Inclusion Within a Holistic Approach to Academic Integrity: Improving Policy, Pedagogy, and Wider Practice for All Students

This chapter aims to promote awareness of inclusion in academic integrity through examining inclusive issues in institutional policies, teaching, and wider practice of academic integrity. The issues are highlighted for four groups of students who appear to be disadvantaged in academic integrity practice in Higher Education (students who are international, have a Specific Learning Difficulty, are from widening participation backgrounds or from specific ethnicities). Academic integrity policies can be improved through greater accessibility and use of Universal Design for Learning (UDL) principles, positive communication, an easy-to-find location, the involvement of students, and avoidance of legal terms in documents. Teaching academic integrity also benefits from following UDL principles and examining inclusion in materials, delivery, support, and post-breach teaching. The wider practice of academic integrity can become more inclusive through consideration of assessment, staff assuming responsibility for making support widely available, making academic conduct investigations educational, and building student agency. Together, these improvements can form a holistic approach to academic integrity which helps to address the disadvantages experienced by certain groups of students. The implication for practice is that institutions and all staff within them have a responsibility to act to ensure academic integrity is accessible and inclusive for all students.