Exploring Academic Integrity in Online Higher Education: Sensemaking Through a Qualitative Thematic Analysis

Abstract

This presentation shares findings from a study that explores how the meaning of academic integrity is constructed within the institutional culture of an online university. Adopting a qualitative and constructionist approach, the study investigates the process of sensemaking through a reflexive thematic analysis of 104 institutional documents collected between 2020 and 2024. The analysis identifies four coexisting approaches: (1) a punitive approach focused on controlling and sanctioning academic misconduct; (2) a technological-institutional approach emphasizing identity authentication and authorship validation; (3) a pedagogical-institutional approach oriented toward assessment design and the integration of artificial intelligence; and (4) a values-based approach promoting ethics, responsibility, and critical thinking as pillars of integrity. The study reveals that, in the absence of a shared institutional definition, interpretations of academic integrity vary depending on stakeholders' roles, assumptions, and contexts. These findings contribute to a deeper understanding of how academic integrity is culturally shaped in virtual environments, offering insights for designing context-sensitive interventions and strengthening institutional practices.