Malpractice & Maladministration Webinar

14 May 2025

Presented by:

Heather Harewood – Centre Monitoring & Compliance Manager

Julian Watkiss - Chief Examiner

Jamie Hughes – Quality Assurance & Enhancement Officer

Natalie Procter – Quality Assurance & Enhancement Officer

Malpractice & Maladministration Webinar

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Objectives of this Webinar

• Introduce the UAL Malpractice and Maladministration Policy and Procedure
• Enable UAL Approved Centres to effectively identify, manage and mitigate incidents
• Provide hints and tips for identifying and managing learner malpractice
• Outline the risks associated with the growing use of generative artificial intelligence (AI)

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Malpractice & Maladministration Webinar

Origins II - Winona O'Connor - Exeter College - FAD

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Malpractice and Maladministration Definitions

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Malpractice

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We categorise most incidents as either:

• Centre staff malpractice
• Candidate malpractice

Malpractice & Maladministration Webinar

Malpractice is defined as any deliberate activity, neglect or other practice that compromises the integrity of the assessment process, undermines public confidence in UAL Awarding Body qualifications, and/or impacts the validity of assessment outcomes. 

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Maladministration

Malpractice & Maladministration Webinar

Maladministration is defined as any activity, neglect or other practice that results in UAL Awarding Body, the UAL Approved Centre or learner not complying with the specified requirements for the delivery of UAL Awarding Body qualifications. 

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Maladministration is typically unintentional and therefore is less likely to feature any deliberate activity intended to cause harm or compromise the integrity of the assessment process.

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Adverse Effect

Malpractice & Maladministration Webinar

An Adverse Effect is defined by the qualifications regulators as any act, omission, event, incident or circumstance that introduces prejudices to learners or adversely affects;

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• The ability of the awarding body to undertake the development, delivery or award of qualifications in a way that complies with its Conditions of Recognition;
• The standards of qualifications which the awarding body makes available or proposes to make available; or
• Public confidence in qualifications

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Malpractice and Maladministration Policy

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UAL Awarding Body Responsibilities

• How do we mitigate?

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• Qualification and assessment design
• Centre support and monitoring visits;
• Annual Quality Monitoring Requirement
• General quality monitoring processes; and 
• Communication with centres.

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UAL Awarding Body Responsibilities

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Who carries out investigations?

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• A member of the Quality Assurance and Enhancement Team with no personal interest in the incident

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How do we investigate?

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• We take an evidence-based approach; and
• Consider the source of the allegation or suspicion, as well as the nature of the information provided. 

Malpractice & Maladministration Webinar

Origins 2018 – Decisions by Albert Turner, Reigate School of Art

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Our responsibility to the qualification regulators

• We are required to adhere to the following General Conditions of Recognition:
• A6 Identification and management of risks;
• A7 Management of incidents;
• A8 Malpractice and maladministration; and
• B3 Notification to the regulators of certain events.

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Your responsibilities as a UAL Approved Centre

• To identify, minimise and manage malpractice and maladministration;
• Have effective written policies in place; 
• Ensure all relevant staff and UAL learners are aware of their responsibilities; and
• Report and investigate all cases of malpractice or maladministration as soon as they are discovered.
• UAL Approved Centres must enact their Malpractice and Maladministration policy, alert UAL Awarding Body immediately, undertake an investigation and document their findings in a report.

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Centre policies – UAL Requirements

UAL Awarding Body requires that Centre policies include the following:

• A clear purpose 
• Explanations and/or definitions 
• Instructions/procedures 
• AI guidance
• Timescales 
• Right of appeal 
• Availability to stakeholders
• Policy governance

Malpractice & Maladministration Webinar

F&T window FAD F&T 2017

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Preventative measures centres should put in place

• Centre managed risk register linked to delivery, assessment and quality assurance; 
• Regular in-house training relating to malpractice and maladministration;
• Centre-level practice relating to the secure and confidential handling of assessment materials;
• Regular reviews of previous incidents / challenges to identify lessons learnt and any trends of concern that may warrant further investigation or monitoring;
• Attending UAL Awarding Body training events; 

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Preventative measures centres should put in place

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• Engage with UAL Awarding Body’s centre guidance, policies and procedures;
• Ensure learners are aware of centre and awarding body policies relating to malpractice and maladministration;
• Ensure appropriate permissions are in place for learners who produce and save work digitally on centre-hosted storage; and
• Authentication of learner work. 

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Malpractice and Maladministration Procedure

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Identifying possible or actual malpractice or maladministration

• Who can identify or report potential or actual cases of malpractice or maladministration?

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• Other means of identifying malpractice or maladministration?

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• What happens next?

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Identifying possible or actual malpractice or maladministration

• If further investigation is required:
• We will request additional information, or undertake a subsequent investigation;
• We may notify the regulator(s) at any point during the investigation.

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• There may be instances where UAL Awarding Body will lead an immediate investigation when a case is particularly complex or severe or when a risk needs to be quickly contained and mitigated.
• Centres are required to support the investigation and produce their own report;
• In some cases, the regulator(s) may lead the investigation.

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Anonymity and Whistleblowing

• There may be instances where the person notifying us of suspected or actual malpractice or maladministration wishes to remain anonymous. 
• UAL Awarding Body will keep the person’s identity confidential, however there may be cases where we must share their details with the qualification regulators, or with other organisations for legal reasons.
• Should the need arise to disclose the identity of the person notifying UAL Awarding Body, the Investigating Officer will inform the person of the need to reveal their identity.
• All investigations are conducted in strict accordance with the GDPR and Equalities legislation.

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How to conduct a Centre investigation

• Carried out by staff who have no personal involvement in the incident or the outcome of the investigation;
• Investigation must be thorough, prompt and evidence-based;
• The actual or potential impact on Learners is fully considered;
• All staff must co-operate and provide timely responses to requests for information;
• Provide investigation findings to UAL Awarding Body in the form of a report; and
• Submit report to centreqa.awarding@arts.ac.uk within an agreed timeframe.

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Centre Investigation Report

Reports must include:

• Centre and learner information;
• Title of the UAL Awarding Body qualification(s) affected, or nature of the service affected;
• Date(s) suspected or actual malpractice or maladministration occurred;
• Full nature of the incident;
• Contents and outcome of any centre investigation carried out including any mitigating circumstances;
• Written statements from those involved in the case; 
• Date of the report and the informant’s position and signature;
• Timeline of events; and
• Supporting evidence.

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How UAL Awarding Body conducts investigations

• Establish the facts of the case by collecting clear evidence; 
• Identify the scale, risk of escalation, and any preventative measures we can take;
• Interviews with individuals connected to any suspected or actual malpractice and maladministration;
• Identify the cause(s) of any issues;
• Establish a timeline of events;
• Determine how the issue can be resolved which may include issuing sanctions;

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How UAL Awarding Body conducts investigations

• Identify any trends which may indicate an Adverse Effect;
• Consider the actual or potential impact of the incident;
• Consider any action(s) already taken by the UAL Approved Centre;
• Make an assessment of the seriousness of the event;
• Consider the urgency of any actions required to mitigate the actual or potential Adverse Effect; and
• Consider the actual or potential impact on public confidence.

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UAL Investigation Timescale

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UAL Investigation Outcomes and Actions

• Following an investigation, we will share a summary and any related sanctions with the centre. 
• Actions are always proportionate - in accordance with Condition A8.6(b).
• (b) take action against those responsible which is proportionate to the gravity and scope of the occurrence, or seek the cooperation of third parties in taking such action.
• Where the Investigating Officer has concluded the outcome of malpractice and/or maladministration, UAL Awarding Body will implement the Sanctions Policy as appropriate. 

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Use of sanctions during an investigation

• UAL Awarding Body reserves the right to implement sanctions at the time a UAL Approved Centre notifies us or during an investigation where there may be a risk of an Adverse Effect. 
• Any sanctions imposed will be fair and proportionate in accordance with the UAL Awarding Body Sanctions Policy and seek to protect the interest of learners and the validity of our qualifications.

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Malpractice & Maladministration Webinar

Reading College Art & Design – Liz Carrington

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Right of appeal - Application

• UAL Approved Centres can request an appeal of an investigation outcome within 10 working days of receiving the outcome.
• The request for an appeal must be submitted via email to centreqa.awarding@arts.ac.uk and can be requested on the following grounds:
• Procedures through which the original issue was investigated were not followed;
• The outcome is considered unreasonable; or
• New material evidence is produced, which was not available previously, or which could not be previously disclosed.

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Right of appeal – Review Outcome

UAL Approved Centres who have exhausted the appeals process within the Policy and are still dissatisfied with the outcome may contact the following regulatory authorities:

• The Office of Qualifications and Examinations Regulation (Ofqual)
• Council for Curriculum Examination and Assessment (CCEA Regulation)
• Qualifications Wales

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Progressions regarding the use of generative artificial intelligence (AI)

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AI Guidance Update - Misuse

Malpractice & Maladministration Webinar

Key Points

Misuse:�

Misuse of AI is where learners have failed to adhere to the guidelines and knowingly submit AI-generated work as their own. This is because the work submitted does not demonstrate the learner’s own knowledge, understanding or abilities in relation to the assessment objectives, but rather that of the AI.

• Copying AI-generated content without modification or attribution.
• Using AI to generate large portions of creative work.
• Failure to reference AI use is considered malpractice.

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AI Guidance Update – Acceptable Use

Malpractice & Maladministration Webinar

Key Points

Acceptable Use:�

• Learners are responsible for their submissions, ensuring AI use is properly documented and aligns with assessment requirements.
• Any AI tools used must be clearly referenced, specifying their role in the final work.
• AI-generated content cannot be presented as wholly original; its integration must be transparent.
• AI may assist, but the final work must reflect the learner’s understanding, decision-making, and creativity.
• Learners must keep a record of AI prompts used and include them in their assessment for transparency.

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AI Guidance Update - Referencing

Referencing Prompts

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AI Guidance Update - Authentication

Malpractice & Maladministration Webinar

Authentication

I confirm that the attached portfolio is all my own work and that any work created by anyone other than myself, including AI-generated content, has been appropriately referenced.

Clarification on "Their Own Work":�

• Learners must actively guide AI use.
• AI must be used as a tool, not a creator.
• Submissions must include learner-generated content.

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Tips for Enhancing the Integrity of Portfolios

Malpractice & Maladministration Webinar

• Plagiarism Checkers and Reverse Image Searches�Look out for language changes in student work. Consider using plagiarism checker but be aware these can produce false positives. They may be used as part of a discussion with a student. �
• Use of video, audio or photos to capture development. �Video, screen recordings, audio or photos of the project can be used to show development stages. �
• Reflective Presentations, Blogs and Viva Voce�Live or recorded Q&A sessions allow tutors to probe deeper into learners’ understanding and verify ownership. Video and audio are useful methods of capturing this evidence. �
• Consider using controlled elements�Parts of the brief could be controlled. This would help flag inconsistencies with work outside of the classroom.

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• Regularly scheduled formative reviews.�These could be with lecturers or potentially peer reviews.

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Final points

For further information, please refer to

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• UAL Malpractice and Maladministration Policy
• UAL Approved Centre Guidance: Identifying potential or actual malpractice and maladministration and
• UAL Investigations procedure for UAL Approved Centres
• Guidance on how to use generative artificial intelligence (AI) in UAL Awarding Body Qualifications�

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• Reach out to us at centreqa.awarding@arts.ac.uk if you have any queries.

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Questions and Answers

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Thank you�

Feedback – Malpractise & maladministration

We'd really appreciate it if you took the time to fill in this short feedback form about your experience today. This will help to inform future standardisation events we hold. 

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Please either scan the QR code on the right with your smartphone or type the following URL into your web browser: 

https://bit.ly/4cYwEfE

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Standardisation 2025

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Upcoming events

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Events programme 2025

Origins Creatives

We are delighted that our annual exhibition of incredible student work will be returning to Mall Galleries again this year! Origins Creatives is a wonderful opportunity for students, guardians and teachers to come together and celebrate student creativity and hard work and will be taking place Wednesday 16 – Saturday 19 July, opening night Tuesday 15 July. Submissions window: Monday 19 May and closing on Friday 20 June.

Teach Inspire Create

The Teach Inspire Create Conference is returning in November 2025! This one-day CPD event provides the opportunity for creative educators to meet, network and be inspired by creative industry specialists. It is also an opportunity for UAL Awarding Body to connect with our centres and provide updates on the sector. We can’t wait to see you there!�

Standardisation 2025

Photo: Origins Creatives 2024, Ana Blumenkron.

Photo: Teach Inspire Create Conference 2024, Ana Blumenkron.

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Teach Inspire Create podcast

We’re excited to announce that the Teach Inspire Create podcast is returning soon for a brand new series!

Featuring 8 episodes, each delving into a different topic within creative industries and education; this is a series that you do not want to miss!

Catch up on all our previous TIC podcast episodes here:

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