Academic Integrity in the Age of Generative AI: Ethical Challenges and Perceptions among TVET Students at POLIMAS

Abstract

This research examines the ethics of using generative artificial intelligence (AI) technology with students enrolled in Technical and Vocational Education and Training (TVET) at Politeknik Sultan Abdul Halim Mu'adzam Shah (POLIMAS) in Malaysia. The emergence of generative AI technologies, especially ChatGPT, has created new opportunities and challenges in education, including serious issues related to academic dishonesty and integrity. This study adopted a mixed-methods approach that included a survey of 2,472 students from five departments at POLIMAS to assess their understanding of academic integrity, usage of generative AI tools, and perceptions regarding ethical applications of those tools in an academic environment. Results indicate there is high awareness among students regarding issues of academic integrity (mean score 3.97/5); however, there is also concerning dependence on AI tools (3.6/5) and a high need for policies on ethical AI use (3.92/5). The study notes that engineering students had a higher dependence on AI, while non-engineering students were less dependent. The latter gender-based analysis showed female students tend to have greater awareness of academic integrity issues than male students. This research adds to the increasing discussion on policy issues in education in the generative AI age and proposes solutions that frame ethical AI usage in TVET curricula while maintaining innovations in academic integrity. It is recommended that Malaysia's TVET system focus on the development of all-encompassing AI frameworks, increasing students' and teachers' digital literacy levels, implementing assessment methods that consider AI, encouraging proper attribution, and applying AI disregard policies within the Malaysian context.

Keywords: Academic integrity, generative artificial intelligence, ChatGPT, TVET education, ethics, Malaysian higher education, student perceptions