Now Published: Contract Cheating in Higher Education

August 11, 2022
Eaton, Curtis, Clare, Stoesz, Seeland & Rundle cover

Now published: Contract Cheating in Higher Education: Global Perspectives on Theory, Practice, and Policy (Eaton, Curtis, Stoesz, Clare, Rundle, & Seeland, 2022). This volume, published by Palgrave MacMillan, includes twenty chapters from contributors across Australia, North America, and Europe:

  1. Introduction: Contract cheating and introduction to the problem. – Curtis, G. J., Clare, J., Rundle, K., Eaton, S. E., Stoesz, B. M., & Seeland, J.
  2. What can we learn from measuring crime when looking to quantify the prevalence and incidence of contract cheating? – Clare, J., & Rundle, K.
  3. Limitations of contract cheating research. –  Krásničan, V., Foltýnek, T., & Dlabolová, D. H.
  4. Essay mills and contract cheating from a legal point of view. – Draper, M.
  5. Leveraging college copyright ownership against file-sharing and contract cheating websites. – Seeland, J., Eaton, S. E., & Stoesz, B. M.
  6. The encouragement of file sharing behaviours through technology and social media: Impacts on student cheating behaviours and academic piracy. – Rogerson, A. M.
  7. Higher education assessment design. – Sutherland-Smith, W., & Dawson, P.
  8. Critical thinking as an antidote to contract cheating. – Stoesz, B. M., Eaton, S. E., & Seeland, J.
  9. Contract cheating and the Dark Triad traits. – Baran, L., & Jonason, P. K.
  10. Contract cheating: The influence of attitudes and emotions. – Curtis, G. J., & Tindall, I. K.
  11. Applying situational crime prevention techniques to contract cheating. – Clare, J.
  12. Presentation, Properties and Provenance: the three Ps of identifying evidence of contract-cheating in student assignments. – Crockett, R.
  13. “(Im)possible to prove”: Formalising academic judgement evidence in contract cheating cases using bibliographic forensics. – Ellis, C., Rogerson, A. M., House, D., & Murdoch, K.
  14. Aligning academic quality and standards with academic integrity – Glendinning, I.
  15. Addressing contract cheating through staff-student partnerships. – Lancaster, T.
  16. The extortionate cost of contract cheating. – Veeran-Colton, T., Sefcik, L., & Yorke, J.
  17. The rise of contract cheating in graduate education. –  Parnther, C.
  18. Listening to ghosts: A qualitative study of narratives from contract cheating writers from the 1930s onwards. – Eaton, S. E., Stoesz, B. M., & Seeland, J.
  19. Assessment brokering and collaboration: Ghostwriter and student academic literacies. – Thacker, E. J.
  20. Conclusion – Eaton, S. E., Stoesz, B. M., Seeland, J. Curtis, G. J., Clare, J., & Rundle, K. 

Updates:

October 4, 2022 – The final proofs have been submitted to the publisher. The book now moves into production and should be available very soon!

October 28, 2022 – The book has now been published!

_______________________________

Share or Tweet this: New Book Coming Soon: Contract Cheating in Higher Education – https://drsaraheaton.wordpress.com/2022/08/11/new-book-coming-soon-contract-cheating-in-higher-education/

This blog has had over 3 million views thanks to readers like you. If you enjoyed this post, please “like” it or share it on social media. Thanks!

Sarah Elaine Eaton, PhD, is a faculty member in the Werklund School of Education, and the Educational Leader in Residence, Academic Integrity, University of Calgary, Canada. Opinions are my own and do not represent those of the University of Calgary.


Student Academic Integrity: A Handbook for Academic Staff and Teaching Assistants

June 6, 2022

In a few weeks, my secondment to the Taylor Institute of Teaching  and Learning as the Educational Leader in Residence, Academic Integrity, will draw to a close. One of the last projects to wrap up was the faculty handbook on academic integrity and I’m pleased to share it with you as an open access,
downloadable .pdf: Student Academic Integrity: A Handbook for Academic Staff and Teaching Assistants

Excerpt from the Introduction

Front cover: Student Academic Integrity Faculty Handbook

Front cover of the Student Academic Integrity Faculty Handbook, published by the Taylor Institute for Teaching and Learning at the University of Calgary

This guide is intended for academic staff at the University of Calgary, though it may also be useful to others on campus including graduate and undergraduate teaching assistants (TAs) and students.

The guide begins with background sections that provide an overview of what academic integrity is, roles and responsibilities related to academic integrity, and how to speak the language of integrity. From there, content is organized into broad chronological categories that guide you through academic integrity before the semester starts (when you are planning your courses) and during the semester (when breaches of integrity are most likely to occur), concluding with a look at the end of the semester and beyond. These are not absolute chronological categories and there can be overlap. Breaches of academic integrity (i.e., academic misconduct) can happen at any time, and these breaches can be complex. This guide is not meant to address all possible situations or outcomes, but instead to provide practical support to help you understand what you can do to promote academic integrity and what to do when a case of academic misconduct arises.

A key message woven throughout this guide is that you are not alone when it comes to promoting integrity or addressing academic misconduct. Cases of misconduct are not handled by individual academic staff members or teaching assistants at the University of Calgary. Instead, cases are
investigated and managed by designated individuals within each faculty, usually an associate dean. There are units across campus that can help you promote academic integrity, and that manage alleged or actual breaches of integrity in your classes.

Acknowledgements

I acknowledge folks by name who provided an editorial review of the content at different stages of development. Additionally, I would like to thank Brandi Dickman and Alix Redmond at the Taylor Institute who provided additional leadership and support during the production process, including copy editing,
final layout, and design.

Download a full copy of the guide here.

_______________________________

Share or Tweet this: Student Academic Integrity: A Handbook for Academic Staff and Teaching Assistants https://wp.me/pNAh3-2Pq

This blog has had over 3 million views thanks to readers like you. If you enjoyed this post, please “like” it or share it on social media. Thanks!

Sarah Elaine Eaton, PhD, is a faculty member in the Werklund School of Education, and the Educational Leader in Residence, Academic Integrity, University of Calgary, Canada. Opinions are my own and do not represent those of the University of Calgary.


Academic Integrity & Contract Cheating: Atlantic Canada Higher Education Forum

May 10, 2022

Our colleagues in Atlantic Canada have organized their first-ever event on academic integrity and contract cheating. If you can attend, please support them by registering and joining in. I have attached a poster you are welcome to circulate within your own networks. I have also included some of the content from the poster in this e-mail for convenience. I do not know the deadline to register, but I would encourage you to register as soon as possible so the organizers can plan accordingly. Please share this information with your networks.

Academic Integrity & Contract Cheating: Atlantic Canada Higher Education Forum

Wednesday, May 25, 2022

1:00 pm – 3:00 pm Atlantic Standard Time

Saint Mary’s University is hosting a virtual forum on academic integrity and contract cheating in the Atlantic Canadian region.

The forum will be led by members of academic staff with practical experience in the academic integrity process at their institutions. In addition to sharing knowledge and best practices, the conversation will address challenges and lessons learned from the pandemic and increased remote delivery of curriculum. The aim of the event is to begin to develop a shared framework of practice when it comes to increased student reliance on large-scale companies promoting and selling so-called ‘academic services’ to students.

To register for this event, please send an email to:

Marie Harding

marie.harding (at) smu.ca

An access link for the event will be sent to registered participants. 

For information about this event, please contact:

Dr. Tatjana Takševa 

Professor and Chairperson of the Saint Mary’s University Academic Senate

Tatjana.Taksev (at) smu.ca

_________________________________

Share or Tweet this: Academic Integrity & Contract Cheating: Atlantic Canada Higher Education Forum – https://drsaraheaton.wordpress.com/2022/05/10/academic-integrity-contract-cheating-atlantic-canada-higher-education-forum/

This blog has had over 3 million views thanks to readers like you. If you enjoyed this post, please “like” it or share it on social media. Thanks!

Sarah Elaine Eaton, PhD, is a faculty member in the Werklund School of Education, and the Educational Leader in Residence, Academic Integrity, University of Calgary, Canada. Opinions are my own and do not represent those of the University of Calgary.


New Book: Academic Integrity in Canada

March 22, 2022

Cover - Academic Integrity in CanadaI’m pleased to share that Academic Integrity in Canada: An Enduring and Essential Challenge (Eaton & Christensen Hughes, eds.) has been published. This edited volume spans almost 600 pages, including 31 chapters contributed by 40+ authors.

Don’t be misled by the title. Although all the contributors are from Canada, we purposely kept a global audience in mind when crafting the chapters. We wanted this book to be relevant and useful for readers well beyond our own borders.

Tis book is Open Access and freely available to download. Here is the link:  https://link.springer.com/book/10.1007/978-3-030-83255-1

Table of Contents (Overview)

Ch. 01: Academic Integrity in Canada: Historical Perspectives and Current Trends (Sarah Elaine Eaton & Julia Christensen Hughes)

Ch. 02: Academic Integrity Across Time and Place: Higher Education’s Questionable Moral Calling (Julia Christensen Hughes)

Ch. 03: Student Integrity Violations in the Academy: More Than a Decade of Growing Complexity and Concern (Julia Christensen Hughes & Sarah Elaine Eaton)

Ch. 04: Academic Misconduct in Higher Education: Beyond Student Cheating (Julia Christensen Hughes & Sarah Elaine Eaton)

Ch. 05: Re-Defining Academic Integrity: Embracing Indigenous Truths (Yvonne Poitras Pratt & Keeta Gladue)

Ch. 06: Accountability, Relationality and Indigenous Epistemology: Advancing an Indigenous Perspective on Academic Integrity (Gabrielle Lindstrom)

Ch. 07: Understanding Provincial and Territorial Academic Integrity Policies for Elementary and Secondary Education in Canada (Brenda M. Stoesz)

Ch. 08: Contract Cheating in Canada: A Comprehensive Overview (Sarah Elaine Eaton)

Ch. 09: Ethics,  EdTech, and the Rise of Contract Cheating (Brenna Clarke Gray)

Ch. 10: Pay-To-Pass: Evolving Online Systems That Undermine the Integrity of Student Work (Nancy Chibry & Ebba Kurz)

Ch. 11: Education as a Financial Transaction: Contract Employment and Contract Cheating (Katherine (Katie) Crossman)

Ch. 12: Academic Integrity in Work-Integrated Learning (WIL) Settings (Jennifer B. Miron)

Ch. 13: Canadian Open Digital Distance Education Universities and Academic Integrity (Cheryl A. Kier & Jill Hunter)

Ch. 14: Visual Plagiarism: Seeing the Forest and the Trees (John Paul Foxe, Allyson Miller, Glen Farrelly, Vincent Hui, Dianne Nubla, & Colleen Schindler-Lynch)

Ch. 15: Managing Academic Integrity in Canadian Engineering Schools (David deMontigny)

Ch. 16: Teaching the Teachers: To What Extent Do Pre-service Teachers Cheat on Exams and Plagiarise in Their Written Work? (Martine Peters, Sylvie Fontaine, & Eric Frenette)

Ch. 17: The Distinctive Nature of Academic Integrity in Graduate Legal Education (Jonnette Watson Hamilton)

Ch. 18: Student Insight on Academic Integrity (Kelley A. Packalen & Kate Rowbotham)

Ch. 19: Helping Students Resolve the Ambiguous Expectations of Academic Integrity (Susan L. Bens)

Ch. 20: How to Talk About Academic Integrity so Students Will Listen: Addressing Ethical Decision-Making Using Scenarios (Lee-Ann Penaluna & Roxanne Ross)

Ch. 21: Revisioning Paraphrasing Instruction (Silvia Rossi)

Ch. 22: Supporting Academic Integrity in the Writing Centre: Perspectives of Student Consultants (Kim Garwood)

Ch. 23: Beyond the Traditional: Academic Integrity in Canadian Librarianship (Leeanne Morrow)

Ch. 24: The Barriers to Faculty Reporting Incidences of Academic Misconduct at Community Colleges (Melanie Hamilton & Karla Wolsky)

Ch. 25: Changing “Hearts” and Minds: Pedagogical and Institutional Practices to Foster Academic Integrity (Laurie McNeill)

Ch. 26: Promotion of Academic Integrity Through a Marketing Lens for Canadian Post-secondary Institutions (Nazanin Teymouri, Sheryl Boisvert, & Katrina John-West)

Ch. 27: Using Quality Assurance Frameworks to Support an Institutional Culture of Academic Integrity at Canadian Universities (Emma J. Thacker & Amanda McKenzie)

Ch. 28: Student Academic Misconduct Through a Canadian Legal Lens (Melissa Morrison & Philip Zachariah)

Ch. 29: Building a Culture of Restorative Practice and Restorative Responses to Academic Misconduct (Paul Sopcak & Kevin Hood)

Ch. 30: Academic Integrity Through a #SoTL Lens and 4M Framework: An Institutional Self-Study (Natasha Kenny & Sarah Elaine Eaton

Ch. 31: Conclusions and Future Directions for Academic Integrity in Canada (Sarah Elaine Eaton & Julia Christensen Hughes)

_________________________________

Share or Tweet this: New book: Academic Integrity in Canada – https://drsaraheaton.wordpress.com/2022/03/22/10808/

This blog has had over 3 million views thanks to readers like you. If you enjoyed this post, please “like” it or share it on social media. Thanks!

Sarah Elaine Eaton, PhD, is a faculty member in the Werklund School of Education, and the Educational Leader in Residence, Academic Integrity, University of Calgary, Canada. Opinions are my own and do not represent those of the University of Calgary.


Contract Cheating in Canada: Exploring Legislative Options

November 1, 2021

Contract cheating report coverLast week Alicia Adlington and I presented our work on possible legislative options to address contract cheating in Canada. We did our presentation via webinar with 70+ registrants and launched our report, which is publicly available online:

Adlington, A., & Eaton, S. E. (2021). Contract Cheating in Canada: Exploring Legislative Options. Calgary, Canada: University of Calgary. http://hdl.handle.net/1880/114088

Webinar description

An introductory discussion about the commercial contract cheating industry (e.g., term paper mills, homework completion services, and paid imposters who take exams on behalf of students). One question people often ask is, “Why aren’t these services illegal?” The short answer is: Academic cheating services are not currently illegal in Canada, but they are in other countries. In this session we’ll provide an overview of which countries have successfully enacted legislation against predatory industry that profits from academic misconduct. We will provide an overview of the legal structures in Canada that might facilitate or present barriers to such legislation being enacted in this country. We do not promise answers or solutions to the complex issue of contract cheating, but instead provide an evidence-base for deeper discussion.

The intended audience for this session is primarily for those in Canada interested in contract cheating from the Canadian legal context. Participants from other regions are also welcome.

By the end of this session engaged participants will be able to: 

  • Describe what contract cheating is
  • Understand how legislation against contract cheating has been enacted in other countries
  • Discover legal aspects of contract cheating in Canada and beyond

We are grateful to the Taylor Institute for Teaching and Learning at the University of Calgary for hosting the webinar and supporting this work.

You can check out the slides from our webinar here:

I’ll update this blog post with the link to the recording when it is available.

_________________________________________

Share or Tweet this: Contract Cheating in Canada: Exploring Legislative Options https://drsaraheaton.wordpress.com/2021/11/01/contract-cheating-in-canada-exploring-legislative-options/

This blog has had over 2 million views thanks to readers like you. If you enjoyed this post, please “like” it or share it on social media. Thanks!

Sarah Elaine Eaton, PhD, is a faculty member in the Werklund School of Education, and the Educational Leader in Residence, Academic Integrity, University of Calgary, Canada. Opinions are my own and do not represent those of the University of Calgary.