Academic Integrity
From ElateWiki
The value of a university degree and education comes from the actual learning which occurs there. E-learning requires the same high level of academic integrity by students.
Some suggest that the World Wide Web has made it easier to use others' works as one's own or to draw on information during live exams through mobile devices or to do short-cuts on research. Strong e-learning programs work hard to head off potential academic dishonesty.
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Online Security
Learning / course management systems (L/CMSes) have ways to supporting academic integrity. Currently, these may include proctoring endeavors. These may include IP (Internet protocol) address captures.
Instructors may also use various online tools to try to identify plagiarism.
There are a growing number of technological tools to deter academic dishonesty.
Instructor Awareness
Instructors who teach online also try to develop a sense of student voice and patterning. They try to evaluate the consistency of the work. They will evaluate the developmental "trajectory": Are students progressing predictably in their learning, or are they achieving quantum leaps that are not supported by the prior work?
Honor Codes
Some universities also use honor codes and programs to support academic honesty. (Honor codes are staples of military schools and many private ones; these are not as common in public universities although they are gaining credence.)
One code reads: "On my honor, as a student, I have neither given nor received unauthorized aid on this academic work."
Such codes are often backed up by student panels / judiciaries that investigate and address student infringements of honor codes.
In Practice
What does "academic integrity" mean? The understanding is that students will do their own work without collaborating with others--by reading others' notes or borrowing others' works. Students will give credit where it's due in terms of their research and homework--through proper citations. They will follow a duty to report if they are aware of others' academic dishonesty.
Using work from a prior term from a different class is also considered inappropriate.
See Also
K-State Honor Pledge: http://www.k-state.edu/honor/honorsystem/pledge.htm
K-State Honor Code: http://www.k-state.edu/honor/
"Issues of Academic Integrity: An Online Course for Students Addressing Academic Dishonesty": http://jolt.merlot.org/vol5no2/roberts_0609.htm