Partnering with the academy to enhance educational integrity: lessons learnt at the coalface

Educational integrity lies at the heart of a university's capacity to contribute to the wider social context through learning, teaching, research and scholarship. As our institution and the sector identifies, the capacity of the university to contribute to a functional and meaningful society is predicated upon this core value. This paper seeks to build knowledge of how academic developers, through partnership with diverse academic communities, can actively foster a capacious and collective ownership of, and responsibility for, educational integrity in higher education. The authors who are both academic developers present two case studies where the imperative for change was to support and enhance the educational integrity of learning and teaching programs within the disciplines of Engineering and the Built Environment in our university. In doing so, we critically reflect on our experience of partnering with academics outside our discipline of academic development and explore the questions: What different conceptions of educational integrity can emerge when different disciplinary tribes are compelled to partner? How do academic developers negotiate change in light of these different conceptions, and ensure that the core principles of honesty, trust and respect are played out on the ground? We argue that fostering a discourse of integrity that transcends the discipline boundaries is fundamental to truly embedding principles of academic integrity in the university culture. This in turn significantly challenges the institution to implement resourced and strategic policy and practices in support of lasting, positive change