Learning, Teaching and Leadership

Multilingual essay mills – New article

August 6, 2019

Notos cover My colleague, Roswita Dressler and I have just had a new paper published. It all started when I was at an academic integrity conference a couple of years back. I was sitting next to a colleague who works in a language other than English (LOTE). The colleague suggested that contract cheating (e.g. essay mills and other forms of outsourced academic work) was a problem of the English-speaking world, asserting that there simply wouldn’t be enough of a market in other languages.

I thought to myself, “Challenge accepted!” I recruited Roswita Dressler to help me undertake a small-scale pilot study. We both have a background in language teaching and between us, we have some level of proficiency in about four languages. We were also curious about the market for academic outsourcing for younger audiences, in elementary, middle and high school.

The questions that guided our project were:

What evidence exists that online providers offer academic work in languages other than English?
To what degree are K-12 students targeted by these online providers?

We framed our study specifically within the Canadian context.

Our results showed that not only do commercial contract cheating companies market to specifically to students in Canada, they target children as young as Grade six (approximately 11-12 years old). And yes, we found strong evidence that contract cheating happens in languages other than English (ten of them, in fact).

To the best of our knowledge, this is the first study on contract cheating published in Canada.

The Alberta Teachers Association is the publisher and copyright holder of this article. They have given us permission to post the article in our university’s digital repository. You can access a copy of it free of charge from here:

Eaton, S. E., & Dressler, R. (2019). Multilingual essay mills: Implications for second language teaching and learning. Notos, 14(2), 4-14. Retrieved from http://hdl.handle.net/1880/110695

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Sarah Elaine Eaton is a faculty member in the Werklund School of Education, University of Calgary, Canada. Opinions are my own and do not represent those of the Werklund School of Education or the University of Calgary.

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Posted by Sarah Elaine Eaton, Ph.D.

Language Learning and Technology (EDER 669.73): Summer 2019 course

July 2, 2019

I am excited to be teaching one of my favourite courses this summer: Language Learning and Technology (EDER 669.73). This is a fully online course for students registered in the Master of Education (MEd) program at the Werklund School of Education.

Course Description:

This course has been designed for students who want to learn how to effectively incorporate technology in their present and future careers as language teachers. The course will cover both theoretical and practical issues in teaching second language and the use of new technology to support and enhance the learning process.

A special emphasis will be on combining both face-to-face and the use of technologies in and beyond the classroom walls to enhance the second language learning process. Although the course may address the different types technologies such as Web 2.0 technologies (e.g., blogs, wikis; audio and video podcasting; online videos; mobile tools); mobile technology (e.g., mobile phones; MP3 players; digital cameras; camcorders), and other type of interactive technologies, the focus of the course is on the pedagogical and practical aspects of integrating new technology to face-to-face language teaching.

The course is open to second language present and future teachers at the elementary, secondary, and post-secondary level. The course also invites language teachers with limited knowledge of the target language to learn how to enhance their language teaching by integrating blended teaching into their practice.

Learner Outcomes:

The intent of this course is to explore the integration of technology to enhance language learning, particularly in in blended or distance environments.

Specific objectives include:

understand different learning theories informing pedagogical practices, and in particular the TPACK and SAMR models, as they apply to language learning;
review current research on the learning of additional languages enhanced by digital technologies;
explore digital mediated communication methods that can be used effectively in distance and blended language learning programs;
examine current and emerging trends in educational technology as they apply to language learning; and
design and evaluate language-learning modules integrating digital technology for online or blended environments.

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Posted by Sarah Elaine Eaton, Ph.D.

Seeking early-stage feedback about proposed MEd Certificate in Academic Integrity

June 21, 2019

Note: This is an early-stage concept draft intended for sharing for developmental feedback.

Direct questions about this proposal to Dr. Sarah Elaine Eaton – seaton (at) ucalgary.ca.

Background

The MEd certificate in Academic Integrity is an opportunity for those interested in this topic to develop as scholars of the profession in a learning community of like-minded students. Situated within the Leadership specialization, students will explore academic integrity through a leadership, policy and governance lens, while also developing an evidence-informed approach to the pragmatic aspects of academic integrity such as case management. Students will examine their personal and professional notions of academic integrity, as situated concepts within institutional and systemic contexts, deepening their understanding of how professional practice related to academic integrity is nested within institutional policies and procedures and how these are related to quality assurance from a systemic perspective, such as ministries of education and/or higher education.

MEd Certificate

The MEd (Master of Education) is a course-based pathway which provides students with a systematic understanding of knowledge, and a critical awareness of current problems and/or new insights, much of which is at, or informed by, the forefront of their academic discipline, field of study or area of professional practice in two topic areas, plus additional research methods courses.

Each certificate is based on a topic area comprised for four (4) courses. The MEd Certificate is a pathway to a Master of Education (MEd), Interdisciplinary route, but a graduate level certificate is awarded upon the successful completion of a 4-course certificate, so even if participants choose only to undertake the 4-course topic, they can still be awarded a graduate-level certificate.

Learning Goals and Expected Outcomes

There are three overarching learning goals of this proposed certificate:

This certificate will increase awareness of the role of academic integrity in educational contexts.
It will assist those who have academic integrity as a component of their professional portfolio in furthering discussion and learning about integrity, ethical decision-making, case management and policy.
It will assist current and future educational leaders to envision and develop a personal theory of integrity that enhances the learning experiences of students, while remaining cognizant of institutional policies and procedures, as well as larger systemic realities.

The four (4) courses for this certificate will be developed in consultation with internal and external stakeholders.

Possible formats

Option 1: Completely online format – All four (4) courses offered online using asynchronous (D2L) and synchronous (Zoom) learning technologies. Students could be physically located anywhere in the world and would not be required to come to the University of Calgary for any component of the certificate.

Option 2: Blended – Two (2) courses offered on-campus during an intensive two-week residency in July. This would require students to physically be in Calgary during the mandatory two-week residency. The residency would be followed by two (2) additional courses offered online in the subsequent fall and winter terms.

Anticipated timeline

We do not have an exact timeline for the launch of this program yet, as it would need to receive approval at a number of levels. However, given the amount of interest and support we have at this early stage, it is reasonable to anticipate that it may be available by September 2020.

Feedback Questions

At this point, we are seeking feedback from various stakeholders on these particular points:

Which of the two possible formats (online or blended) is most appealing? Why?
What are some key topics or courses you would like to see included in this program? Why?
What resources (books, articles, etc.) do you see as being foundational for courses offered in this certificate?

For questions about this proposal or to add your name to the mailing list contact:

Dr. Sarah Elaine Eaton, Werklund School of Education, University of Calgary, seaton (at) ucalgary.ca

Further information about the Master of Education: https://werklund.ucalgary.ca/gpe/med-interdisciplinary

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Posted by Sarah Elaine Eaton, Ph.D.

Contract cheating: A view from three Calgary post-secondary institutions

May 24, 2019

LSAC - (Cover slide) Rossi, Eaton, Toye & Chibry

So excited to be presenting with my colleagues, Silvia Rossi (Mount Royal University), Maragaret A. Toye (Bow Valley College) and Nancy Chibry (University of Calgary) next week at the Learning Specialists Association of Canada national conference in Olds, Alberta. I am excited that sessions on contract cheating are getting accepted at national conferences in Canada. To the best of my knowledge this will be the first time that contract cheating will be talked about at this particular conference.

Check out our slides on Slideshare:

Handouts:

How to cite this presentation (APA, 6th ed.):

Rossi, S., Eaton, S. E., Toye, M. A., & Chibry, N. (2019, May 27). Contract cheating: A view from three Calgary post-secondary institutions. Paper presented at the Learning Specialists Association of Canada (LSAC) National Conference, Olds, AB.

Related posts:

How to Deal with Contract Cheating: A Collection of Resources – https://wp.me/pNAh3-2u5
COVID-19, Contract Cheating and Academic Integrity in Online Courses: What you need to know https://wp.me/pNAh3-2rx

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Comments Off on Contract cheating: A view from three Calgary post-secondary institutions | academic integrity, contract cheating, education | Tagged: Alberta, Canada, contract cheating, Learning Specialists Association of Canada, LSAC | Permalink
Posted by Sarah Elaine Eaton, Ph.D.

Canadian Symposium on Academic Integrity: Archive of Sessions

May 7, 2019

I am pleased to share this digital archive of materials and artefacts from the Canadian Symposium on Academic Integrity, which took place April 17-18, 2019 at the University of Calgary

The program contains the full schedule from the 1.5-day event, along with information on the keynote and feature sessions; 23 peer-reviewed papers; 5 posters; and 3 interactive workshops. Unlike other programs that include only a schedule and brief description, our program also includes full abstracts for each presentation, making this a useful artefact from the conference that serves to document the topics discussed and the research occurring across Canada on various topics related to academic integrity.

The slide decks archived here are shared with the permission of the author(s). We have only posted those we received permission to share, so it is not a complete list as some authors opted not to share their slides.

We are grateful to everyone who presented and shared their knowledge at the symposium. We also offer our thanks to colleagues at the University of Calgary Library and Cultural Resources who took the time to post these materials in our institutional digital repository.

Program and Abstracts

Canadian Symposium on Academic Integrity: Program and Abstracts. (2019). In S. E. Eaton, J. Lock, & M. Schroeder (Eds.). Calgary, Canada: University of Calgary. Retrieved from http://hdl.handle.net/1880/110293

Pre-conference session

Bretag, T. (2019). Academic integrity and embracing diversity. Pre-conference keynote presented at the Canadian Symposium on Academic Integrity, Calgary, Canada. Retrieved from http://hdl.handle.net/1880/110278

Keynote presentations

Bretag, T. (2019). Contract cheating research: Implications for Canadian universities. Keynote address presented at the Canadian Symposium on Academic Integrity, Calgary, Canada. Retrieved from http://hdl.handle.net/1880/110279

Bretag, T. (2019). Academic integrity: A global community of scholars. Keynote address presented at the Canadian Symposium on Academic Integrity, Calgary, Canada. Retrieved from http://hdl.handle.net/1880/110280

Feature presentation

Lancaster, T. (2019). Social Media Enabled Contract Cheating. Feature session presented at the Canadian Symposium on Academic Integrity, Calgary, Canada. https://www.slideshare.net/ThomasLancaster/social-media-enabled-contract-cheating-canadian-symposium-on-academic-integrity-calgary-18-april-2019

Peer-reviewed presentations

Blackburn, J. (2019). A question of trust? Educator’s views of contract cheating. Paper presented at the Canadian Symposium on Academic Integrity, Calgary, Canada. Retrieved from https://www.slideshare.net/JamesBlackburn7/a-question-of-trust-educators-views-of-contract-cheating

Crossman, K., Paul, R., Behjat, L., Trifkovic, M., Fear, E., Eaton, S. E., & Yates, R. (2019). Engineering integrity: Using text-matching software in a graduate-level engineering course. Paper presented at the Canadian Symposium on Academic Integrity, Calgary, Canada. http://hdl.handle.net/1880/110670

Dressler, R. & Eaton, S.E. (2019). Multilingual essay mills: And other forms of contract cheating in languages other than English. Paper presented at the Canadian Symposium on Academic Integrity, Calgary, Canada. Retrieved from http://hdl.handle.net/1880/110327

McKenzie, A. (2019). Enhancing academic integrity through quality assurance. Paper presented at the Canadian Symposium on Academic Integrity, Calgary, Canada. Retrieved from http://hdl.handle.net/1880/110296

Openo, J. (2019). The international dimension of academic integrity: An integrative literature review. Paper presented at the Canadian Symposium on Academic Integrity, Calgary, Canada. Retrieved from http://hdl.handle.net/1880/110295

Workshops

Ridgley, A., Miron, J. B., & McKenzie, A. (2019). Building a regional academic integrity network: Profiling the growth and action of the Academic Integrity Council of Ontario. Paper presented at the Canadian Symposium on Academic Integrity, Calgary, Canada. Retrieved from http://hdl.handle.net/1880/110308

Singleton, P., & Ricksen, M. (2019). Your guide to recognizing various forms of plagiarism and gaining insights from technology. Workshop presented at the Canadian Symposium on Academic Integrity, Calgary, Canada. Retrieved from http://hdl.handle.net/1880/110294

Related posts:

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Posted by Sarah Elaine Eaton, Ph.D.

Learning, Teaching and Leadership

Multilingual essay mills – New article