This session outlines key drivers for the increasingly number of students using contract cheating to submit other work as their own. It discusses various ways to prevent (innovative ways of assessment), detect (building evidence) and manage (conducting the viva voce) contract cheating.

Learning outcomes:

At the end of the session, participants will be able to:

• give an overview of the issues around contract cheating
• gain insights about the contract cheating services marketing campaign
• consider different methods that can prevent contract cheating
• consider how contract cheating can be detected.

Outline:

The Times found 50,000 instances of cheating across a 3-year period (via FOI request), which amounts to 0.7% of students of the student population.

Contract cheating may be one of the oldest forms of academic misconduct, however it is not clearly understood. Student motivation to pursue this form of academic misconduct is multifaceted. Promotion and marketing of this type of services has become more aggressive. Emerging technological developments has inadvertently contributed to the increase in the number of opportunities for students to find out and employ this services.

The workshop covers the following:

• Gain insights of the key drivers and concerns
• Explore ways of preventing contract cheating
• Identify multiple detection methods
• Find out recommended protocols for conducting vivas