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.

Four students at the University of Virginia have been caught cheating using Artificial Intelligence language tools like ChatGPT to complete their essays. When enrolling, all students pledge to follow an honour code and given that this was the first wave of such cheating, the University made this moment work toward the goal of learning. The students confessed to using such systems and agreed to rewrite the assignments themselves.

The higher education regulator TEQSA disrupted access to another 100 academic cheating websites. This brings the number of illegal cheating websites blocked under these protocols to 250 since August 2022. The agency has also developed a range of resources for students and staff. Australia’s anti-cheating laws make it illegal to provide or promote academic cheating services. Penalties include up to 2 years in prison and fines of up to $110,000.

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.

According to a survey conducted by Education Sub-Saharan Africa (ESSA), most universities in East Africa struggled to uphold the integrity of examinations that were administered online during the COVID-19 pandemic. The lead investigator at ESSA reports that students used materials prohibited during the examinations or breached university examination policies. Uganda and Kenya had the highest number of universities that struggled, at 31% and 27%, respectively.

A student developed his own artificial intelligence (AI) app to stop cheating using essay-writing bots. After a project on his university course asked him to integrate AI with education, he felt the need to create the software start-up AIED.UK to prevent inequality in academic settings. The student thinks of AIED.UK as a "transitional phase" to prevent cheating whilst universities adapt to new technologies.

A survey of 125 university librarians across the US has discovered differing opinions on the use of artificial intelligence (AI) in higher education. Looking into the ethics of AI use, the report said that 8% of librarians stated a definitive ‘yes’ when asked if they believe it is cheating if students use AI products for research, while 42% felt this to be somewhat true. Major concerns include cheating, eliminating or reducing critical thinking and originality, and replacing human jobs.

The Ethiopian Ministry of Education is considering the digitalisation of school-leaving and university exit exams to counter corruption and cheating in the sector. But a national strategy is necessary to address challenges associated with a digital exam, such as the availability of infrastructure and IT facilities as well as security needs.

Questions about using artificial intelligence go further than cheating on exams or generating text for scientific articles. They concern academic values the integrity of academic work, but also the exploration of the changing relationship between humans and machines. A recent statement by the European University Association, ChatGPT raises issues for universities in terms of updating policies to accommodate such tools while preserving recognition of course work and authentic assessment.