Towards an understanding and definition of academic misconduct in online learning environments

Academic misconduct (AMC) has become a top priority in many academic institutions. This has been exacerbated as a result of the pervasive use of the technology and the Internet. The lack of established guidelines on acceptable practices and misconceptions about the definition of academic misconduct causes confusion. This paper provides an overview of the common aspects of AMC and proposes a standard definition based on the findings of this study for online learning environments.