Rethinking Assessment By Examination In The Age Of Contract Cheating - Plagiarism Across Europe And Beyond Conference - Brno, Czech Republic - 26 May 2017

Rethinking Assessment By Examination
In The Age Of Contract Cheating #contractcheating1
Rethinking
Assessment By
Examination In
The Age Of
Contract Cheating
Plagiarism Across Europe And Beyond
Conference
Friday 26 May 2017Robert Clarke
Dr. Thomas Lancaster

Introduction

Opening Question
Are we paying enough
attention to the integrity
of examinations?

The Headlines
These are just a few headlines relating to
examination cheating from May 2017

The Search Engine Context

The Guardian
Sarah Marsh
The Guardian
10 April 2017
https://www.theguardian.com/education/2017/apr/10/more-university-students-are-using-tech-to-in-exams
Notes from underlying data
Several UK universities had examples students being
caught with smart watches, earpieces and mobile
phones during examinations
Some examples were given where students found with
a mobile phone in their possession, but not clear if
this was an attempt to cheat
Many universities chose not to record the information
(no baseline regarding academic integrity)

Hidden Technology
“I was aware of a case of a student using a
hidden earpiece and the only way [they were]
found was when other students reported it. The
student had long hair and there was no way we
would have known”
Dr. Irene Glendinning
(speaking to The Guardian)

Questions To Be Addressed
Are examinations susceptible to contract cheating?
Can examinations be considered within the wider remit of the
contract cheating research field?
How has the use of technology changed how we need to approach
assessment and examinations?

Many Opportunities For Your Involvement
Twitter Please tweet thoughts, observations, comments,
quotes, photos, discussion topics
#contractcheating
#plagiarism2017
@DrLancaster
Live Please join in the discussion, ask questions and
contribute stories

Presenter Background

About Us
Dr. Thomas Lancaster
Plagiarism and academic integrity
researcher since 2000
Associate Dean at Staffordshire
University, United Kingdom
Robert Clarke
Contract cheating detective
Has identified more than 30,000
attempts worldwide by students trying
to outsource their work
Twitter:
@DrLancaster
Email:
thomas@thomaslancaster.co.uk
Web site and blog:
http://thomaslancaster.co.uk
Email:
robert.clarke@bcu.ac.uk
LinkedIn:
https://www.linkedin.com/in/robert-
clarke-96712a16

Slides are archived at http://www.slideshare.net/ThomasLancaster
Much of my current contract cheating work ends up being released in non-academic formats
(presentations, slides, videos, blog posts, media collaborations etc.)

Most of the written paper accompanying this presentation is based on material from these two talks
(each of which also have accompanying YouTube videos)

Contract Cheating

Contract Cheating Meaning
The act of a student attempting to replace themselves
for some or all of the process of obtaining academic credit
They may hence be obtaining an award that is not merited
A rough “good enough” definition

A friend logs onto
the online account of
a student and
completes a test for
them
A student pays an online service to prepare model answers
for them to learn in advance of an examination
A student hires an
external company to
provide answers
through a hidden
earpiece during an
examination
Contract Cheating Defined In An
Examination Context
These are few
indicative examples –
there are many more
scenarios

The Use Of Agency Websites

Posting On An Agency Website

Offering To Complete The Test

Pass The Test

Presentation = Exam ?

Is This Cheating?

Exam For Employability
As I’ve explored in my presentations on
academic ghost writers – getting a job with an
essay mill can be a highly sought after position

Cheating – In A Fashion…

Some Types Of “Exam Help” Requests
Seen Online
Go through previous exam papers and
provide model answers
Create exam management/exam
seating/exam paper generation system
Be on Skype/WhatsApp at the time of
an examination to provide help
Rework a failed examination as if it
were a piece of coursework
Write a set of examination questions
to be used in class
Complete a take-home examination for
a student

The Student Cheating
Industry

South East European Project on Policies for
Academic Integrity (SEEPPAI)
Final Report for SEEPPAI
http://www.plagiarism.cz/seeppai
Widespread issues found surrounding academic
integrity of examinations, particularly relating to the
hire of mini earpieces

The Technology Of Student Cheating
These are just some of the devices implicated in contract
cheating – allowing students to communicate with hired
help outside an examination room

Need to be alert about the other paid services that
are now available to help students with
examinations… and the wider ways in which they
may seek to gain an unfair advantage

Czech News – Lost In Translation?
Is this cheating?
(the original quote did not say it was)http://www.denik.cz/ze_sveta/v-britanii-jedou-chytre-drogy-univerzity-zvazuji-dopingove-testy-20170515.html

Closing Question
If examinations aren’t a
solution to contract cheating,
what is?

More Information

Contract Cheating Research Papers
(a partial selection)
Lancaster, T. and Clarke, R. (2016). Contract Cheating – The Outsourcing Of Assessed Student Work, in Handbook of Academic Integrity, Bretag, T. (editor): SpringerReference.
Hersey, C. and Lancaster, T. (2015). The Online Industry of Paper Mills, Contract Cheating Services, and Auction Sites, Clute Institute International Education Conference, London, UK, June
2015.
Lancaster, T. and Clarke, R. (2014). An Observational Analysis Of The Range And Extent Of Contract Cheating From Online Courses Found On Agency Websites; 8th International Conference
on Complex, Intelligent and Software Intensive Systems (CISIS 2014), Birmingham, UK, July 2014.
Lancaster, T. and Clarke, R. (2014). An Initial Analysis Of The Contextual Information Available Within Auction Posts On Contract Cheating Agency Websites, 28th IEEE International
Conference on Advanced Information Networking and Applications, Victoria, Canada, May 2014.
Lancaster, T. and Clarke, R. (2014). Using Turnitin As A Tool For Attribution In Cases Of Contract Cheating; 3rd Annual Higher Education Academy Conference in Science, Technology,
Engineering and Mathematics, Edinburgh, UK, April 2014.
Clarke, R. and Lancaster, T. (2013). Commercial Aspects Of Contract Cheating; 8th Annual Conference on Innovation and Technology in Computer Science Education, University of Kent,
Canterbury, UK, July 2013.
Lancaster, T and Clarke, R (2012). Dealing With Contract Cheating: A Question Of Attribution; 1st Annual Higher Education Academy Conference in Science, Technology, Engineering and
Mathematics, Imperial College, London, UK, April 2012.
Clarke, R, and Lancaster, T (2007). Establishing a Systematic Six-Stage Process for Detecting Contract Cheating; The Second International Conference on Pervasive Computing and
Applications, Birmingham, UK, July 2007.
Lancaster, T and Clarke, R (2007). Assessing Contract Cheating Through Auction Sites – A Computing Perspective; 8th Annual Higher Education Academy Conference in Information and
Computer Sciences, Southampton, UK, August 2007.
Lancaster, T and Clarke, R (2007). The Phenomena of Contract Cheating, in Student Plagiarism in an Online World: Problems and Solutions, Roberts, T. S. (editor), Idea Group Inc.
Clarke, R and Lancaster, T (2006). Eliminating The Successor To Plagiarism? Identifying The Usage Of Contract Cheating Sites; 2nd Plagiarism: Prevention, Practice and Policy Conference,
Newcastle, UK, June 2006.

Connect With Dr. Thomas
Lancaster
(Media Enquiries, Speaking/Training Engagements,
PhD Supervision, Research Collaborations)
Contact Details
Email (personal): thomas@thomaslancaster.co.uk
Email (work): thomas.lancaster@staffs.ac.uk
Website: http://thomaslancaster.co.uk
Blog: http://thomaslancaster.co.uk/blog
LinkedIn: https://uk.linkedin.com/in/thomaslancaster
Twitter: @DrLancaster
General Resources:
http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Contract_cheating
http://contractcheating.com
Contract Cheating Special Interest Group
(originally supported by the Higher Education Academy):
https://www.jiscmail.ac.uk/cgi-
bin/webadmin?A0=CONTRACTCHEATING
Slides available at http://www.slideshare.net/ThomasLancaster

Rethinking Assessment By Examination In The Age Of Contract Cheating - Plagiarism Across Europe And Beyond Conference - Brno, Czech Republic - 26 May 2017

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Rethinking Assessment By Examination In The Age Of Contract Cheating - Plagiarism Across Europe And Beyond Conference - Brno, Czech Republic - 26 May 2017