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There ’ s no silver bullet here . It is about education and remember we are doing a whole lot more as a sector in relation to academic honesty education than we ever did when I was at university , when nobody even told you about what plagiarism was . Everything from education through to designing the assessments and looking at forms of identification .
This is a sector wide problem . When the chairs of the academic board had their annual conference this year , they agreed there should be a study on academic honesty in the digital age and I ’ ve asked universities as a whole to contribute to the funding of that study .
You ’ ve said students are going to great lengths to avoid detection . What strategies other than Turnitin are you using and what other policies do you think need to be implemented to contend with this problem ? I think the most important strategy is designing assessments in ways that make cheating more difficult and there are all sorts of ways of doing that . Also , making sure that tutors are vigilant and that they have the opportunity to know the work of their students so they can identify when it ’ s less likely that [ they have done the work ].
Having effective administrative systems is important ; they help you identify special consideration fraud . For example , if you all of a sudden discover there has been an outbreak of a particular disease [ amongst students ] identified by a particular GP practice , the practice is probably a fake .
There are all sorts of [ ways to commit fraud ] and the point of the taskforces is to make sure we ’ re looking at the whole suite .
The most interesting approach , I think , in Australian culture is student honour codes and encouraging students to identify and report misconduct by [ their peers ]. It ’ s goes against the grand old Australian tradition of not dobbing , but many systems find that is one of the most effective mechanisms for controlling academic dishonesty .
Finally , why do you think perhaps the internet and new technologies have played a part in new methods of cheating ? Do you think that ’ s something to think about ? I think , as in every area , it ’ s just decreased transaction cost . I ’ m sure you used to be able to buy a dodgy medical certificate , but it took a little bit of effort ; whereas these days , you just type ‘ dodgy medical certificate ’ into the internet and up pops a website that tells you how to do it .
I think it ’ s just lowered transaction cost for that tiny minority of our 53,000 students and those students across the sector who are engaged in this kind of activity . n
The Hong Kong Polytechnic University is a government-funded tertiary institution in Hong Kong . It offers programmes at various levels including Doctorate , Master ’ s and Bachelor ’ s degrees . It has a full-time academic staff strength of around 1,200 . The total consolidated expenditure budget of the University is close to HK $ 5.5 billion ( US $ 705 million ) per year .
DEPARTMENT OF CIVIL AND ENVIRONMENTAL ENGINEERING
The Department of Civil and Environmental Engineering is recognised by the local and international communities in conducting world class research in Civil and Environmental Engineering fields , and has well established connections with industrial partners and government agencies in Hong Kong . The new appointee will further add to the existing research strengths in the area of Occupational Safety and Health of the Department .
The Department is offering an undergraduate programme in BSc ( Hons ) Environmental and Occupational Safety and Health . The Department also offers academic programmes at various levels , including MSc and PhD degree , in the disciplines of Construction and Transportation Engineering , Environmental Engineering Science , Geotechnical Engineering , Hydraulic Engineering , and Structural Engineering . Currently , the Department has about 40 faculty members and 37 technical and administrative personnel , and is committed to the international standards of excellence in teaching and research . Please visit the website at http :// www . cee . polyu . edu . hk for more information about the Department .
Assistant Professor in Occupational Safety and Health
The appointee will be required to ( a ) teach relevant subjects in Occupational Safety and Health at various levels ; ( b ) supervise student projects and theses ; ( c ) initiate , lead and participate in research activities ; and ( d ) undertake relevant administrative duties , including programme leadership , curriculum development , programme validation and accreditation , etc .
Applicants should ( a ) have a first degree in Engineering or Applied Science ; ( b ) have a PhD degree in Occupational Safety , Health , Civil and Environmental Engineering or a related discipline ; ( c ) have strong commitment to excellence in teaching and research ; ( d ) have a good record of research and scholarship ; and ( e ) be able to demonstrate effective classroom teaching skills and have good interpersonal skills . Preference will be given to those with relevant professional qualifications and working experience .
Remuneration and Conditions of Service A highly competitive remuneration package will be offered . Initial appointment will be on a fixed-term gratuity-bearing contract . Re-engagement thereafter is subject to mutual agreement . Applicants should state their current and expected salary in the application .
Application Please submit application form via email to hrstaff @ polyu . edu . hk ; by fax at ( 852 ) 2764 3374 ; or by mail to Human Resources Office , 13 / F , Li Ka Shing Tower , The Hong Kong Polytechnic University , Hung Hom , Kowloon , Hong Kong . If you would like to provide a separate curriculum vitae , please still complete the application form which will help speed up the recruitment process . Application forms can be obtained via the above channels or downloaded from http :// www . polyu . edu . hk / hro / job / en / guide _ forms / forms . php . Recruitment will continue until the position is filled . Details of the University ’ s Personal Information Collection Statement for recruitment can be found at http :// www . polyu . edu . hk / hro / job / en / guide _ forms / pics . php .
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