title: Contract cheating and academic integrity in higher education: What can universities, governments and quality assurance agencies do to understand, prevent and respond to the challenge?

authors: Williamson, Myra Elsie Jane Bell

subjects: contract cheating

abstract: There is a global challenge to higher education posed by “contract cheating”. “Contract cheating” occurs when a student contracts a third party to create an assignment for them, and then the student submits it as their own work. Usually money changes hands, but not always. This particularly insidious form of cheating has been exacerbated by the commodification of higher education and the increasingly popular “sharing economy”. Contract cheating not only threatens the academic integrity of the individual student’s grades and their degree, it also raises suspicion about all the degrees awarded by an institution. Globally, universities have been struggling to combat contract cheating. This paper defines and describes the problem and then summarizes the findings of recent research and offers a comprehensive set of solutions. New Zealand was one of the first countries to criminalize contract cheating. A legal approach is a solution which every country needs to consider because it directly targets the commercial entities creating the product. A pedagogical approach requires universities to be proactive and there are many things which universities can do to manage the problem. A quality assurance approach can involve national quality assurance agencies working with government departments and tertiary education providers to conduct research and provide guidance to all universities. All three approaches are discussed here. This paper draws on recent research produced by accreditation agencies, individual researchers, and university organizations. It refers to contract cheating research in selected countries-especially New Zealand, Australia and the UK-to counteract contract cheating. The solutions proposed here will be of interest to all universities, quality assurance agencies and governments because contract cheating is a global problem which challenges the academic integrity of every higher education institution.

text: Contract cheating and academic integrity in higher education: What can universities, governments and quality assurance agencies do to understand, prevent and respond to the challenge? There is a global challenge to higher education posed by “contract cheating”. “Contract cheating” occurs when a student contracts a third party to create an assignment for them, and then the student submits it as their own work. Usually money changes hands, but not always. This particularly insidious form of cheating has been exacerbated by the commodification of higher education and the increasingly popular “sharing economy”. Contract cheating not only threatens the academic integrity of the individual student’s grades and their degree, it also raises suspicion about all the degrees awarded by an institution. Globally, universities have been struggling to combat contract cheating. This paper defines and describes the problem and then summarizes the findings of recent research and offers a comprehensive set of solutions. New Zealand was one of the first countries to criminalize contract cheating. A legal approach is a solution which every country needs to consider because it directly targets the commercial entities creating the product. A pedagogical approach requires universities to be proactive and there are many things which universities can do to manage the problem. A quality assurance approach can involve national quality assurance agencies working with government departments and tertiary education providers to conduct research and provide guidance to all universities. All three approaches are discussed here. This paper draws on recent research produced by accreditation agencies, individual researchers, and university organizations. It refers to contract cheating research in selected countries-especially New Zealand, Australia and the UK-to counteract contract cheating. The solutions proposed here will be of interest to all universities, quality assurance agencies and governments because contract cheating is a global problem which challenges the academic integrity of every higher education institution.

year: 2019

title: Future research

authors: Holm, Nils G.

subjects: natural system

abstract: What field studies need to be carried out in order to test the hydrotherrnal model for the origin of life? This question was already raised in 1989 by the workshop in Prague on 'Chemical Evolution and Neo-Abiogenesis in Marine Hydrothermal Systems' (Holm, 1990). The full range and diversity of hydrothermal environments can only be revealed if more exploration work is carried out on a world-wide basis. Much progress has been made in understanding the controls on the hydrothermal fluids of individual areas, but extension to a global context remains difficult (cf. Von Datum, 1990). In Chapter 2 off-axis hydrothermal systems are discussed, pointing out that only minor surveys have been directed towards this type of hydrothermal activity, even though the amount of water which circulates through off-axis systems is estimated to exceed that of on-axis systems by a factor of between 20 and 25.

text: Future research What field studies need to be carried out in order to test the hydrotherrnal model for the origin of life? This question was already raised in 1989 by the workshop in Prague on 'Chemical Evolution and Neo-Abiogenesis in Marine Hydrothermal Systems' (Holm, 1990). The full range and diversity of hydrothermal environments can only be revealed if more exploration work is carried out on a world-wide basis. Much progress has been made in understanding the controls on the hydrothermal fluids of individual areas, but extension to a global context remains difficult (cf. Von Datum, 1990). In Chapter 2 off-axis hydrothermal systems are discussed, pointing out that only minor surveys have been directed towards this type of hydrothermal activity, even though the amount of water which circulates through off-axis systems is estimated to exceed that of on-axis systems by a factor of between 20 and 25.

year: 1992

title: Activating whanau (extended family) processes within a community and school literacy partnership

authors: Glynn, Ted

subjects: Maori Education

abstract: "The paper describes the positive outcomes of a home and school literacy partnership in one mainstream primary school where the principal and the large majority of students, teachers, and whānau belong to one Māori hapū (sub-tribe), Ngāti Whakaue. Participating students were identified by teachers as experiencing difficulties with reading and writing. They were assigned randomly to one of two conditions: (1) participating in their school’s regular reading programme (school group) or (2) participating also in the home tutored reading and writing programme (home and school group).

Students in the home and school group improved their reading and writing outcomes over and above the outcomes achieved by students participating only in the regular school programme. There were two key reasons for the success of this partnership. The first was parents and whānau members successful implementation of both a Māori language reading tutoring programme, Tatari, Tautoko Tauawhi, and the two components of the writing programme, Tuhi Atu Tui Mai and Whakaputa Whakaaro. The second was the professional educational and cultural expertise of the home and school liaison worker, Hiro. Because of her language and cultural expertise and her mana (acknowledged authority and standing), Hiro was able to engage Māori parents and whānau actively in the home and school project. The co-constructed narrative between Hiro and Mere (the second author) provided a salient context for understanding the power of culturally preferred pedagogy in establishing effective home and school partnerships."

text: Activating whanau (extended family) processes within a community and school literacy partnership "The paper describes the positive outcomes of a home and school literacy partnership in one mainstream primary school where the principal and the large majority of students, teachers, and whānau belong to one Māori hapū (sub-tribe), Ngāti Whakaue. Participating students were identified by teachers as experiencing difficulties with reading and writing. They were assigned randomly to one of two conditions: (1) participating in their school’s regular reading programme (school group) or (2) participating also in the home tutored reading and writing programme (home and school group).

Students in the home and school group improved their reading and writing outcomes over and above the outcomes achieved by students participating only in the regular school programme. There were two key reasons for the success of this partnership. The first was parents and whānau members successful implementation of both a Māori language reading tutoring programme, Tatari, Tautoko Tauawhi, and the two components of the writing programme, Tuhi Atu Tui Mai and Whakaputa Whakaaro. The second was the professional educational and cultural expertise of the home and school liaison worker, Hiro. Because of her language and cultural expertise and her mana (acknowledged authority and standing), Hiro was able to engage Māori parents and whānau actively in the home and school project. The co-constructed narrative between Hiro and Mere (the second author) provided a salient context for understanding the power of culturally preferred pedagogy in establishing effective home and school partnerships."

year: 2004