2015 Policy Forum: Planning higher education integrity

Date: 
18 March 2015 to 20 March 2015

The number of countries and universities needing to plan higher education integrity is likely to grow in coming years. Several factors point to this: the increasing concern of funders that shrinking resources be used appropriately; the need to protect the reputation of higher education institutions (HEIs) and trust in the diplomas that they deliver; and the obligation for public officials and institutions to defend themselves against allegations of fraud and corruption that can now easily spread via the Internet.

Misappropriation of funds, fraud in public tendering, selling of academic posts, bribes to secure admission to university, cheating during exams, plagiarism, essay, diploma and accreditation mills, etc., are all problems that have been highlighted in the higher education context.

A growing number of countries and HEIs have set an example by adopting ethics charters. Others have decided to reform admission procedures, change staff recruitment mechanisms, or introduce e-procurement systems to promote transparency in management procedures. The development of quality assurance and accreditation mechanisms oblige HEIs to provide factual data on their internal functioning. Public access to information and ICTs enable more effective tracking of misbehaviour, as well as making this public.

There is a long way to go, however, before integrity concerns are incorporated systematically into the everyday operation higher education. Increased reflection and exchange are required on how to best re-design traditional regulatory management and control mechanisms so that they become more “integrity sensitive”; and on how to build on them with new accountability approaches or strategies that have proven successful.

From 18 to 20 March 2015, in Paris, IIEP will host a Policy Forum on Planning Higher Education Integrity. The three-day conference will feature expert panels on transparency, accountability and anti-corruption and will encourage dialogue with decision-makers and civil-society representatives.

Provisional agenda

Wednesday 18 March
Fraud and corruption at the higher education level: What are the risks? What are the costs?
Ethics frameworks and regulations: How useful are they?
Thursday 19 March
Improving integrity in the management of higher education systems: Learning from experience
Improving academic integrity: Learning from experience
Friday 20 March
How to make the best use of public access to information and open data?
What did we learn?

 

Register to attend

If you wish to participate in the Policy Forum, please fill the online form here >> 

Please note that registration will be subject to availability. Your application will be examined and, if successful, you will receive notification by e-mail along with the information needed to attend the Policy Forum.

For more information
Ms Muriel Poisson
Head a.i., Research and Development
Tel.: 33 1 45 03 77 13
E-mail: m.poisson(at)iiep.unesco.org

Ms Florence Appéré
Administrative assistant
Tel. 33 1 45 03 77 04
E-mail: f.appere(at)iiep.unesco.org