As former English teachers, we know the power of the written word. So when we say that we are reimagining how to approach (and achieve!) academic integrity, it isn’t a statement we make lightly; however, the introduction of new, powerful generative AI tools has forced the entire education sector to re-examine our understanding of academic integrity, our approach to maintaining ethical standards, and how to support students in achieving it. In doing so, we have found that there are constants that haven’t (and likely won’t) change, but there are other elements that demand adaptation.

Before anyone sounds an alarm, it has to be said: our message isn’t changing all that much. Still promoting student and educator agency? Check. Still advocating for impactful, formative feedback and the writing process? Check! Still promoting the power of original thinking and protecting academic integrity? Check and check.

How is Turnitin adapting to new challenges in academic integrity?

In our quest to understand what actually is new, we turned to one of the most widely known and utilized resources Turnitin has ever created, the Plagiarism Spectrum. At first, we considered simply adding new, emerging threats, such as misuse of generative AI writing tools or paraphrasing tools (aka text spinners). As educators, though, that seemed like a missed opportunity. In that old spectrum, the focus was all on understanding and detecting misconduct in all its forms. So we wondered, “What if, rather than focusing on misconduct and punitive, reactionary thinking, we instead focused on instruction and leveraging this opportunity to address upholding academic integrity proactively?” THAT lit up our educator hearts!

From this thinking, Turnitin’s new interactive infographic Achieving Academic Integrity was born, and it takes our fellow educators through a logical sequence with resources that focus on teaching academic integrity. The not-so-new part is that we begin with the problem(s) and possible root cause(s), discuss approaches educators can take, and provide resources to increase educator agency, and, by extension, student agency. Focusing on a proactive approach to academic integrity rather than a reactive or punitive stance is far more impactful than merely pointing out what not to do.

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