Creating a culture of academic integrity: the role of institutional policies among portuguese higher education institutions

Abstract

In the framework of an international research project (Portugal, Spain and Brazil), we launched a research agenda to assess students’ behaviour and their perception of the limits of morality in the academic context. In acknowledgement of their relevance to ethical reflection, students’ views on the reasons for fraud and the factors inhibiting such behaviour were also studied. However, this research agenda, which aimed to be innovative in the context of its application, also studied how much behaviour is effectively stimulated, inhibited or ignored. As such, it sought to discover the patterns of tolerance of fraud exhibited by higher education teachers and institutions, notably by characterising preventive and punitive action with regard to academic fraud that is put in place by teachers or brought into play by institutions. The same criteria and instruments used to collect students’ views were also used to collect teachers’ views on the motives and factors inhibiting fraud. In this paper we scrutinise particularly the policies of Portuguese higher education institutions in order to promote a culture of academic integrity. Recent studies suggest that academic fraud by higher education students has increased which means that promoting academic integrity is one of the major challenges of higher education institutions. This phenomenon has a relevant impact on social equity, social welfare and on the fairness of social institutions. Thus, the role of higher education institutions in promoting a culture of integrity has accentuated following the changes that have taken place in higher education systems and present-day societies. What are these institutional policies regarding this academic fraud? Are these policies effective? How codes of conduct and disciplinary regulations can be sufficient mechanisms in order to combat academic fraud among students of higher education institutions? In order to answer these questions, we will present here the limitations and the most significant and pertinent institutional policies and noteworthy examples of good practices within the Portuguese higher education system concerning academic fraud. It is our awareness in order to be more effective that the combat against academic fraud implies an articulation of students’ actions along with teachers’ practices and institutional policies of higher education institutes. Thus, in order to contribute to create a culture of academic integrity, codes of practice / codes of conduct should be considered as part of a broader and integrated anti-fraud institutional policy.