This introduction to contract cheating considers why this remains a challenge in 2022. It looks at opportunities to develop educational processes to reduce the risks posed by contract cheating and to encourage students to engage with learning opportunities.

1. Contract Cheating – Solutions for
Prevention and Identification
#academicintegrity #contractcheating #AIBU22
7 December 2022
Dr Thomas Lancaster, Imperial College London, UK

2. Dr Thomas
Lancaster
Teacher of Computer Science
Academic Integrity Enthusiast
http://www.thomaslancaster.co.uk
@DrLancaster
Artistic impression by a computer
Technology Advocate
Coined the term Contract Cheating
(with Robert Clarke)

3. Areas To Consider
What is contract cheating?
What can we do about contract cheating?
How do students end up as customers for contract cheating providers?
Where are students buying from and what are they buying?
Your input is strongly encouraged

4. Contract Cheating
A student pays (or uses) a
third party to complete
academic work they should
be doing for themselves

5. Contract Cheating (Related Issues)
ghostwriting
outsourcing
family support
paid support
proofreading
copy editing
automated text

6. Contract
cheating is
not secret

7. Contract
cheating is
big business

8. Newspaper
advert (1972)

9. From my original presentation on
contract cheating (2006)

10. 10
London
Underground
(2016)

11. Physical
marketing in
Toronto
(2018)

12. Online
discounts
(2020)

13. Small
ads
(2022)

14. Social
media
(2022)

15. Buyer
Request
(2022)

16. London
(2022)
With thanks to Irene Glendinning

17. What does work produced by
contract cheating firms look like?

18. Example Courtesy of BBC South East Today

19. What can students outsource?
essays
reports
scripts
exam answers
presentation
slides
applications
dissertations statistical
analysis
…and much
more

20. Contract Cheating Spans
Disciplines
Ranking Discipline
1 Business
2 Computing
3
Health/Medicine/
Nursing/Psychology
4 History/Philosophy
5 Law

21. The Writers
• Most writers are from Kenya, Pakistan and Nigeria
• Common price point at a low cost site $11.46 for
2,000 words (2020 publication)

22. The “Shadow Scholars” in
Kenya

24. How can we
address contract
cheating?

25. Education: Information and
support for students
Education: Training and
information for staff
Reducing opportunities to cheat
Detection
Regulations and policies

26. But, there is no single solution
Every discipline is different…
Every institution is different…

27. How do you discuss
contract cheating and
related ethical issues
with students in your
discipline?

28. Consider Assessment Design
Assessment
to promote
learning
Assessment
to ensure
integrity
No single assessment is impossible to cheat on
Balanced, varied and engaging assessment holds the key

29. Some Practical Ideas
Oral presentations and vivas
Practical authentic assessments
Group and peer assessments
Narrated video assessments
Personalised and contextually specific assessments
Placements
Unseen exams (where appropriate and as part of a
balanced assessment diet)
Exams linked to coursework

30. https://bit.ly/cheatingchecklist
Look For Indicators…

31. Areas To Check
Perfect layout and formatting
Superficial content
Modified references
Unusual information in document properties
Knowledge that local students would not have
Fabricated data
Information taken only from abstracts

32. Engage With Students In The Classroom
Get students to examine a sample essay and assess its quality
Ask students to review a contract cheating service website and see if
the claims made hold up
Ask students to engage in a discussion about integrity
Get students to reflect on professional and ethical values in their
discipline and how these are put in danger by contract cheating

33. Support Students To Act As Our Partners And
Advocates

34. Contract Cheating Matters!

35. It is unfair on the
student
It is unfair on
other students
It is dangerous
for society

36. The Industry Can Be Deceptive

38. Students
are at risk

39. Please help to
communicate and
share the message

40. Please help us to ensure that
students feel rewarded for acting
with integrity

41. Connect with me for training, speaking and
booking enquiries
Email: thomas@thomaslancaster.co.uk
Website: http://thomaslancaster.co.uk
Blog: http://thomaslancaster.co.uk/blog
LinkedIn: https://uk.linkedin.com/in/thomaslancaster
Twitter: @DrLancaster
Artistic impression by a computer