What can educators do?

Given the research, there are some general principles that hold true regardless of the type of institution an educator works in. First, communicate with, not at, your students. Assume that all students are coming to your class with lived experiences with integrity and cheating, and therefore pre-existing knowledge, attitudes, and beliefs about those two things. If you want your students to be on the same page as you, then you need to engage with them in an honest, thoughtful, and intentional conversation about integrity and cheating. 

Second, refocus on learning, not performance. Assume that the majority of your students are coming to your class with an extrinsic focus on performance, shaped from years within a performance-oriented educational system (regardless of where in the world they received the majority of their education). You can help shape a learning mindset by ensuring your language is mastery or learning oriented and your assessments have a real learning purpose rather than performative.  

Third, keep the messaging consistent all term. It’s tempting to talk about integrity and learning on the first day, and then be silent on the matter the remainder of the term. However, it would be a mistake to assume that a first day conversation is sufficient given the daily behavioural influences students experience from other sources. Consistent messaging can come in the form of integrity reminders, questions on assessments, and check-ins with students on how their learning and integrity strategies are serving them.