Building Academic Integrity: Evaluating the Effectiveness of a New Framework to Address and Prevent Contract Cheating

Deepani B. Guruge (), Rajan Kadel, Samar Shailendra and Aakanksha Sharma
Additional contact information
Deepani B. Guruge: Melbourne Institute of Technology (MIT), School of IT and Engineering (SITE), Melbourne, VIC 3000, Australia
Rajan Kadel: Melbourne Institute of Technology (MIT), School of IT and Engineering (SITE), Melbourne, VIC 3000, Australia
Samar Shailendra: Melbourne Institute of Technology (MIT), School of IT and Engineering (SITE), Melbourne, VIC 3000, Australia
Aakanksha Sharma: Melbourne Institute of Technology (MIT), School of IT and Engineering (SITE), Melbourne, VIC 3000, Australia

Societies, 2025, vol. 15, issue 1, 1-25

Abstract: Academic integrity is a cornerstone of education systems, yet the rise of contract cheating poses significant challenges for higher education institutions. Current approaches to managing contract cheating often lack the comprehensive structure needed to address the complexities of modern cheating methods. The primary objective of this study is to investigate the effectiveness of the proposed Three-Tier Framework (TTF), designed in our previous study to combat contract cheating. The proposed framework comprises three tiers: awareness, monitoring, and evaluation. It engages stakeholders within the system and encourages a proactive and collaborative stance against contract cheating while reinforcing a culture of academic honesty. The evaluation focuses on three key aspects: the clarity of the framework’s functions and objectives, the potential challenges in implementing the proposed monitoring process, and the perceived limitations in detecting and mitigating contract cheating through this framework. Supervised and unsupervised assignments are considered, excluding the option of e-proctoring, as some students encountered difficulties setting up necessary tools and software for online exams. Survey results reveal a broad consensus among respondents, who expressed strong confidence in the clarity and effectiveness of the framework and its monitoring procedures. These positive perceptions were consistent across respondents, regardless of their prior experience or familiarity with contract cheating. Although the overall feedback was positive, concerns were raised regarding implementing the framework in current educational settings. Specific challenges cited include tight timelines and the increased workload associated with the new procedures, emphasising a need for additional guidance, training, and institutional support to ensure effective adoption. The proposed framework incorporates an instructor dashboard designed to streamline academic workflow and simplify the monitoring process introduced in this framework. The survey results confirm that the framework can be adopted to address the unique needs of academics and diverse educational environments; however further research is needed to explore its applicability across the broader higher education community.

Keywords: academic integrity; AI-enabled contract cheating; contract cheating; detecting strategies; framework; framework evaluation; mitigating strategies; plagiarism (search for similar items in EconPapers)
JEL-codes: A13 A14 P P0 P1 P2 P3 P4 P5 Z1 (search for similar items in EconPapers)
Date: 2025
References: View complete reference list from CitEc
Citations:

Downloads: (external link)
https://www.mdpi.com/2075-4698/15/1/11/pdf (application/pdf)
https://www.mdpi.com/2075-4698/15/1/11/ (text/html)

Related works:
This item may be available elsewhere in EconPapers: Search for items with the same title.

Export reference: BibTeX RIS (EndNote, ProCite, RefMan) HTML/Text

Persistent link: https://EconPapers.repec.org/RePEc:gam:jsoctx:v:15:y:2025:i:1:p:11-:d:1566353

Access Statistics for this article

Societies is currently edited by Ms. Farrah Sun

More articles in Societies from MDPI
Bibliographic data for series maintained by MDPI Indexing Manager ().