Integrity is the main foundation in building a quality academic culture. To realize this, the Faculty of Law, Universitas Brawijaya (FH UB) together with Partnership and USAID through the USAID Integrity program developed the program “Internalization of Integrity Values in Academic Space.”
This program includes a series of strategic steps, including the development of the Anti-Plagiarism Information System (SIAP), in order to create an educational ecosystem that upholds the values of honesty and originality.
The Head of the Program Implementation, Galieh Damayanti, SH, MH., explained that this program aims to encourage integrity in the academic environment through the implementation of a new Standard Operating Procedure (SOP) for checking plagiarism. This SOP was then developed into a technology-based digital system, namely SIAP, which will be launched in January 2025.
“With SIAP, the plagiarism checking process becomes more transparent and efficient. Students, lecturers, and heads of study programs can monitor the checking process online, reducing the potential for delays and the risk of violations,” said Galieh at the peak of the Integrity Fair event on Thursday (12/12/2024).
According to him, this system allows checking up to 30 documents per day with a maximum time of 2×24 hours. The system also ensures that the examination is carried out in sequence, avoiding piles of documents like the previous manual method.
The Dean of the Faculty of Law, Dr. Aan Eko Widiarto, SH, MHum., emphasized that the development of SIAP is a strategic step in preparing graduates who are not only competent, but also have character.
“In the era of technology, integrity is becoming increasingly important. SIAP is designed to ensure transparency, with a maximum similarity index of 20%. This system is also equipped with a justification mechanism for results that exceed this limit,” he explained.
Dr. Aan also revealed the challenges of academic integrity, such as students’ efforts to find gaps through document manipulation. According to him, the integration of sophisticated technology is key to creating fairness in the academic process.
Meanwhile, Ahmad Qisa’i, Ph.D., USAID Anti-Corruption Advisor, explained that this program is part of USAID’s commitment to strengthen integrity in higher education.
“This program does not only focus on FH, but also provides inspiration for other institutions to develop a sustainable culture of integrity. SIAP is an example of how technology can encourage changes in the mindset and behavior of academics,” he explained.
Ahmad added that this collaboration is a strategic model for improving higher education governance that is more transparent, effective, and has a positive impact on the wider community.
At the peak of the Integrity Fair program series, FH also held an essay competition with the theme “Maintaining the Originality of Scientific Publications” and a national seminar. This event was attended by various groups, including representatives of the KPK, USAID, NGOs, and students from various universities.
At the national seminar with the theme “Internalization of Integrity Values in Academic Spaces,” various issues related to violations of academic integrity were discussed in depth. In addition, this seminar also became the momentum for the launch of SIAP and the announcement of the winners of the essay competition.
In addition to the seminar and the launch of the SIAP system, this activity also announced the winners of the national student essay competition, namely 1st place was Annisa Virgi Azzahra & Kemal Fikri Royadi, from Airlangga University; 2nd place was won by Alyah Rezky Salsabila & Anastasya Adityawati Nugroho, from Semarang State University, and 3rd place was Luthfi Mazara & Aishsya Roseline Azzuhra from Universitas Brawijaya.
FH through the support of USAID and Partnership shows its commitment to create an academic culture with integrity. With the launch of SIAP in early 2025, this system is expected to become a new standard in checking plagiarism of final assignments, while also encouraging honesty values in academic spaces. (rma/FH PR/ UB PR/ Trans. Iir)
