5th International Day of Action (IDoA) Against Contract Cheating
On October 21, 2020, Centennial College, along with other academic institutions around the world, marks the 5th International Day of Action (IDoA) Against Contract Cheating.
Contract cheating is a “form of academic dishonesty where students get academic work completed on their behalf, which they then submit for academic credit [and/or advantage] as if they had created it themselves” (source: ContractCheating.com)
Examples of contract cheating include:
• purchasing an assignment from an online site
• obtaining assistance from someone else that goes beyond editing, to writing of the assignment or solving of the problem
• participating in unauthorized discussion group or sharing answers to an assignment
• posting or purchasing answers to an exam, assignment, problem or any other assessed work
• paying someone to write a test or exam (Center for Academic Integrity, 2016)
Contract cheating can have a detrimental impact on everyone involved, including the student and their educational institution. When students submit work that is not their own:
• the credentials given by educational institutions are untrustworthy
• it allows students to purchase their way to a degree, thereby turning all of our educational institutions into diploma mills
• it devalues the education of other students who played by the rules
• it creates and contributes to a culture of fraud and commercialization of education (Center for Academic Integrity, 2016).
• there is a risk to public safety, as contract cheating results in graduates with incomplete knowledge and skills (Center for Academic Integrity, n.d.)
In honour of this IDoA, there will be a Program of Activities for students, staff and faculty to learn more about contract cheating and how we can foster a culture of academic integrity at Centennial College:
IDoA Against Contract Cheating Student Quiz – with prizes!
IDoA Against Contract Cheating Virtual Display
IDoA Against Contract Cheating Padlet. Share your perspective!
For more information on contract cheating and academic integrity at Centennial College, please visit the following resources:
Death by Cheating! Library Guide
Academic Integrity Library Guide
Contract Cheating (Centennial Libraries) Video
Academic Integrity Video with Interactive Quiz
Academic Integrity with Super-Duper Difficult Interactive Quiz