Ethics, EdTech, and the Rise of Contract Cheating

Abstract

This chapter argues that establishing a “culture of academic integrity,” in the era of digitally-situated plagiarism like contract cheating, begins with an institu- tional approach to student data and student work that is rooted in ethics. If “students cheat when they feel cheated” (Christensen Hughes, 2017, p. 57), then the ethical failures inherent in a system-wide move toward for-profit homework systems and plagiarism checkers sets a dangerous model for students to follow. Paper presented at the University of Calgary, Calgary http://hdl.handle.net/1880/110083), then the ethical failures inherent in a system-wide move toward for-profit homework systems and plagiarism checkers sets a dangerous model for students to follow. We are respon- sible for modelling for our students what it looks like to be a contributing member of an academic community, and we do so by taking seriously our students, their data, and their work, and not only when it comes time to run it through a plagiarism detector or check their IDs against a proctoring software. This chapter argues that a more responsible relationship to student data, and a less cozy relationship with for-profit educational technologies, is required if our institutions are serious about fostering a culture of academic integrity. Keywords Academic integrity · Algorithm · Data · Canada · Contract cheating · Privacy