{"id":13833,"date":"2022-03-15T13:44:29","date_gmt":"2022-03-15T17:14:29","guid":{"rendered":"https:\/\/blog.citl.mun.ca\/instructionalresources\/?page_id=13833"},"modified":"2025-01-15T15:07:21","modified_gmt":"2025-01-15T18:37:21","slug":"promoting-integrity-through-assessment-design","status":"publish","type":"post","link":"https:\/\/blog.citl.mun.ca\/instructionalresources\/promoting-integrity-through-assessment-design\/","title":{"rendered":"Promoting Academic Integrity Through Assessment Design"},"content":{"rendered":"<p>This resource covers ways to promote Academic Integrity by communicating through the syllabus or by having the talk with your students, through assessment design, and through information literacy.<\/p>\n<h2 class=\"wp-block-heading\">Promoting Integrity<\/h2>\n<ul class=\"wp-block-list\">\n<li>Explain requirements and expectations for assessments<\/li>\n<li>Explain reason for these rules and how they make assessments fair for all.<\/li>\n<li>Avoid statements that focus on penalties only.<\/li>\n<li>Commit to following-up on concerns of academic misconduct.<\/li>\n<li>Strive for an open, supportive relationship with your students where AI may be discussed.<\/li>\n<li>Discuss and promote the value of learning itself.<\/li>\n<li>Reduce student anxiety and pressure through:\n<ul class=\"wp-block-list\">\n<li>reduced final assessment value,<\/li>\n<li>use of take home exams or open book exams, and<\/li>\n<li>share details relating to question types or topics on exams.<\/li>\n<\/ul>\n<\/li>\n<\/ul>\n<h2 class=\"wp-block-heading\">Assessment Design<\/h2>\n<p>Recommendations for assessment design to promote or maintain academic integrity include:<\/p>\n<ol class=\"wp-block-list\">\n<li>Design Assessments:\n<ul class=\"wp-block-list\">\n<li>that scaffold students though the development of academically honest behaviours;<\/li>\n<li>that allow students to incorporate some of their own personal experience, ideas or reflections;<\/li>\n<li>to promote academic integrity should move from no-grade to low-stakes to high-stakes to support students as they develop their confidence over time; and<\/li>\n<li>use a personalized approach. These assessments can be small and sequential, with prompt feedback.<\/li>\n<\/ul>\n<\/li>\n<li>Embed assessment into coursework and not form part of a stand-alone \u2018academic integrity-type\u2019 module.<\/li>\n<li>Provide feedback on the specific skills to be developed to students in a productive and timely way.<\/li>\n<li>Provide examples of \u2018good\u2019 responses to ensure that all students have the same understanding of academic integrity.<\/li>\n<li>Focus on approaches that require independent thinking and analysis<\/li>\n<li>Consider various exam and question types\n<ul class=\"wp-block-list\">\n<li>oral, demo, open book, take home, scenario, group quiz (low stakes), letter to . . .<\/li>\n<\/ul>\n<\/li>\n<li>Include an Academic Integrity question (honor pledge)\n<ul class=\"wp-block-list\">\n<li>Statement at beginning of exam, first question in exam (yes\/no, true\/false)<\/li>\n<li>Creatively remind students about Academic Integrity \u2014 statement at beginning of exam, at end of essays or papers, included in the guidelines for assignments.<\/li>\n<\/ul>\n<\/li>\n<\/ol>\n<h3 class=\"wp-block-heading\">Provide Elements of Choice in Assessments<\/h3>\n<ul class=\"wp-block-list\">\n<li>Give student choice to adjust values of grading scheme \u2014 yes, this may cause some work for you in terms of adjusting the gradebook.<\/li>\n<li>Allow choice of assignment format\n<ul class=\"wp-block-list\">\n<li>(paper, video, portfolio, annotated bibliography, etc.)<\/li>\n<\/ul>\n<\/li>\n<li>Provide opportunities, where viable, to submit drafts of papers or assignments for feedback<\/li>\n<li>Structure assessments such that pieces are submitted periodically through semester as low stakes assessments, e.g. outline, references, introduction, full paper, etc.<\/li>\n<li>Ask students to reflect on what and how they learned and the connections to other topics in their program<\/li>\n<\/ul>\n<h2 class=\"wp-block-heading\">Question Design<\/h2>\n<p>Here are a few suggestions relating to design elements of questions to keep in mind:<\/p>\n<ul class=\"wp-block-list\">\n<li>Use questions that require critical thinking (higher-order or open-ended q\u2019s)<\/li>\n<li>Use questions that apply course content to real world situations, events or controversies<\/li>\n<li>Use scenario questions \u2014 situation description with questions<\/li>\n<li>Use analysis of visuals \u2014 ask theoretical or detailed questions related to visuals<\/li>\n<li>Use questions which require an explanation of \u2018why\u2019 or \u2018how\u2019<\/li>\n<li>Assess material covered in class more so than readings<\/li>\n<li>Limit sources\/references to specific time period or region<\/li>\n<li>Make judicious use of test banks:\n<ul class=\"wp-block-list\">\n<li>be selective and revise questions, and<\/li>\n<li>build your own bank by copying a question and changing variables.<\/li>\n<\/ul>\n<\/li>\n<li>Employ unique question types \u2014 scenario or branching stories, analysis of visuals or quotes<\/li>\n<li>Question banks \u2014 randomization of question or of options\n<ul class=\"wp-block-list\">\n<li>when using test banks or sections, look at the total number of questions of each type and level of difficulty; ensure questions are fair and of same level of difficulty<\/li>\n<li>randomization (multiple choice, essays, etc.); randomization of options (multiple choice questions)<\/li>\n<li>divide the question bank into sections to ensure more material from across the course is being covered.<\/li>\n<li>the larger the question bank with lower number of items being selected, the more randomization there will be, and possibly the more complex the exam.<\/li>\n<li>ensure questions are fair and of same level of difficulty<\/li>\n<li>make adjustments in stages<\/li>\n<\/ul>\n<\/li>\n<\/ul>\n<h3 class=\"wp-block-heading\">Avoid Questions that Have<\/h3>\n<ul class=\"wp-block-list\">\n<li>ambiguous grammar,<\/li>\n<li>incomplete statements,\n<ul class=\"wp-block-list\">\n<li>e.g. which is capital of x\u2026<\/li>\n<li>challenging for non-native speakers<\/li>\n<\/ul>\n<\/li>\n<li>extremes:\n<ul class=\"wp-block-list\">\n<li>all; none; most<\/li>\n<\/ul>\n<\/li>\n<li>confusing options:\n<ul class=\"wp-block-list\">\n<li>All or None of the above; Never; A but not C.<\/li>\n<\/ul>\n<\/li>\n<\/ul>\n<h3 class=\"wp-block-heading\">Delivery Considerations: <em>Logistics<\/em><\/h3>\n<ul class=\"wp-block-list\">\n<li>Timing, duration, date \u2014 who schedules it, invigilation, accommodations\n<ul class=\"wp-block-list\">\n<li>Judge timing by reading every question word-for word slowly to get a good estimate of how long it will take to complete them and the quiz in total.<\/li>\n<li>For long answers, make a note or list of key statements you will look for when grading the essays or short answers.<\/li>\n<\/ul>\n<\/li>\n<li>One sitting \u2014 everyone writing at same time, or within window of opportunity with set submission time<\/li>\n<li>Number of questions displayed at a time<\/li>\n<li>Can they look back or forward to other pages?<\/li>\n<li>Detail of feedback and grades \u2014 delay till after submission limit, automatic, instructor-managed?\n<ul class=\"wp-block-list\">\n<li>Delay score availability as a means to prevent students sharing questions and answers<\/li>\n<\/ul>\n<\/li>\n<li>Grading details given in advance<\/li>\n<li>Rubrics, formatting and style details, depth of course concepts needed, etc.<\/li>\n<\/ul>\n<h2 class=\"wp-block-heading\">Sources<\/h2>\n<ul class=\"ref-list wp-block-list\">\n<li>Egan, A., (2018). <a href=\"https:\/\/www.dcu.ie\/sites\/default\/files\/2020-10\/academic-integrity-literature-review_0.pdf\" target=\"_blank\" rel=\"noopener\">Improving Academic Integrity through Assessment Design<\/a>. Dublin City University, National Institute for Digital Learning (NIDL), p. 15.<\/li>\n<li>Faculty Information about <a href=\"https:\/\/teaching.usask.ca\/classes\/promoting-academic-integrity.php\" target=\"_blank\" rel=\"noreferrer noopener\">Academic Integrity<\/a>. University of Saskatchewan.<\/li>\n<li>Mansbach, J. (2020). <a href=\"https:\/\/www.luc.edu\/fcip\/student-centereddesign\/student-centereddesignresources\/coursedesign\/academicintegrityandartificialintelligence\/\" target=\"_blank\" rel=\"noreferrer noopener\" data-type=\"URL\">Assignment Design: Enhancing Academic Integrity<\/a>. Faculty Center for Ignatian Pedagogy: Loyola University, Chicago.<\/li>\n<li>Vogt, J.A. (2017). <a href=\"https:\/\/blogs.iu.edu\/citl\/2017\/02\/24\/designing-assignments-to-promote-academic-honesty\/\" target=\"_blank\" rel=\"noreferrer noopener\">Designing Assignments to Promote Academic Honesty<\/a>. Center for Innovative Teaching and Learning at Indiana University, Bloomington.<\/li>\n<\/ul>\n","protected":false},"excerpt":{"rendered":"<p>Can I adjust my assessment so that it discourages academic misconduct?<\/p>\n","protected":false},"author":54,"featured_media":0,"comment_status":"closed","ping_status":"closed","sticky":false,"template":"","format":"standard","meta":{"_acf_changed":false,"jetpack_post_was_ever_published":false,"_jetpack_newsletter_access":"","_jetpack_dont_email_post_to_subs":false,"_jetpack_newsletter_tier_id":0,"_jetpack_memberships_contains_paywalled_content":false,"_jetpack_memberships_contains_paid_content":false,"footnotes":""},"categories":[14],"tags":[241,77,247,239,243,245],"collection":[],"class_list":["post-13833","post","type-post","status-publish","format-standard","hentry","category-assessment","tag-academic-integrity","tag-assessment","tag-course-design","tag-intellectual-property","tag-plagiarism","tag-regulations"],"featured_image_src":null,"author_info":{"display_name":"Stacey Alexander","author_link":"https:\/\/blog.citl.mun.ca\/instructionalresources\/author\/salexander\/"},"acf":[],"jetpack_featured_media_url":"","jetpack_sharing_enabled":true,"jetpack_shortlink":"https:\/\/wp.me\/p7y0Lp-3B7","_links":{"self":[{"href":"https:\/\/blog.citl.mun.ca\/instructionalresources\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/posts\/13833","targetHints":{"allow":["GET"]}}],"collection":[{"href":"https:\/\/blog.citl.mun.ca\/instructionalresources\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/posts"}],"about":[{"href":"https:\/\/blog.citl.mun.ca\/instructionalresources\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/types\/post"}],"author":[{"embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/blog.citl.mun.ca\/instructionalresources\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/users\/54"}],"replies":[{"embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/blog.citl.mun.ca\/instructionalresources\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/comments?post=13833"}],"version-history":[{"count":15,"href":"https:\/\/blog.citl.mun.ca\/instructionalresources\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/posts\/13833\/revisions"}],"predecessor-version":[{"id":22319,"href":"https:\/\/blog.citl.mun.ca\/instructionalresources\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/posts\/13833\/revisions\/22319"}],"wp:attachment":[{"href":"https:\/\/blog.citl.mun.ca\/instructionalresources\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/media?parent=13833"}],"wp:term":[{"taxonomy":"category","embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/blog.citl.mun.ca\/instructionalresources\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/categories?post=13833"},{"taxonomy":"post_tag","embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/blog.citl.mun.ca\/instructionalresources\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/tags?post=13833"},{"taxonomy":"collection","embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/blog.citl.mun.ca\/instructionalresources\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/collection?post=13833"}],"curies":[{"name":"wp","href":"https:\/\/api.w.org\/{rel}","templated":true}]}}