TORONTO, ON – Today, post-secondary institutions from across the GTA will mark the International Center for Academic Integrity’s (ICAI) fifth annual International Day of Action Against Contract Cheating.
Contract cheating is a form of academic dishonesty where students have academic work completed on their behalf. They then submit for academic credit as if they had created it themselves. This day of action aims to raise awareness of contract cheating and its threat to educational systems. As many as 16 million people globally could be receiving fraudulent certifications yearly due to contract cheating.
The Academic Integrity Council of Ontario, along with Centennial College, Conestoga College, Humber College, Ryerson University and the University of Waterloo, will join hundreds of post-secondary institutions worldwide in marking the day with interactive and educational virtual activities for their communities.
With the onset of COVID-19, ICAI saw essay mills and contract cheating services ramp up their online advertising targeting vulnerable students.
“Contract cheating is a growing threat to the quality and integrity of education at post-secondary institutions around the world,” says Jennie Miron, professor, Humber College and chair of the Academic Integrity Council of Ontario (AICO). “This day is an opportunity for colleges and universities to speak to students with a unified voice and work together to defeat the contract cheating industry. Ultimately, we want to encourage students to take pride in their work and to excel with integrity.”
This year ICAI will run a student contest titled “My Own Work Helps Me Excel with Integrity,” where the top three students will win a gift card. Students are encouraged to create messaging to speak out against contract cheating. Students can submit videos, poems, songs, artwork and much more. Students are also encouraged to post their messages against contract cheating using the hashtag #myownwork #excelwithintegrity.
This year, ICAI organizations worldwide will be live streaming more than 20 hours of activities to demonstrate a united global front against contract cheating.
About Academic Integrity Council of Ontario (AICO)
The Academic Integrity Council of Ontario (AICO) provides a forum for academic integrity practitioners and representatives from post-secondary institutions to share information and facilitate the establishment and promotion of academic integrity best practices in Ontario colleges and universities. Through council meetings and the AICO listserv, participants are kept up to date on academic integrity matters. AICO is affiliated with The Council of Ontario Universities (COU).
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For more information, please contact:
Humber College - Media Relations
416.675.5095
mediarelations@humber.ca