On November 28, 2022, a group of AUN students partnered with Oxford Brookes University in the United Kingdom to design a module for academic integrity that can be adopted and implemented in tertiary institutions in any part of the world to generate academic integrity champions.
Dr. Mary Davis, Principal Lecturer, Education, and Student Experience and Academic Integrity Lead at the Business School, Oxford Brookes University, Headington Campus, Oxford, United Kingdom, invited the AUN students, led by Mrs. Emilienne Akpan, Director of the AUN Writing Center, to share information that will contribute to tracking down and eliminating contract cheating and plagiarism.
The invitation was a follow-up to the Writing Center’s panel talks on academic integrity at AUN and was sent to commemorate the seventh International Day of Action against Contract Cheating (IDoA) on October 19, 2022. This is a project of the International Center for Academic Integrity (ICAI).
Dr. Mary Davis praised AUN’s students and faculty/staff for their outstanding efforts.
“Thank you so much for attending today’s meeting for our collaboration effort. We appreciate your generosity in sharing your good practice and impressive student examples of academic integrity participation. You all exude a tremendous amount of positive energy in your work and truly inspire us today. As we said after the meeting, we are all interested in continued partnership,” she noted.
Students that participated and helped in the campaign include Ms. Halima Mohammed, President of the Student Government Association (SGA), and Ms. Soma Wokemba, President of the Honor Society. Others are Ms. Emmanuela Akpan, Ms. Yolanda Amos, and Ms. Deborah Victor. Each student earned a certificate after the event.
In the words of Mrs. Akpan, “Academic integrity is a fundamental pillar at AUN as it influences scholarship and character. That is why each semester, the Writing Center works closely with all stakeholders to enhance the culture of personal and collective integrity.”
According to her: “This year, the virtual pre-events leading to the global webinar on contract cheating gave us opportunities to promote what we do here to enhance academic integrity and share ideas on how we can all collaborate in our respective capacities to reduce misconduct and hold suppliers of unethical practices accountable.”
Expressing her satisfaction and gratitude, the Director noted that the Writing Center collaborated with faculty, the SGA, the Office of Judicial Affairs, the AUN Honor Society, and the Office of Student Affairs and Involvement (OSAI) for the organization of the program, adding that AUN has participated in the yearly activities of IDOA for the past six years.
“We appreciate the school management and the learning community for their support,” she concluded.
Reported by John Abah
