We examined 45 academic integrity policy documents from 24 publicly-funded universities in Canada's four western provinces using a qualitative research design. We extracted data related to 5 core elements of exemplary academic integrity policy (i.e., access, detail, responsibility, approach, support). Most documents pointed to punitive approaches…

This article presents results from a self-report survey of misconduct behaviours and the stress students (n = 916) experienced at one Canadian community college. Results showed that students engaged in a variety of contract cheating behaviours, and experienced a myriad of stressors both in and outside the college context, including traumatic life…

With the global pandemic educators have had to move their courses to virtual spaces, and this quick change has brought up concerns, especially in STEM education where there are ongoing discussions of adapting laboratories and shifting lecture and assessment practices to online learning. One issue that has become more pressing, beyond the financial…

In our descriptive exploratory qualitative study, we investigated the issue of contract cheating in Iranian higher education contexts. Through our analysis, we provide insights into measures taken in Iran to prevent contract cheating and mitigate its effects. Our study analyses secondary data including scholarly articles, published media, and the…

In this article we report findings from a review of universities' academic integrity policies in Ontario, Canada. The research team systematically extracted, reviewed, and evaluated information from policy documents in an effort to understand how these documents described contract cheating in Ontario universities (n = 21). In all, 23 policies were…

In this study, we analyzed the academic integrity policies of colleges in Ontario, Canada, casting a specific lens on contract cheating. We extracted data from 28 individual documents from 22-publicly-funded colleges including policies and procedures (n = 27) and code of conduct (n = 1). We analyzed the characteristics of the documents from three…

In this session, Eaton examines how a systems approach is needed to address contract cheating in its various forms. Using the 4M framework, Eaton demonstrates the role of the individual (micro), the department (meso), the learning organization (macro) and stakeholders beyond the institution (mega). In this session, Eaton shares insights from her…

Faculty members are crucial partners in promoting academic integrity at Canadian universities, but their needs related to academic integrity are neither well documented nor understood. To address this gap, we developed a mixed methods survey to gather faculty perceptions of facilitators and barriers to using the existing academic integrity…

Purpose: This report documents research and related materials concerning plagiarism in STEM and engineering programs to inform and guide future work in the field. It provides an overview of the literature up to and including 2019 related to plagiarism in STEM and engineering programs. Methods: Two research questions guided this literature review:…

Purpose: The goal of this session is to provide an in-depth account of the history and development of contract cheating in Canada over the past 50+ years. You will also learn about the one and only (failed) attempt at legislation to make ghostwritten essays and exams illegal in Canada. Method: The content of this session is drawn from Eaton's book…

Purpose: The goal of this report is to provide substance for an evidence-informed discussion about the intersection of precarious academic employment and the contract cheating industry. Methods: This is a qualitative report informed by the extant literature. It synthesizes available source material relating to academic staff who also supply…

Purpose: In this study I explore the historical development of academic integrity in Canadian higher education. Theory and method: Framed within the theory of historical agency, applied at a macro rather than an individual level, I analyze a variety of sources to show how the development of student conduct (and its management) in Canada have…

Purpose: The purpose of this report is to provide background information to develop deeper awareness about contract cheating in Canada and generate conversations about possible legislative approaches to address this growing problem. Methods: A qualitative legal analysis of legislation from the UK, Ireland, New Zealand, Australia, and US (17…

This institutional self-study investigated the use of text-matching software (TMS) to prevent plagiarism by students in a Canadian university that did not have an institutional license for TMS at the time of the study. Assignments from a graduate-level engineering course were analyzed using iThenticate®. During the initial phase of the study,…

Purpose: This report highlights ways in which race-based data can be used to combat systemic racism in matters relating to academic and non-academic and student misconduct. Methods: Information synthesis of available information relating to race-based data and student conduct. Results: A summary and synthesis of how and why race-based data can be…