Academic Integrity and Its Implications in Higher Education

This report discusses the concept of academic integrity, its importance in higher education, and the implications of academic misconduct. It also reflects on the steps taken and difficulties encountered in producing a game to avoid plagiarism. The report mentions the skills learned in the academic year and those emphasized in producing the game. The subject is Further Academic Skills, the course code is BMP3003, the course name is BSc (Hons) Business Management with Foundation, and the college/university is not mentioned.

BSc (Hons) Business Management with Foundation
BMP3003
Further Academic Skills
Academic Integrity
Submitted by:
Name:
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Contents

Contents
Introduction..............................................................................................................................1
Section 1....................................................................................................................................1
An Introduction including a description of Academic Integrity............................................1
A discussion of the importance of academic integrity in higher education...........................2
Discuss the implications of academic misconduct.................................................................2
Section 2....................................................................................................................................3
Reflect on the steps you have taken, and difficulties encountered in producing the game....3
Reflect on the skills learned in academic year and those emphasized in producing your
game.......................................................................................................................................4
Conclusion.................................................................................................................................5
References.................................................................................................................................6

Introduction
The concept of academic integrity is considered as the action that is related to the demonstration
and commitment of morality as well as honesty in behavior while performing academic work.
Now student conducts various unethical and mis conductive activities such as cheating, plagiarism
and various others for the purpose of gaining academic advantages that is also known as the
academic misconduct. All these misconducts that are performed by the students are identified by
the teachers and mentors because it directly impacts on their performance level. There are various
policies and rules are formulated by the academic institutions to recognize the academic
misconduct and serious actions are taken against them such as punishment and reduction in marks
and other. Academic integrity is also considered as the academic skill that enable student to attain
determined goals and objectives in efficient manner. There are various implications of academic
integrity is explained. Along with that, in second section of report steps as well as difficulties that
are taken into consideration during producing the game is discussed. Furthermore, skills and
competencies that learnt in academic year and used in the process of developing game are
mentioned in this report.
Section 1
An Introduction including a description of Academic Integrity
Academic integrity is defined as the concept that reflect the moral code as well as ethical
policies and practices that are performed by the students in their academic work.
Implementing the concept of academic integrity is important for both students and university.
It supports students through enhancing their educational value and moral behavior by
avoidance the activities and actions such as cheating, plagiarism and cheating of contract.
Along with that, it enables students to maintain their academic standards, honesty as well as
academic publishing. Academic integrity is the morale code and standards of ethics that are
governed by the academic institutions (Cleary and Sayers, 2017). Generally, it is the
expectations that teachers, researchers as well as other relative members of academic
community act with moral principles such as fairness, trust, responsibility, honesty and
respect. It motivated students to perform their academic work with honesty and prevent from
conducting any misconduct that impact on their performance. Breaching of academic
integrity is considered as the academic misconduct or academic dishonesty. To prevent these
unethical actions universities and academic communities develop effective shared values and
norms of behavior that provide guidance to students and ensure that all these value into

practice. These values are related to being fair to other, taking responsibilities of learning and
follow all instructions in performing academic work with efficiency and effectiveness.
A discussion of the importance of academic integrity in higher education
Academic integrity in very important aspect for student’s and in their higher education
because it provides them freedom to build their ideas, creative work, knowledge as well as
respective and acknowledging the work of others. As it is related to putting values into
practice through maintaining honesty in academic work and become fair to others as well. It
enables universities also to maintain strong brand image over other competitive universities.
Academic integrity helps students to gain true knowledge and understanding and reflect it in
performing academic work. Universities also respond against to academic misconduct in
consistent, fair, transparent as well as timely manner and take actions to ensures that student
do not copy of others work and submit their own with honestly (Carruthers, 2019). If students
are engaged in the activities of plagiarism and other unethical practices then university
punished them and reduce their marks as well.
Various rules are regulations are formulated to reduce these unethical activities and improve
student’s knowledge regarding academic topic. Academic integrity enhances skills in
student’s personality and enable them to perform with efficiency and honest as well as get
desirable outcomes. It enhances various values in students such as perform their work with
honesty and fairness, respect others work, take responsibility of their own work and maintain
trust level through their ethical actions. If a student gets their graduate degree through
following all values and aspects of academic integrity than it makes their education worthy
and reputed (Seaton, 2020). It also motivates students to come with new and creative ideas to
perform work with more efficient manner as well as shows the path to get new knowledge
and give credit to other people whom ideas and information is used in completing
assignment. Due to these importance, academic integrity plays significant role in higher
education.
Discuss the implications of academic misconduct
The concept of academic misconduct is considered as those actions and activities that
provides unfair advantages to students over others. These unfair advantages of someone
become the disadvantages to other. Such as unfair activities include plagiarism, cheating,
altering academic documents and others. Some misconducts that are performed by the
students along with their implications are mentioned below:

Cheating: It is considered as the basic academic misconduct which is related to fraud,
dishonesty in academic assignment, steal other student work without acknowledging them. It
can be done through communicating the answers during giving examination as well as
cheating other work when it is difficult to find the solution on their own in limited time.
Universities formulated various rules and regulations to reduce cheating as well as punish
students if they are found to doing these misconducts.
Plagiarism: It is related to using intellectual material and work that is created by
others without their permission and considering the courses. It consists presenting others
work as their own and submit it. Mostly students uses others work, insights, ideas and
opinions to complete their own assignment without taking permission of that person, so
university conduct this action as the misconduct and punish student for this (Bygrave and
Aşık, 2019). It reduced student’s performance and efficiency as well as create risk future as
they have passed their academics without having ant skills and knowledge. It is important for
the students to provide name of author, proper references and written details in their
academic work to prevent from any type of misconduct. Plagiarism is termed as the biggest
academic misconduct that impacts on academic career of student.
False information and representation: Students use false information in their
assignments that is also considered as the academic misconduct. It is also termed as the
fabricating and alteration of data in incorrect manner and providing the false information in
their assignment that impacts on other’s learning and knowledge as well. The aspects of
academic integrity facilitate students through providing various opportunities to behave in
honest and fair manner in class and maintain dignity.
Section 2
Reflect on the steps you have taken, and difficulties encountered in producing the
game
In university, a assignment is provides to me in group that is related to producing a game that
enable teachers to identifying and avoiding the plagiarism as well other unethical activities
from the academic work. There are various problems and difficulties are faced by me other
group members regarding understanding the requirements to produce the game. As the game
is based on the concept of avoiding plagiarism from work and spread awareness among
students regarding the academic misconducts (GROSU and TOADER, 2020). With the
objective of developing effective game, I have engaged myself in the game development
activities. During the process of producing game, team-management, technical assistance and

availability of financial requirement are the difficulties that are faced by us and that affect our
overall efficiency and effectiveness of game. In this “Plagiarism Avoider” game board with
26 boxes, a dice, pawns in different colors as well as cards with questions on their backs are
included. The game enhances knowledge and understanding of students regarding the
plagiarism. I have never played the game that is related to cards and dice that creates
difficulty to develop the game as well as it creates confusion in the process designing and
producing game on time. There are all rules, regulations and practices of academic integrity is
followed in this producing this Plagiarism Avoider game that facilitates students to improve
their skills and capabilities. Along with that, the game is also able to reduce the actions of
plagiarism, cheating as well as other academic misconduct.
There are various features and software are used in the game that recognizes the plagiarism as
well as facilitates students to give effective answers rather than copying the work of others. In
the process of developing game, we have faced the problem related to team work because all
team-members point of view and perceptions are different from each other that create
frustration and confusion at workplace (Finikov, 2017). There is specific time-limit is
provided to students to answer the question is efficient manner that create the problem to set
time and schedule properly. As the main objective of game is to enhances knowledge and
understanding of student regarding the cheating and plagiarism from the work. It the process
of selecting the suitable source create various challenges and problems that are faced by us.
We have conducted meetings and conferences with the objective of discussing about the
problems and find out appropriate solutions that enable us to design and develop effective
game.
Reflect on the skills learned in academic year and those emphasized in producing your
game
As there are various type of problems and difficulties are faced by us in the process of
designing and developing game. All these challenges and difficulties helps me to face the
situation in efficient manner and develop skills and competencies. These skills enable me to
analyze the problem and find out the best solution to perform in efficient manner (Saadah,
2020). Academic sessions in university enhance my knowledge, understanding and skills that
help to perform properly and reduce academic misconducts like cheating and plagiarism.
There are various skills and competencies are learned by me during academic year like
effective communication skill, designing and IT skills, time-management, creativity and
innovation, research and writing skill that improve my overall personality and helps to attain

determined goals and objectives in efficient manner (Bealle, 2017). In this some skills helped
me to develop creative and effective game such as research skill, IT as well as Microsoft
office skills. As I have developed decision-making and problem-solving skills during my
academic yead that enable me to take proper decisions in the process of game development
All these skills and competencies help me to gain career development opportunities and
accomplish my goals on time with great efficiency. Along with that, management and
communication skills are learned by me in university that helped me to interact and
communicate properly with team members of game development project (Brunelle and Hott,
2020). I have paid attention to come with new and innovative ideas for game that differentiate
it from others. Time-management skills helps me to divide time in all activities and design
the game before deadline. Organization skill also plays important role in the process of
producing game because it enables me to manage and organize all team work and activities
so, all efforts are led in right direction. In my academic year, I have prepared presentation on
power point that presented it to audience in effective manner so, it also helped me to present
game and its instructions to others in understandable manner that create student’s interest as
well. Thus all skills and competencies that are learned by me in my academic year helped me
to produce effective game that avoid plagiarism form academic work.
Conclusion
As per above report, it can be concluded that the concept of academic integrity is very
important for the students to pursue their higher education in proper manner and gain
desirable outcomes. It is related to prefer moral values and ethical practices in performing
academic work and respect other’s work as well. Academic integrity also helps university as
well as students to avoid the activities of misconduct and plagiarism from academic work. It
facilitates university to maintain effective image over competitors. There are various games
are available that help in identifying as well as avoiding plagiarism from academic work. In
the process of producing game, students faces various difficulties regarding teamwork,
resources and knowledge that impacts game efficiency. Students learn various skills and
competencies from their academic sessions that help them to perform properly and attain
their personal and professional goals in desirable manner.

References
Books and Journals
Cleary, M. and Sayers, J., 2017. Academic integrity and plagiarism.
Carruthers, J., 2019. Academic integrity. South African Journal of Science, 115(11-12), pp.1-
1.
Seaton, K., 2020. Academic integrity in mathematics education: Breaking the silence. In A
Research Agenda for Academic Integrity. Edward Elgar Publishing.
Bygrave, C. and Aşık, Ö., 2019. Global Perspectives on Academic Integrity. In Strategies for
Fostering Inclusive Classrooms in Higher Education: International Perspectives on
Equity and Inclusion. Emerald Publishing Limited.
GROSU, O.V. and TOADER, E., 2020. Ethics and Academic Integrity Elements of Ethics in
Electrical. Postmodern Openings/Deschideri Postmoderne, 11(4).
Finikov, T., 2017. Academic integrity: global context and national needs.
Bealle, P., 2017. Community college academic integrity lessons that put research into
practice. Theory Into Practice, 56(2), pp.144-155.
Brunelle, N. and Hott, J.R., 2020, February. Fix the Course, Not the Student: Positive
Approaches to Cultivating Academic Integrity. In Proceedings of the 51st ACM
Technical Symposium on Computer Science Education (pp. 1402-1402).
Saadah, H.L., 2020, July. Academic Integrity and Religiosity. In Annual International
Conference on Social Sciences and Humanities (AICOSH 2020) (pp. 193-195).
Atlantis Press.