Thinking about cheating this exam period? Think again – it could ruin your entire career
It’s nearly time for Trimester 3 final assessments and exams, so now’s the time to focus on your revision and get as prepared as you can.
T3 exams will be held online and they’ve been specifically designed for this purpose. Whether this is the first time you’ve sat an online exam, or you’re experienced with this mode of assessment, the most important thing to remember is that you must still create and submit your work in an honest and fair way.
We urge all students to avoid the cheating trap – it’s just not worth the risk to your degree and your future career.
Here’s some pitfalls to avoid – and ways to ensure you do the right thing.
Don’t contract cheat
You may have heard of ‘contract cheating’ – it’s where you get someone to do all or part of your assignments or exams, and pass the work off as your own. This includes asking friends or family to do the work for you, or paying a company that promotes ‘study or assignment help’.
Contract cheating companies often contact students to offer ‘help’, but using their services will endanger your degree. And it gets worse – you also put yourself at risk of blackmail. The people who supply your assignment can force you to pay even more money by threatening to report you to the University.
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.
Only submit your own work
You must always acknowledge others’ work, so it’s vital that 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. Just don’t cross the line between collaboration (encouraged) and collusion (prohibited). Make sure you:
- 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.
Know that cheating can endanger your degree and future career
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.
For example, if contract cheating is listed on your record, many professions won’t let you register to practise. You may achieve high distinctions for your entire degree, but one incident of cheating can see you banned from your profession.
The University is taking additional measures to detect cheating in T3 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.
Use University help and resources
We offer heaps of study support here at Deakin, so use these resources in the lead-up to the exam period to help you prepare. 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 struggle with assessment anxiety, there’s also a range of techniques, tip and tricks you can try to build your confidence ahead of exam time.
Seek advice if needed
- 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.
- If you were a commencing student in T3, 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.