and URL access. Using the lockdown browser has been instrumental in reducing academic dishonesty. The new technology catches and prevents questionable behavior at more than four times the rate of the previous system (1.2% of assessments to 5.5%). The deterrence effect is immeasurable.

This change was not without challenges. At first, there were concerns over how the browser worked, requiring education that it was less invasive than other types of security. The browser initially utilized too much CPU and RAM, which tech releases corrected. It also uncovered students who were utilizing computers far below university requirements. We listened carefully, gathered feedback, provided some students with acceptable laptops, increased support, encouraged practice exams and made improvements to ensure a smoother experience. Upon launching the new platform in July 2024, we had an 87% satisfaction rate. An expected implementation dip saw 80% satisfaction in October. By March 2025, weekly satisfaction numbers improved to 93% and continued to climb. The numbers are helpful but tell only part of the story as we focus on each student’s experience. Our goal is to eliminate assessment friction for students, one by one, while protecting the integrity of their degrees.

Constructive Solutions: A Path Forward

Addressing academic integrity requires a proactive, multifaceted approach. ºÚÁÏ´«ËÍÃÅ is not alone in fostering a culture of honesty and accountability through efforts such as these:

• Education and Awareness: Institutions should educate students on academic integrity and its consequences. As notes, students are more likely to cheat if they think their peers are doing so. To counteract this, fostering a culture of honest learning is essential. When cheating is seen as socially undesirable, it discourages dishonest behavior and promotes academic authenticity. Engaging students to protect the value of their degrees can effectively use peer pressure.

• Robust Assessment Design: Developing assessments that are less susceptible to cheating is crucial. This can involve personalized assignments, oral examinations and assessments that require critical thinking and application of knowledge. Creating assessments that function well in a proctored environment is critical. In , 69% of students responded that they would be less likely to cheat when proctoring software is used.

• Policy Development and Enforcement: Establishing clear policies is essential. Institutions must also enforce these policies consistently to deter potential offenders. It's no surprise that 68% of that knowing they could receive a lower grade if caught would make them less likely to cheat. In , 51% of students responded that they would be less likely to cheat if the instructor lists the consequences within the syllabus. 

• Time to Learn: In environments where GPAs are paramount and one exam can bring down an entire semester, students may feel pressured to cheat. At ºÚÁÏ´«ËÍÃÅ, we have alleviated that pressure by providing competency-based education (CBE). This unique model allows students to focus on mastering the material without the fear of a single exam impacting their academic record. CBE also enables students to take control of their learning journey and achieve their goals at their own pace, balancing life demands while maintaining a reasonable pace on their academic success journey. 

• Personalized Learning: A lack of readiness may prompt cheating. By taking pre-assessments, ºÚÁÏ´«ËÍÃÅ students can identify areas that require focus, make the best use of their time and determine their readiness for exams. Our one-by-one approach allows students to obtain assistance in various manners, enabling them to choose the method that works best for them. From one-on-one conversations with faculty to academic coaching centers with peer support and vibrant course communities, we offer a variety of support options to guide students on their journey. With plenty of support to learn, cheating becomes far less tempting.

A Shared Commitment to Integrity

Upholding academic integrity is a collective responsibility. Faculty, students and institutions must work together to build a culture where honesty is valued, learning is meaningful and credentials reflect true achievement. As educators, our mission is not just to assess knowledge but to shape ethical, competent professionals who can contribute with confidence in their fields.

The future of higher education depends on trust—trust in our students, trust in our institutions and trust in the value of the degrees we award. By fostering academic integrity through education, innovation and empathy, we create a pathway to a more credible, equitable and hopeful future for all learners.