Assessing Your Institution’s Academic Integrity Defenses

Academic integrity isn’t a new concept—schools have been working to uphold it for decades, if not centuries. Questions like “How can I be confident my students are submitting their own work?” and “What signs should I look for that indicate potential misconduct?” have been part of the academic conversation. And now, in 2025, educators are also asking, “Are students using AI or outside help without my knowledge?” Academic integrity is an ever-evolving challenge, and maintaining it requires a defense-in-depth approach.

So, what is a defense-in-depth approach? In short, this particular approach scales protection from relying on trust in low-stakes quizzes to applying advanced security measures in high-stakes exams. A defense-in-depth approach scales protection depending on the stakes of the assessment.

Here are some practical tips on what each layer of your defense-in-depth approach can look like for your school:

1- Start with clear communication

No matter the assessment or its stakes, the foundation is clear communication to your students on what is acceptable in regards to academic integrity. Deliver these expectations in multiple forms: verbally before a quiz, test, or exam; written on the assessment itself; and within your learning management system will provide ample opportunity for students to understand expectations.

2- Add technical guardrails

As you move toward incorporating more security measures, here are some examples where technology was introduced: setting timers, blocking access to certain programs or websites, restricting keyboard shortcuts, or password protected assessments.These simple steps remove common opportunities for misconduct and set a baseline level of protection.

3- Strengthen pedagogical structure

Well-designed assessments can naturally reduce cheating. Focus on the elements of the question rather than just the final answer. Use real-world applications, a variety of different response areas, or introduce randomization through algorithmic material to provide wide-spread diversity among students.

4- Address AI authentically

AI is a major talking point, and for good reason. Instead of scaring or scolding students for using it, guide them on how to use AI responsibly. Show them how to ask AI for frameworks for solving different problems, compare different ways to solve a problem, or even to develop personalized learning paths based on their competency of certain topics.

5- Secure high-stakes assessments.

The final layer for most schools is incorporated during critical assessments; final exams, entrance exams, and certification tests. Secure environments—like Schoolyear—provide the strongest protection—where it restricts access to external sources and detects unauthorized tools. These environments are the final safeguard in a defense-in-depth strategy.

Academic integrity is an ever-evolving topic and won’t be solved by a single tool or policy. Adopting a defense-in-depth strategy that adapts to the stakes of each assessment will provide a solid foundation for any school. The goal isn’t just to stop misconduct—it’s to create conditions where students can succeed by making good choices.