Academic Integrity

A qualification is only as credible as the honesty of the process behind it. This standard covers how learners are admitted, how work is assessed, how misconduct is handled, and how the institution describes its own qualifications to the public.

What HCDE expects

• Published entry requirements that are applied consistently, with a fair route for applicants whose evidence is unusual.
• Assessment designed so that the work being marked is the learner's own, in a way that fits the level and the online setting.
• A written policy on plagiarism, cheating and other misconduct, with a fair procedure and a right to respond.
• Honest description of what each qualification is and is not: no misleading claims about recognition, equivalence or licensing.
• Fair and documented handling of credit transfer and prior learning.
• Ethical treatment of learner data and any research involving learners or staff.

Evidence reviewers look for

• Admissions policy and a selection of anonymised admission decisions
• Academic misconduct policy and an anonymised log of cases and outcomes
• Examples of assessment design and the measures that protect their integrity
• Marketing and web content, reviewed against the qualifications actually awarded
• Credit transfer and recognition of prior learning rules

Questions a reviewer may ask

• How does the institution know that submitted work belongs to the learner who submitted it?
• How does the institution describe its qualifications' recognition, and can each statement be supported?
• What happens when a case of misconduct is proven?