Designing School Policy and Practice for Academic Integrity in the Age of GenAI: A Design-Based Research Project in a Regional School

Abstract

The widespread free access to generative artificial intelligence (GenAI) has radically shifted the educational landscape. Schools find themselves largely unprepared to navigate this new terrain: both in understanding how to harness the potential of GenAI for educational enhancement and developing strategies to ensure student integrity in demonstrating authentic learning outcomes. This study reports on a design-based research collaboration between a regional Australian university and a secondary school to address these challenges through policy and practice innovation. The aim was to both promote and maintain academic integrity, alongside considering how GenAI might be harnessed for educational benefit and lifelong learning. Over six months, researchers and educators worked collaboratively to analyze school staff needs using a whole-school survey and focus groups, followed by co-design of policy and pedagogical responses, which were iteratively tested and refined. Key findings revealed that staff required clear guidance on acceptable GenAI use, consistent policy enforcement, and professional learning. The project has resulted in the development of policy, procedure, and support resources that have been released as an Open Education Resource. The findings offer practical insights for schools navigating GenAI integration and contribute to broader discussions on educational change, assessment validity, and ethical technology use.

Received: 24 July 2025 | Revised: 9 October 2025 | Accepted: 7 November 2025

Conflicts of Interest

The authors declare that they have no conflicts of interest to this work.

Data Availability Statement

The data that support this work are available upon reasonable request to the corresponding author.

Author Contribution Statement

Katie Burke: Conceptualization, Methodology, Formal Analysis, Investigation, Writing – original draft, Writing – review & editing, Supervision, Project Administration. Alison Bedford: Conceptualization, Methodology, Formal Analysis, Investigation, Writing – original draft, Writing – review & editing, Supervision, Project Administration. Rian Roux: Conceptualization, Methodology, Formal Analysis, Investigation, Writing – original draft, Writing – review & editing, Supervision, Project Administration. Emily Scott: Conceptualization, Investigation, Writing – original draft. Jasmine Thomas: Conceptualization, Methodology, Formal Analysis, Investigation, Writing – review & editing. Tracy Chamlin: Conceptualization, Formal Analysis, Investigation, Writing – review & editing