Fostering Academic Honesty for E-Content

1. Introduction

Since the Covid19 outbreak, there has been a substantial change in the education, which has been characterised by the advent of e-learning and the remote delivery of instruction via digital platforms. Academic integrity is the observance of the fundamental values of morality, faith, justice, esteem, accountability, and courageousness (Fishman et al., 2013). These principles form the basis for the meaning of ethical academic behaviour and also, establishing a community which is based on the exchange of data. Education institutions must immediately adapt to the new reality because technology is now the only way to keep education alive, regardless of their competence or drive. Making the transition from in-person instruction to online instruction has been extremely challenging for the higher education sector. Regardless of the e-course medium, discussions about learning and teaching always include academic integrity and responsible behaviour (online, hybrid, or face-to-face setting). An effective way to handle academic integrity is to “emphasise prevention and education above policing and punishment” (Sopcak, 2020). Academic integrity promotion strategies that are reasonable and successful have long been discussed in postsecondary education. However, it is widely believed that moral failings are increasing. New chances for “e-cheating” have emerged as a result of the integration of technology in the schoolroom and the acceptance of various online courses (Harmon & Lambrinos, 2008). Numerous novel methods of cheating have emerged, some of which are exclusive to online learning environments and others which are widely used in traditional classroom settings. These include, but are not limited to, copying essays from the internet and passing them off as one's own work, utilising prohibited materials on an online test, contacting other students online for help, and having someone else finish an online test or assignment in the student's place (Holden et al., 2021). One of the objectives of education is to promote ethics, but because of the open exchange of information and the disclosure of unethical behaviour in e-learning, it is vital to define ethical ideals. As a result, the goal of this study was examining the ways to ensure ethics in the development of online courses.