The Opposite of Cheating Podcast (Season 2) Episode 41: Thomas J. Tobin — The Opposite of Cheating
“I started out as an academic integrity prescriptivist. I was the hard-nosed.”“There’s really only three main ways that we can ask students to demonstrate academic integrity: Trust, Verification, Observation.”In this 41st episode of The Opposite of Cheating Podcast, David talks with Thomas J. Tobin, an educational developer and consultant with decades of experience, to challenge the punitive paradigms that dominate academic integrity conversations. Sharing his personal transformation from “academic integrity prescriptivist” to UDL champion, Tom walks listeners through a powerful framework for promoting honesty in learning environments: Trust, Verification, and Observation.He emphasizes how lowering barriers—around time, grades, due dates, and communication—can dramatically reduce student pressure and cheating behavior. Rather than defaulting to surveillance and restriction, Tom calls on instructors to make design choices that respect learner variability and build integrity by default.Listeners will learn how…