1. The presentation defined commercial contract cheating as using third parties like essay writing services or other students to complete assessed academic work. 2. An experiment was described where the same math assignment was submitted to four commercial contract cheating services undercover. The results showed mostly poor quality responses that failed to address the questions or follow directions. 3. Ways to detect, prevent, and educate about commercial contract cheating were discussed, including plagiarism software, proctored exams, clear policies, and promoting campus support services available to students.

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Undercover Professor:
Exposing Commercial
Contract Cheating
Jennifer Greenwood, Professor,
Mathematics and Engineering Division
Brianna McGinnis, Chair,
Mathematics and Engineering Division
• 😬One in seven (14%) recent graduates internationally may
have paid someone to undertake their assignments.
• 🙀The USA has the greatest number of students ordering
academic work.
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The goal is not to “catch” students cheating.
The goals are to create awareness and to
prevent cheating.
Objectives
1. Define commercial contract cheating and identify paid services
available to students.
2. Analyze the results of assignments submitted by the presenters
posing as students and completed by commercial contract cheating
services.
3. Identify ways to detect and deter the use of commercial contract
cheating services by students.
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Definition
“The term ‘contract cheating’ was first coined by Clarke and Lancaster
(2006). Contract cheating occurs when students employ or use a third
party to undertake their assessed work for them, and these third
parties may include:
• essay writing services;
• friends, family or other students;
• private tutors;
• copyediting services;
• agency website or ‘reverse classifieds’ (Lancaster & Clarke, 2016:
639)”
Commercial Contract Cheating Options
• Pay to get answers to
questions.
• Pay to complete a single
assignment.
• Pay to have someone else
take an entire course.
• This is an equity issue.
This Photo by Unknown author is licensed under CC
BY‐NC‐ND.
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Who do the companies target?
• Users of Social Media
• Desperate students
• Full‐time working parents
• Procrastinators
• Students with uncertainty and anxiety during the pandemic
This Photo by Unknown author is licensed under CC
BY‐NC.
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Undercover Procedures
• The same assignment was submitted
to four prominent Commercial
Contract Cheating services.
• Once completed by the service, the
assignment was analyzed and graded.
• A bogus email address was created to
pose as a student.
This Photo by Unknown author is licensed under CC
BY‐SA‐NC.
Experience 1: Google, “Complete my
assignment”
The assignment was submitted to a top
search result in Google for “complete my
assignment”.
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Experience 1: Website Promises
“Breeze Through Your Workload…
Get your homework done in no time with the best homework service out there!”
Experience 1 – Submission Process
Information Provided:
• Assignment Type: Math Assignment
• Assignment Details: Problem Solving,
College
• Number of Questions: 6 (estimated)
• Language: English
• Deadline: March 8th (uploaded on
Feb. 28th)
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Experience 1 – Submission Process
“I need help with
this assignment. I
have to find
mistakes and fix
them then write
about it.”
Experience 1 – Submission Process
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Experience 1 – Result
Summary
Grade: 17/50, 34%
Sloppy formatting
Failure to following directions
Grossly inaccurate responses
Structure that is not used in class
Author
Experience 2: Well‐Known 1
• Paid $24.95 for
one‐month access
• Maintains a
database of
assignments
organized by
college and course
• Advertises as
“tutors”
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Experience 2: Well‐Known 1
Earn bonus questions for
submitting assignments, asking
questions, etc.
Experience 2: Assignment Database
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Experience 2: Response 1
• Was able to post a question and
upload a picture of my
document: “What are 3 mistakes
in this proof? I have to find 3
mistakes and I don’t know what
they are. And I have to say why
they are mistakes and what they
should be instead.”
• Received an accurate response in
40 minutes
• Handwritten and uploaded
Experience 2: Response 2
• Inaccurate
• Did not follow directions
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Experience 2 – Result
Summary
Grade: 30/40, 75%
Handwritten response must be typed by student
Failure to follow directions in Part 2
Experience 3: Well‐Known 2
Paid $19.95 for a one‐month access
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Experience 3: Well‐Known 2
How it works.
Experience 3: Well‐Known 2
Honor Code:
"You may not use any of the solutions, answers, materials, or
information available on or through the Services, to cheat. Examples
include:
• Submitting any textbook solutions...as your own to any class.
• Using our questions and answers service to complete tests or
homework when instructed not to use outside help.
• Otherwise passing along any solutions, answers, materials or
information from Services as your own.
• Any other violation of your instructor's or school's academic
honor code."
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Experience 3: Well‐Known 2
Submitted question at 10:34
a.m., "What are 3 mistakes in
this proof? I have to find 3
mistakes and I don't know what
they are. And I have to say why
they are mistakes and what they
should be instead."
I had a useless response by
10:47.
Experience 3 – Summary
Summary
Grade: Cannot be calculated, did not get valid response
Handwritten response, many errors
Failure to follow directions
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Experience 4: Google, "Complete my
assignment"
Experience 4: Immediate Bonus Credit Offered
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Experience 4: Process
Provide due date: 3 days
Estimated number of
hours for task: 1
Completed assignment
received in 3 days.
Experience 4: Pay for Extras
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Experience 4: Response
• Title ‐ "Topography"
• Changed correct answers into wrong answers
• Unable to identify basic wrong answers.
• Used "AAA" for triangle congruence
• Referred to parallel lines as "intersecting transversal lines"
• Author
Experience 5: Remote Proctoring
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Consequences
• Personal reputation
• Reputation of College
• Degree can be revoked
• Academic sanctions – failing the assessment/course, suspension, expulsion
• Impact ability to get into profession
• Inability to perform at expected level
• A crime in many US states
• Blackmail – company will report the student to university or employer if
money is not paid
❗
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Deter – Prevention
• Support Services
• Plagiarism software
(although not effective against original work)
• Assessment design
• Multiple styles
• Question banks for randomization
• Update assessments regularly
• Conversations with students
• Education for faculty and students
• Handwritten writing samples done in class
• Statement on assignment indicating that it cannot be shared.
Deter – Prevention continued
• Proctored assessments
• In‐Person
• Remote – HEW in View
• Keystroke verification software
• Lockdown browsers/Block IP Address
• Social Media campaign
• Include assignments on ethics
• Advising ‐ coaching students on creating a balance between courses and
other commitments
• LMS Module
• Create a positive learning environment that supports questions
and feedback
This Photo by Unknown author is licensed under CC BY‐SA‐NC.
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Syllabus Template Statement, New in AY22-23
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Alternatives
• Campus tutoring services
• Communicate with faculty
• Before/after class
• Email
• Student/Office hours
• Time management
• Accountability – acceptance of the grade earned without cheating
This Photo by Unknown author is licensed under CC
BY‐NC‐ND.
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Carroll CC
Student Care
and Integrity
Canvas Course
"I would prefer to fail with honor than win by cheating."
Sophocles, Greek Poet
This Photo by Unknown author is licensed under CC
BY.
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Questions?
jgreenwood@carrollcc.edu
bmcginnis@carrollcc.edu
This Photo by Unknown author is licensed under CC BY‐NC‐ND.
References
How schools are preventing students from cheating online. (2020, November 24).
onlinedegrees.com. Retrieved May 16, 2022, from
https://www.onlinedegrees.com/degree360/student‐focus/fighting‐back‐
against‐virtual‐cheaters/
Pang, A. (2021, April 19). EdTech goes undercover: An insider's view of what
students post on contract cheating sites. EdTech.
https://edtechmagazine.com/higher/article/2021/04/edtech‐goes‐undercover‐
insiders‐view‐what‐students‐post‐contract‐cheating‐sites‐perfcon
WSU Student as Partners. (2020, June 15). Contract cheating: It's not worth it
[Video]. YouTube. https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=3J4AtFLE0vc
Ahsan, Kamrul & Akbar, Suraiyah & Kam, Booi. (2021). Assessment & Evaluation in
Higher Education Contract cheating in higher education: a systematic literature
review and future research agenda. Assessment & Evaluation in Higher Education.
10.1080/02602938.2021.1931660
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