policy & reform
campusreview.com.au
Academic reputation is often the most
weighted component in university ranking
systems and is an important influence on
a student’s decision to shortlist a university.
Research into academic misconduct and
student scandals on university campuses –
especially those that receive extensive media
coverage – has found a correlation with
decreases in the number of applications a
university receives. This has a flow-on effect
on a university’s rankings, prestige and future
revenue opportunities. This is not solely the responsibility of the
individual teacher; all stakeholders in the
university should look at ways to foster
supportive and personalised environments
for both the students and teachers, by
reducing teachers’ workloads and increasing
staff-student engagement time.
One way to achieve this is by arming
teachers with the right tools, such as grading
and assessment tools, which support
students’ individual understanding and
development through receiving quality
feedback. Text-matching tools can provide
support to teachers who need to address
students whose work is flagged as potential
plagiarism, and help them work with the
student to address those skill gaps.
Another approach could be incorporating
academic integrity into the syllabus, to
educate students on the importance of
accurate referencing and citation, and the
value of original work.
HAVE THE RIGHT PROCESSES IN
PLACE TO INVESTIGATE AND DETER
ACADEMIC MISCONDUCT PROMOTE A CULTURE OF
ACADEMIC COMPLIANCE
AND EXCELLENCE
When academic misconduct happens, it
is imperative to have the proper processes
in place to conduct an investigation and
deter potential cheaters. Academic integrity
policies should be clear on what constitutes
major and minor breaches of academic
integrity, the procedures for dealing with
each, and the penalties that may be imposed.
It is also essential to ensure that cases
associated with academic integrity or
misconduct are transparent, consistent and
equitable. One of the issues identified by
Australian university staff in a survey was that
33 per cent did not know if their referred
cases had been substantiated.
Staff also reported a tendency for
appeals against breach investigations to be
overturned, which suggests that university
processes are failing to consistently engage
and inform staff to ensure all suspected cases
are referred and dealt with appropriately.
To support decision-making and increase
visibility and efficiency during investigations,
universities could look for technology
solutions that remove administrative burden,
enable data-informed decisions, and uncover
evidence to build a fair and impartial case. EMPOWER TEACHERS AND
SUPPORT STUDENT SUCCESS To combat cheating, multifaceted and
holistic approaches have been widely
recommended to address academic
integrity, where responsibilities are clear and
shared by students, staff and the institution.
As well as addressing students’ experiences
with and attitudes toward contract cheating,
this also means looking at the contextual
factors that influence this behaviour,
such as students’ perception of university
degrees as a ‘commercial transaction’ due
to the institutions’ focus on the ‘business
of education’.
This could involve communicating the
value of higher education beyond the final
degree by demonstrating how it builds skills
essential for the future workforce.
With students increasingly embracing
collaborative technology like Baidu Library
or Thinkswap to learn and share ideas with
other students, we also need to look at ways
to integrate academic integrity policies with
new and emerging technology.
As a sector, we’re now aware of the
problem and prevalence of contract
cheating. It’s time to consider new
approaches and technology that will enable
universities to protect their institutions, to
attract and enrol desirable students, and to
promote a culture of academic integrity. ■
Research suggests that improving the
teaching and learning environment would
help to make contract cheating less likely. Anna Borek is academic partnerships
manager, higher education, at Turnitin.
Contract
cheating
How universities can reduce
the risk to their reputation.
By Anna Borek
F
our years on from the MyMaster
cheating scandal that rocked
universities, contract cheating – where
students engage a third-party individual
or service – continues to be prevalent in
Australian universities.
Research shows 6 per cent of Australian
students have admitted to contract cheating,
with 15 per cent buying sold or traded
notes, and a further 27 per cent sharing their
completed assignment with another student.
While the MyMaster scandal brought the
issue of contract cheating to the fore, it also
brought into question the academic integrity
of Australia’s higher education sector.
More recently, the government sent a
powerful signal when it drafted legislation
to make it an offence to provide or advertise
contract cheating services.
The sector has reached a tipping point
to protect the value of our $35 billion
international student sector.
In an increasingly complex environment
– the ubiquity of online platforms, disruptive
technologies and a competitive job
market – Australian universities will need
to explore new ways to tackle the issue of
contract cheating head-on to maintain the
quality and reputation of the entire higher
education sector.
THE FALLOUT FROM THE
MYMASTER SCANDAL
More than 16 universities across Australia
were impacted by thousands of students
hiring MyMaster to ghostwrite their essays.
The scandal garnered widespread media
attention and public concern, prompting
new research that revealed the extent of
contract cheating and the implications for
the credibility of university degrees, as well
as the potential impact on the reputations
of the universities involved.
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