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Deakin study unmasks ghostwriters
Research shows university markers are often able to detect which assignments have been written by contract cheating services.
In a world first study, Deakin University researchers have shown that markers can distinguish ghostwritten assignments from genuine ones. Their hit rate for identifying the fake papers, however, was only 62 per cent.
Seven academics each blind-marked 20 psychology papers, six of which were purchased from so-called contract cheating websites like Paperhelp. org. Such services allow students to pay a third party to do the assignment for them. The students then and pass it off as their own work. These services sell themselves on the basis that their fraudulent work is undetectable.
The markers said the main fake paper giveaways were“ not addressing the assignment questions, structural problems, not following the assignment instructions, missing key sections, and not adequately conceptualising the task with psychological theory”.
While the markers weren’ t perfect at detecting cheats, they recognised real students’ work 96 per cent of the time.
Study co-author associate professor Phillip Dawson, associate director of Deakin’ s Centre for Research in Assessment and Digital Learning, said this research is a red flag for students who intend to benefit from the $ 340 million global contract cheating industry.
Associate professor Wendy Sutherland- Smith, the study’ s other author, said the incidence of contract cheating has increased worldwide. She said it rose from 1.8 per cent to around 7.5 per cent just after 2012. If not thwarted, she said it could produce a“ crisis of confidence” in higher education. The most promising solution is to raise awareness of its consequences, among both students and staff. For law students, for example, it can bar them from ever practising the profession.
Deakin has a special interest in weeding out the cheats. In 2015, it expelled 13 engineering students for submitting ghostwritten papers. In 2012, it ousted nine students for the same reason. ■
Dwyer to head medical school many don’ t want
The controversial medical school is facing opposition from doctor, student and university groups.
Esteemed doctor and academic John Dwyer has been tapped to head the proposed Murray Darling Medical School, but not everyone is pleased about it. The idea for the school, a collaboration between Charles Sturt and La Trobe universities, has been percolating for years. But some groups, like the Australian Medical Association( AMA), the Group of Eight and the Australian Medical Students’ Association( AMSA), hope it doesn’ t proceed.
Brad Wittmer, co-chair of the AMSA rural health committee and a final-year medical student at Monash University, called the plan for the school“ shortsighted” as“ it doesn’ t acknowledge the lack of opportunities to train and work in rural areas”.
“ We have a lot of students who are graduating at the moment who want rural careers, but unfortunately the only option is to move to a metropolitan centre to be able to complete specialist training.”
Wittmer is also concerned that funding diverted to the school would be better spent on creating these additional specialist training opportunities. To this end, AMA president Dr Michael Gannon has indicated that for every available specialist position in Australia, there are over three doctors.
These voices challenge the efficacy of the school’ s stated purpose: to plug the regional doctor shortage by training students and then employing them in this area. Dwyer has claimed it will lead to 1900 more doctors working in the region by 2050.
The proposed school will span three sites in the Murray-Darling basin: Bendigo in Victoria, and Wagga Wagga and Orange in NSW. These locations have extant junior doctor training facilities.
“ Bendigo is already serviced by Monash and Melbourne universities,” Wittmer said.
Though the school won’ t add to the national student doctor headcount, government funding for student doctor places will be siphoned from other universities to pay for its 180 places, hence the Group of Eight’ s disapproval. ■
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