Decoding academic integrity policies: A corpus linguistics investigation of AI and other technological threats

NOTE: THIS PAPER IS NOW PUBLISHED THROUGH HIGHER EDUCATION POLICY https://link.springer.com/article/10.1057/s41307-023-00323-2. THE PRESENT TEXT IS THAT ACCEPTED FOR PUBLICATION. This study provides a corpus analysis of academic integrity policies from Higher Education Institutions (HEIs) worldwide, exploring how they address the emerging issues posed by novel technological threats, such as Automated Paraphrasing Tools (APTs) and Generative-Artificial Intelligence (Gen-AI) tools, such as ChatGPT. The analysis of 142 policies conducted in both November 2022 and May 2023 revealed a significant gap regarding the mention of AI and associated technologies in publicly available academic integrity policies. Despite the growing prevalence of these tools in the six-month period since the release of ChatGPT, no HEIs have produced a revised academic integrity policy. Content analysis of 53 guidance documents produced by HEIs suggests an overall positive perception of Gen-AI tools, with a note of caution. This study suggests a modification to Bretag's (2011) exemplary academic integrity model by introducing "Technological Explicitness”, emphasizing the need to include explicit guidelines about new technologies in academic integrity policies. The results underscore the urgent need for HEIs to revise their academic integrity policies, considering the evolving landscape of AI and its implications for academic integrity. This paper argues for a multifaceted approach to deal with the issues of integrating technology, education, policy reform, and assessment restructuring to navigate these challenges while upholding academic integrity.