Commercial contract cheating in higher education is increasing, impacting academic integrity.

Why It Matters

This trend highlights a critical failure in the design of educational systems and assessment methods. It suggests that current approaches are not adequately deterring or detecting this form of academic dishonesty, necessitating a re-evaluation of how learning is assessed and validated.

Key Finding

While historically low, self-reported contract cheating has significantly increased in recent years, with a substantial portion of students admitting to it, though methodological flaws in many studies suggest the true prevalence may be even higher.

Key Findings

• The historical average self-report rate for contract cheating is 3.52%.
• There is evidence suggesting an increase in contract cheating in recent years, with samples from 2014 onwards showing a rate of 15.7%.
• Many studies likely under-report contract cheating due to methodological limitations such as convenience sampling, low response rates, and lack of anonymity guarantees.

Research Evidence

Aim: To synthesize existing research on the prevalence and trends of commercial contract cheating in higher education and to evaluate the quality of evidence supporting these findings.

Method: Systematic Review

Procedure: A systematic review was conducted to synthesize findings from prior research on self-reported contract cheating in higher education. The review analyzed 71 samples from 65 studies published from 1978 onwards, focusing on prevalence rates and evidence of increase over time, while also assessing the quality of the research methodologies employed.

Sample Size: 54,514 participants

Context: Higher Education

Design Principle

Design for integrity: Systems and products should be designed with inherent mechanisms to prevent misuse and ensure authenticity.

How to Apply

When designing educational assessments or academic integrity policies, consider how they might be circumvented and build in safeguards or alternative verification methods.

Limitations

The reliance on self-reported data means actual prevalence may be higher due to under-reporting. Methodological weaknesses in many included studies limit the certainty of the findings.

Student Guide (IB Design Technology)

Simple Explanation: More students are admitting to paying others to do their schoolwork, and this is happening more often now than before. This is a problem because it means people might not be learning what they're supposed to.

Why This Matters: Understanding trends in academic dishonesty is crucial for designing fair and effective educational experiences and assessments.

Critical Thinking: How might the increasing reliance on digital platforms for education exacerbate or mitigate the problem of contract cheating?

IA-Ready Paragraph: The increasing prevalence of commercial contract cheating in higher education, as evidenced by systematic reviews, presents a significant challenge to the integrity of academic qualifications. This trend necessitates a critical re-evaluation of current educational design and assessment strategies to ensure authentic learning and fair evaluation.

Project Tips

• When researching a problem, look for patterns over time to see if it's getting worse or better.
• Consider how the way you collect information might affect the results you get.

How to Use in IA

• Use this research to justify the importance of investigating academic integrity in your design project, especially if your design aims to improve learning or assessment.

Examiner Tips

• Demonstrate an understanding of how systemic issues like academic dishonesty can impact the effectiveness and credibility of educational designs.

Independent Variable: Time (year of study publication)

Dependent Variable: Percentage of students self-reporting contract cheating

Controlled Variables: Study methodology (sampling, anonymity, response rate)

Strengths

• Large sample size across multiple studies.
• Systematic approach to synthesizing existing research.

Critical Questions

• What are the ethical implications of contract cheating for both the student and the educational institution?
• How can design interventions be developed to promote academic integrity rather than just detect cheating?

Extended Essay Application

• An Extended Essay could explore the design of new assessment methods that are inherently resistant to contract cheating, or investigate the psychological factors that drive students to engage in this practice.

Source

How Common Is Commercial Contract Cheating in Higher Education and Is It Increasing? A Systematic Review · Frontiers in Education · 2018 · 10.3389/feduc.2018.00067