Academic Integrity in the Classroom

By: Carley Dear, EdD

Ensuring academic integrity is an increasing concern with easy access to artificial intelligence (AI) tools like ChatGPT. A colleague from another School of Nursing asked me about our strategies to ensure academic integrity during tests. Their school no longer uses Respondus LockDown browser, so she wanted to know what we do. I polled more than ten faculty members who resoundingly support our use of LockDown browsers during tests.

Our faculty members had terrific ideas about structuring exams to ensure academic integrity. Strategies suggested include changing the test format, test item selection, student identity verification and post-test analysis.

• Determine question presentation (To reduce screenshots, allow students to see only one question at a time vs. all on the screen simultaneously.);
• Set location parameters (In-person and online testing requires different protocols. For example, should you proctor examples for totally online courses?);
• Fix time limits (Should you set a synchronized start time for everyone? Is the test only open for 50 minutes? Do you set time limits per item?);
• Create a standardized proctoring policy for a program;
• Attest to follow the honor code on each exam before questions begin or as an assignment/quiz in Canvas;
• Use products like ExamSoft or Respondus LockDown browser and;
• Turn off the “show correct answers” feature to deter screenshots.

When selecting items for the test:

• Design formative assessments as an open-book, guided reading exercise and summative assessments be proctored;
• Utilize item banks so each student may get different questions (There were mixed opinions on this suggestion due to test reliability.);
• Update item banks frequently so students do not pass test items from one class to the next;
• Consider question format (open-ended, critical thinking, analyzing a scenario, case study);
• Change distractors in questions to make unique questions that ask the same question;
• Randomize the order of questions and;
• Copy and paste exam questions into a search engine to check answers available online.

To verify student identity is truly the student (and not someone else taking the test for the student):

• Add challenge questions that include answers specific to the individual. (What is your student ID number? What is your address?)

• Identify which questions most students get wrong and see if there is a trend of a group providing the same answers (correct and incorrect) and;
• Check to see if anyone starts and finishes the exam at the same time if the exam is open for an extended period.