Talk about the Code of Conduct with your students. Research has indicated that the mere presence of an honor code in an online course can improve integrity by helping students understand acceptable and unacceptable behavior and also improving perceptions of their peers’ behavior. But when faculty members also talk about the honor code with their students throughout the course, students are even less likely to engage in dishonest behaviors (Tatum & Schwartz, 2017).
Try the following instructor strategies to maximize honor codes:
- Create a brief video highlighting important parts of the code and how they relate to your syllabus.
- Build an academic integrity policy with your students through an early discussion activity.
- Engage students in a discussion early in the course to work through a case study dealing with an ethical dilemma related to academic integrity.
- Send emails or post announcements during the course reminding students of acceptable/unacceptable behaviors, especially before high-stakes assessments.
- Relate the code of conduct to course content when it’s applicable (e.g., ethics).
Leave a Reply