What is contract cheating?

Contract cheating is a form of academic dishonesty in which students get others to complete their coursework for them by putting it out to tender. The term was coined in a 2006 study by Thomas Lancaster and Robert Clarke at the University of Central England in Birmingham (now known as Birmingham City University).

Contract cheating can be prevented by designing good assessments, getting to know your students writing, and giving writing assignments in class.

October 18th is the International Day of Action Against Contract Cheating. A day to raise awareness of this phenomenon. Generating some moral awareness in regards to the extent of contract cheating. An initiative born out of the International Center for Academic Integrity (ICAI).  Look out for hashtags #defeatthecheat and #excelwithintegrity.

To support these efforts, ICAI has created an Institutional Toolkit to Combat Contract Cheating, which is available for download below!