The Academic Integrity Process at Miami University

And why it needs to change. Plus, 55 Coast Guard Academy cadets are sanctioned for cheating. Plus, 50 students in Canada protest for grade changes after misconduct citations.

Issue 290

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Academic Integrity Process at Miami University and Why Parts Need to Change

A recent story in the student paper at Miami University — in Ohio, the one in Florida is the University of Miami — walked through the school academic integrity processes. It’s a good look at how the school’s process is structured and, from what I know, is pretty typical for most schools.

Nonetheless, assuming the reporting is accurate, a few things stand out. To start, one is that:

Miami’s academic integrity policy requires instructors to report a student any time they are suspected of violating the university’s guidelines.

That’s great. By far, most schools don’t require reporting, which makes seeing problems impossible. I don’t think formal charges and inquiries are necessary every time; I trust teachers to make good decisions in their own classes. But I do think reporting, at a minimum, should be required. On balance, it’s the right policy.

In an interview with a professor at the school, the paper reports that:

an instructor suspects an academic dishonesty violation when a student’s work doesn't look like their own. Instructors also have tools, such as Turnitin, which checks for plagiarism.

In the case of AI, Miami no longer uses software to check if a student’s submission is generated with it. [The professor] says instructors are typically able to recognize if a student’s work is not their own without assistance. Once an instructor has determined that a student’s work might violate the university’s guidelines, they fill out an online form that goes to the Office of Academic Integrity.

I have not verified it, but it seems as though the school is not using AI detection technology, which is indefensible. Mandatory blindness is not a suitable approach to any problem.

Moreover, we know from several studies that people can be pretty bad at spotting AI-created content. One study tested teachers and AI detectors on AI-created papers (see Issue 253) and found:

Although Turnitin correctly identified 91% of the papers as containing AI-generated content, faculty members formally reported only 54.5% of the papers as potential cases of academic misconduct.

So, it makes sense to turn off the detectors and rely exclusively on faculty.

The news article goes through the integrity hearing and review process and also reports that about 60% of reported cases at Miami are resolved with students taking responsibility and accepting proposed sanctions. Further, it’s reported that:

First-time offenders receive a zero on the assignment and must undergo an online course that educates them about academic integrity. This course typically costs around $200.

I have an issue with this.

To start, it’s barely a consequence at all. And as it is, the consequence is deeply inequitable.

If you’re unprepared for a test and can cheat to get an A, the consequence of a zero is no penalty. Without cheating, you would have failed anyway. And everyone knows that “an online course” is a joke. Anyone who has ever had to take one knows they’re 100% annoying, 0% enhancing. So, again, no real penalty there. Aside from the annoyance of checking the “online course” box.

But having a student pay $200 for this course is also indefensible. For a well-off student, the zero, the online course, and $200 are nothing at all. Many would, I am sure, pay $200 for the chance to get away with cheating. Many literally do. For an under-resourced student, $200 is a death sentence. The disparity creates many risk/reward imbalances and vastly different outcomes both in terms of choices during the assignment and impact of penalties after.

Miami University should reconsider its policy on AI detectors right away. Miami University should do away with this $200 online course even more right away. It is a horrible solution.

Still, the article about the process is good. And worth a read for those who work in similar settings.

As conclusion, I will mention again what a debt we all owe student newspapers. Without their reporting we’d know nearly nothing at all about what is happening with integrity issues at our education institutions.

55 Coast Guard Academy Cadets Disciplined for Cheating

According to news coverage, 55 cadets at the United States Coast Guard Academy — which trains future Coast Guard officers — have been cited and disciplined for academic misconduct.

From the coverage:

An academy spokesman said Friday that the cadets distributed answers related to navigation assignments in a required course for graduation, in "clear violation of academy policy."

Further:

Following an investigation, six cadets found to have a significant amount of involvement in the collusion received failing grades, while 48 were given lower grades. Eleven were removed from command positions they had earned this coming summer supporting training of the incoming swab class.

A total of 55 cadets, including one who was not enrolled in the course but was involved in the information exchange, were restricted to the academy grounds and will undergo a 20-week honor remediation program.

The Coast Guard Academy, unlike other military academies, does not have a strict Honor Code, but instead uses an “honor concept,” which, according to the reporting:

says students' actions must be "straightforward and always above reproach," according to the cadet handbook. However, they are required to report activities that do not incriminate themselves, and the condoning of an honor violation is a punishable offense.

Code or concept, this is not nearly the first time schools with strict policies — including many military academies — have had issues with academic integrity. Here are some examples:

• 51 cadets at the U.S. Military Academy at West Point to repeat a full year of instruction due to cheating. Eight cadets were expelled. In all, 73 cadets were implicated; six resigned. (2022)

• Air Force Academy - 249 implicated in cheating. Roughly 9% of the entire cadet population (2012)

• Air Force Academy again in 2022: kicked 22 students out and put another 210 on probation

• U.S. Naval Academy (2021) at least 105 Midshipmen, students at the United States Naval Academy, “likely accessed unauthorized resources” during an online Physics exam - 18 have been expelled or withdrawn

• Stanford, moves to proctoring exams (2023)

• Dartmouth Med School and undergraduates (2021)

• Texas A&M – reported incidents of cheating at the school doubled last year to more than 1,300. Bringing in test proctoring (2021, 2022)

Canada: 50 Students Protest Failing Grades and Misconduct Citations, But College Isn’t ‘Budging’

News from Keyano College in Canada is that about 50 students have been accused of academic misconduct and issued failing grades. Those students have protested at the school, drawing the attention of law enforcement and school leaders. But the school is not changing its determinations.

From the coverage:

Keyano College’s leadership says it will not change any grades after about 50 international students, most of whom are in the early learning and child care program, protested their failed grades and academic misconduct charges last week.

An administrator at the school said that:

the academic misconduct charges include allegations of plagiarism, cheating and using ChatGPT on assignments. Some students demanded refunds, while others said they were entitled to a passing grade because they paid tuition.

This is third hand but students thinking they are “entitled” to pass because they paid tuition is not new. And it is a problem. The school source from the above also said in an interview:

“We’re not in a position to give them what they’re asking for because it’s compromising our academic integrity”