Artificial Intelligence and Academic Integrity Challenges in African Higher Institutions: A Thematic Review of Emerging Misconduct and Institutional Responses
DOI:
https://doi.org/10.31538/cjotl.v6i2.3184Keywords:
Artificial Intelligence, Academic Integrity, African Higher Education, Digital Ethics, AI GovernanceAbstract
Artificial intelligence (AI), particularly generative AI, is reshaping higher education while creating new academic integrity challenges in Africa. This study examines emerging AI-related academic misconduct and the interaction between assessment practices, institutional governance, and digital inequality. A PRISMA 2020-informed thematic literature review was conducted on literature published from January 2021 to September 2026. Searches of Scopus, Google Scholar, ScienceDirect, and SpringerLink identified 209 records; after removing duplicates and screening, the review retained 49 publications for thematic synthesis. Guided by the Digital Ethics Framework, four interrelated themes emerged: AI-driven academic misconduct, assessment vulnerability, institutional governance challenges, and digital inequality. The synthesis indicates that AI-assisted plagiarism, fabricated references, ghost-writing, unauthorised collaboration, and undisclosed AI use expose limitations in conventional integrity and assessment mechanisms. Policy ambiguity, uneven institutional capacity, and unequal digital conditions further constrain effective responses. The study conceptualises AI-related academic misconduct as an interconnected institutional challenge rather than solely a student-behaviour problem. It highlights the need for context-sensitive AI governance integrating ethical AI literacy, assessment redesign, staff development, and equitable digital capacity-building.
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Copyright (c) 2026 Iyanuoluwa Samuel Adelakun, Olufemi Adewale Adedokun, Sariat Iyabo Salaam, Togunloju Taiwo
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