Cheating on exams and assignments is breaking the rules – make sure you do the right thing this assessment period
It’s that time of the study period when assignments are due and you’re probably beginning to think about Trimester 2/Semester 2 final assessments and exams.
Due to COVID-19 restrictions, exams will again be held online this study period and they have been specifically designed for this purpose. While we know it’s been a really tough year for everyone, and this may be your first experience of online exams, you must still create and submit your work in an honest and fair way.
Remember: don’t fall into the cheating trap just because the exam format is different to what you’ve seen before.
Don’t ever use contract cheating services
You must never ask or pay someone else to do all or part of your assessment task or online exam. Known as ‘contract cheating’, this includes using external companies that promote ‘study or assignment help’. Most of them are not legitimate and may even blackmail you into paying extra money by threatening to send evidence of cheating to your tutor.
Deakin is aware that some students are being contacted by contract cheating services. If you think you’ve been contacted by an illegitimate company, you can report it to the Student Conduct Team using an online form. Your report can be anonymous if you wish.
Make sure your work is your own
You must always acknowledge others’ work, so make sure you reference your work correctly to avoid accusations of plagiarism and copyright breaches. It’s also your responsibility to complete your final assignments and online exams in a correct and fair manner. This includes not using unauthorised resources in an exam situation.
Understand the difference between collaboration and collusion
Studying together in the lead-up to exams is a great way to learn, especially while you’re having to stay apart and learn online. Just don’t cross the line between collaboration (encouraged) and collusion (prohibited):
- keep your study notes separate so your work is entirely your own
- don’t submit work you’ve produced with someone else, unless you have a specific group assessment task
- remember that working together during an online exam is cheating.
Consequences for cheating can be severe
If you cheat in an assessment or exam, you can expect to face formal penalties from the University that may affect your grades and enrolment and, in some cases, hinder your future career.
The University is taking additional measures to detect cheating in T2 assessments, so make sure you complete your own work honestly.
Deakin’s academic integrity website explains how to uphold these standards and gives you helpful advice and resources. You must also adhere to our Student Code of Conduct and Student Academic Integrity Policy.
Legitimate help is available
- Use the help that is provided by Deakin – check out the full range of study support and remember the best source of help is your Unit Chair or teaching team. They’re here to answer your questions and point you in the right direction.
- If you have a question about academic integrity and feel uncomfortable asking someone directly, post an anonymous question on DUSA’s Ask an Advocate form. Your question and a response will be posted on DUSA’s own academic integrity webpage within three business days so that other students can also benefit from this information.
- If you’ve received an allegation of a breach of academic integrity, contact DUSA’s Student Advocacy and Support Service (SASS) for a free confidential appointment with an advocate. They’ll assess your situation and discuss possible courses of action with you.
- For commencing students in T2/S2, completing your compulsory Academic Integrity unit will give you the knowledge, skills and good-practice principles to avoid issues like plagiarism, collusion and contract cheating. The unit takes about two hours to complete and is available in the My Units tab of DeakinSync.