"Academic Integrity with Empathy" (Consideration 9.4)

There's more to cheating than fault and punishment. In this episode of the UDL Guidelines podcast, we'll reframe the issue of academic integrity through an ethics-of-care lens rather than a punitive framework. We'll review practical strategies for building an integrity-centered community, from co-creating classroom agreements to designing assessments that support authentic engagement. We'll cover how you can model integrity skills, provide clear guidelines around collaboration and AI use, and embrace restorative approaches when concerns arise. Whether you're rethinking your syllabus policies or looking for ways to help students learn the ethics that they'll need in their careers, this episode will provide you with practical strategies that you can use to create a culture of care using Universal Design for Learning.

This podcast is brought to you by the Goodwin University Institute for Learning Innovation and the Center for Teaching Excellence, specializing in Universal Design for Learning. Our goal is to transform how you think about teaching and learning. Learn more at goodwin.edu.

Resources

Anthropic. (2025). Claude Opus 4.5 [Large language model]. https://claude.ai/

Bertram Gallant, T. (2008). Academic integrity in the twenty-first century: A teaching and learning imperative. ASHE Higher Education Report, 33(5), 1–143.

CAST. (2024). Cultivate empathy and restorative practices. Universal Design for Learning Guidelines version 3.0. https://udlguidelines.cast.org/engagement/emotional-capacity/empathy-restorative-practices/

International Center for Academic Integrity. (2021). The fundamental values of academic integrity (3rd ed.). https://academicintegrity.org/aws/ICAI/asset_manager/get_file/911282

Karp, D. R. (2019). The little book of restorative justice for colleges and universities (2nd ed.). Good Books.

Lang, J. M. (2013). Cheating lessons: Learning from academic dishonesty. Harvard University Press.

McCabe, D. L., Butterfield, K. D., & Treviño, L. K. (2012). Cheating in college: Why students do it and what educators can do about it. Johns Hopkins University Press.

van As, J., & Kluyts, M. (2023). Reimaging academic integrity through the lenses of ethics of care and restorative justice to establish a culture of academic integrity. In U. G. Singh, C. S. Nair, & R. Watson (Eds.), Academic quality and integrity in the new higher education digital environment: A global perspective (pp. 23–54). Elsevier. https://doi.org/10.1016/B978-0-323-95423-5.00003-X

Credits

Based on UDL Tips by Diana J. LaRocco, EdD
Produced and Hosted by Brian A. Dixon, PhD
Music by Lynne Publishing

Chapters

• 0:24 Introduction
• 1:03 What is It?
• 1:40 Why Do It?
• 2:55 How to Do It?
• 7:40 Summary
• 8:03 Conclusion

Transcript

Welcome to UDL Guidelines. This podcast is brought to you by the Goodwin University Institute for Learning Innovation and the Center for Teaching Excellence, specializing in Universal Design for Learning. Our goal is to transform how you think about teaching and learning. I'm Dr. Brian A. Dixon, and today we’ll explore UDL 3.0 Consideration 9.4, which focuses on cultivating empathy and restorative practice. Specifically, we'll be looking at this through the lens of academic integrity, as Universal Design for Learning inspires a shift from a punitive approach to one centered on ethics of care.

What is academic integrity? Academic integrity reflects an individual's dedication to ethical conduct and ownership of their scholarly work. It embodies core values including honesty, trust, fairness, respect, and responsibility. When you move beyond enforcing rules to help learners see how integrity shapes their professional identity, you open the door to deeper learning. By framing integrity as a practice that learners will carry with them into their careers, you help them understand why ethical conduct matters, both in the classroom and beyond.

When you approach academic integrity through an ethics-of-care lens rather than a punitive framework, you build trust with your learners and foster a learning community in which everyone feels responsible for upholding shared ethical standards. Research shows that learners who understand the purpose of expectations related to academic integrity are more likely to engage authentically with their learning. Your approach to integrity directly influences whether the students in your classroom view it as a value to embrace or as a set of behaviors to avoid.

Today, these concerns are more critical than ever as college students struggle to navigate the rapidly evolving landscape of artificial intelligence. Many are uncertain about when and how AI assistance is appropriate in academic work. Clear guidance about AI use is essential for helping learners develop the judgment they'll need as professionals who will use these tools in their careers.

Your learners arrive with diverse backgrounds, academic experiences, and their own understanding of integrity. Some may be unfamiliar with citation requirements, others might be inexperienced with the boundaries of collaboration. By making implicit expectations explicit and teaching the skills learners need, we can reduce barriers and set them up for success.

How can you foster academic integrity in your courses? Here are several key strategies organized around five themes.

First, build an integrity-centered community. Start a conversations about ethical practices from the very first class session, and continue these discussions throughout the term. You might invite students to co-create a classroom code of ethics and set collaboration expectations. Highlight scenarios from your discipline that illustrate how professionals navigate ethical decisions. All of this contributes to the creation of an environment in which learners feel comfortable asking questions about academic expectations without fear of judgment.

Second, personally model integrity skills. Show your students how you attribute sources in your own papers and presentations. Provide explicit instruction on restating ideas in one's own words, integrating multiple sources, avoiding plagiarism, and the use of AI. Be clear about when group work is encouraged versus when learners should complete tasks independently. Share samples of well-attributed work alongside common errors so that learners can see the difference.

Third, design assessments that support integrity. It’s best to create assignments that invite learners to incorporate their own experiences, perspectives, and interests. Design authentic tasks that ask learners to analyze, synthesize, and apply concepts rather than simply recall information. Incorporating low-stakes checkpoints, drafts, and peer feedback leads to learning from the process as well as from feedback on the final product. Offer your students varied assessment options so they can demonstrate their knowledge in multiple ways. It’s also helpful to refresh prompts and topics regularly to encourage genuine engagement with course material.

Fourth, provide clear guidelines and support. It’s important to articulate key requirements in your syllabus, such as those regarding how to cite sources, when to work with peers, and which tools are permitted. This includes being explicit about the role of AI tools in your course. Rather than simply prohibiting AI, consider helping learners understand how to use these tools ethically and effectively. Develop rubrics with specific criteria that reward independent reasoning and appropriate acknowledgment of sources. And seize opportunities to connect learners with campus resources, including the writing center, tutoring services, and library research assistants. 

Lastly, Consideration 9.4 encourages us to embrace restorative approaches. When integrity concerns arise, focus on learning and growth rather than punishment. Use integrity violations as opportunities to teach each student how their actions might affect the learning community. This means engaging in sometimes difficult conversations that invite the student to reflect on what happened and identify ways to rebuild trust. As instructors, it’s important that we recognize that learners may make mistakes due to a lack of knowledge rather than intentional dishonesty, and that we respond accordingly. This is particularly relevant when addressing the use of AI. Many learners are still developing their understanding of how to work with AI tools. So are we. When concerns arise, use them as teaching moments to help learners reflect on original thinking and the difference between using AI as a tool versus relying on it to do their thinking for them.

While the UDL 3.0 Guidelines do emphasize cultivating empathy and restorative practice, fostering academic integrity in your courses requires attention to several key factors.

Be proactive. Integrate academic integrity education from the very start of your course rather than addressing it only when a violation occurs. When you help your students develop competence early, problems are less likely to arise.

Prioritize understanding over compliance. Help learners understand why integrity matters rather than simply listing rules. When students internalize these values, they’re able to make ethical choices even in situations where guidelines might not be clear.

Address systemic barriers. Recognize that your learners come from different backgrounds and may have varied experiences with academic conventions. In your class, provide scaffolded support to ensure all of your students have equitable access to integrity education.

Finally, create a culture of care. Create a classroom environment in which learners feel they belong and are valued. Research indicates that learners who feel connected to their learning community are more likely to engage ethically.

As you think about your own approach to academic integrity, remember that this isn't about catching students doing something wrong. It's about helping them develop the professional ethics they'll need throughout their careers. When we shift from policing to teaching, from punishment to restoration, we create a learning environment in which integrity becomes something of value. And that makes sense.

Thanks for joining me today as we explored UDL 3.0. Resources and further reading for today's episode can be found in our show notes. If today's episode inspired a change in your teaching practice, we'd love to hear about it. Connect with us at the Goodwin University Institute for Learning Innovation at goodwin.edu.