Academic Quality and Integrity in the New Higher Education Digital Environment : A Global Perspective

Academic Quality and Integrity in the New Higher Education Digital Environment: A Global Perspective provides discussions on the work of three editors who have significant experience in the quality assurance of teaching and learning and have been developing approaches during the recent COVID-19 pandemic. Discussions on learning and teaching during the pandemic were concentrated on how academic institutions ensure quality of courses, and that academic integrity is maintained in all assessments in a digital environment, thus ensuring what is being delivered meets global standards and professional bodies have confidence in programs delivered by the higher education sector. The area of quality assurance and academic integrity is thus critical in this new digital environment where significant educational programs will be delivered.

Professor Upasana Singh is the Academic Leader and Associate Professor in Information Systems and Technology at the University of KwaZulu-Natal, Durban, and an Adjunct Senior Lecturer at the Victorian Institute of Technology, Australia. With a Ph.D. from the University of South Africa and over 15 years of teaching experience, she specializes in IT-related subjects and Educational Technologies. Professor Singh has an extensive publication record, including books, journal articles, and conference papers, contributing significantly to digital teaching, learning, and assessment. As Chair of the digiTAL2K conference, she promotes global collaboration in educational technologies. Her research, particularly during the pandemic, has been instrumental in guiding online learning transitions, with a focus on quality assurance and gender-specific models. She has received numerous accolades for her leadership and contributions to digital education, including the Distinguished Teachers Award and recognition from ASCILITE’s Women in Academic Leadership initiative

Professor Sid Nair is currently Executive Dean and Dean Learning, Teaching and Student Experience at the Victorian Institute of Technology (VIT), Australia where he is responsible for the learning, teaching, student experience and quality matters of the Institution.

Previous to this appointment at VIT, Sid was the Executive Director of the Tertiary Education Commission (TEC), Mauritius, the apex regulatory body where he was responsible for the formulation and execution of strategies, policies and procedures in the higher education sector in Mauritius.

Prior to joining TEC, he was Professor of Higher Education Development at the Centre for Education Futures (CEF), University of Western Australia. His role was to build the capacity of academics in the digital delivery of their teaching. His career path also had him as Interim Director and Quality Advisor (Evaluations and Research) at the Centre for Higher Education Quality (CHEQ) at Monash University, Australia where he headed the evaluation unit at Monash University. In this capacity he restructured the evaluation framework at the university. The approach to evaluations at Monash has been noted in the first round of the Australian Universities Quality Agency (AUQA) audits and is part of the good practice database.

His research work lies in the areas of quality in the higher education system, classroom and school environments, and the implementation of improvements from stakeholder feedback. He has extensive lecturing experience in the applied sciences in Canada, Singapore and Australia. He is an international consultant in quality and evaluations in higher education.

Associate Professor, Assessment in medical education at The University of Western Australia. Her background has been embedded in education at all levels including higher education in teaching and learning supporting academics in building their pedagogical capacity. Rashmi led a highly successful online research program in recent years and provides consultancy in higher education and leadership development.