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The University of South Africa (UNISA) underwent a quality audit by the Council on Higher Education (CHE), which raised concerns about ambiguous roles between the Senate and Council, potentially infringing on academic authority. The audit highlighted governance issues, late registrations impacting student success, and communication gaps with students. UNISA has submitted an improvement plan to address these concerns and awaits feedback from the CHE.

A study reveals that a significant number of UK universities continue to accept millions in cash for tuition and accommodation payments, making them vulnerable to money laundering risks. Around 22 universities still accepted cash payments, with the total reaching £12m in 2019-20. The research highlights concern about anti-money-laundering guidelines not being strictly followed and universities not reporting suspicious activity, potentially endangering staff and students. The study calls for stricter legislation to address these vulnerabilities.

South Africa’s Minister of Higher Education revealed concerns over rampant corruption and governance issues in universities. He hinted at potential future legal changes to bolster the system's efficiency, highlighting challenges like inexperienced governance council members and the normalization of corruption in university supply chains. While specific legislative amendments were not disclosed, the focus could include reviewing university autonomy. The department aims to establish an ombudsman and a dedicated branch to address governance problems.

At a webinar organized by the University of Nairobi, a professor of curriculum and instruction at Texas Tech University challenged university faculty members to adopt innovative online assessment techniques that limit student cheating and implement academic integrity policies. Cheating can be limited by disabling certain functions, such as copy and paste, and by using software to prohibit access to certain applications, such as email, or to disable screen sharing. Systems whereby teachers are alerted when students attempt to cheat, and authentication can also help curb risks.

With exams just around the corner, students from Bournemouth University talk about what academic integrity means to them, how using it means they get better marks, how to avoid committing an academic offence and where to get help when they need it.

20 Massey University students allegedly caught using ChatGPT to cheat have claimed amnesty in exchange for their confessions. The teaching team offered an amnesty deadline and those who resubmitted their work would receive a maximum mark of 50%. For those who didn’t, a confirmed breach can result in a mark of zero for the assessment or a failure for the whole course.

The council of Stellenbosch University in South Africa has appointed a three-person committee to investigate allegations of nepotism against the vice-chancellor. A motion to remove him from office, in accordance with the university's statutes, has also been confirmed. The committee will investigate the facts underlying the motion, including allegations of nepotism and a possible breach of rules concerning the Vice-Chancellor’s discretionary placement of family members within the University.

Australian universities are split on whether to adopt a new tool which claims to detect AI-generated plagiarism with a near-perfect success rate, citing concerns over out-of-date models and the minimal notice the sector was given to assess the issue. Turnitin’s detection tool cites a 98% efficacy rate at picking up the “high probability” of AI. Out of twelve universities, three have adopted the tool and several were considering integrating it into their detection programmes.

The University of Oxford in the United Kingdom has announced a new policy for staff that bans any close personal relationship with students that “transgresses the boundaries of professional conduct”. This comes as regulator the Office for Students works on its regulations for staff-student relationships, launching a consultation on regulating harassment and sexual misconduct in higher education.