Three myths about contract cheating and what to do about the reality

Phillip Dawson (Deakin U) sets it all out in a briefing from TEQSA

Myth one: it’s rare. “The vast majority of students never contract cheat, the rate of contract cheating is high enough to warrant serious attention.” One Australian survey puts it at 6 per cent at universities. Another reported 7 per cent at NUHEPs.

Myth two: it can be “designed out” of assessment by using authentic assessment, tight turn-arounds for tasks and exams. It can’t – contract cheating services can cover for the first and exams are not immune. However assessment design can improve detection rates and discourage students from cheating behaviours.

Myth three: it can’t be detected.  It can – software helps and markers trained to spot contract cheating can identify it.

How to catch it: * Train markers to watch for it and have processes for them to follow-up suspicions. * Use specialist staff to detect it. * Make balance of probabilities the burden of proof. * Engage with students and their associations beyond academic integrity modules.

Aspro Dawson has a long argued that contact cheating will not be beaten by prohibition and that “it is the responsibility of academic institutions to maintain a system of checks and balances and ensure that their internal processes are working as expected, (CMM May 14 2019).