Contract Cheating Amnesty

From next week, ACU will commence a six-week Contract Cheating Amnesty, endorsed by the Provost. Find out more and learn how you can support students during the campaign.

A Contract Cheating Amnesty is being introduced in response to an increase in allegations from external parties claiming to have prepared assessment work for ACU students in the last year. The academic misconduct cases that have reached an outcome were found to involve contract cheating.

Contract cheating involves a student contracting, attempting to contract, or is contracted by a third party to prepare part or all of an assessment. Third parties may include family and friends, file sharing websites, editing services, or assessment writing services.

The campaign provides students with a six-week opportunity to disclose undetected academic misconduct. This allows students to address their actions and move forward positively in their learning and careers, without the potential threat of blackmail or exposure of their prior academic misconduct. It also intends to deter students from engaging in such forms of academic misconduct in the future.

ACU does not condone academic misconduct, however this initiative works to reflect our commitment to the university’s core values and the wellbeing of our students.

When does the Contract Cheating Amnesty begin?

Who should students contact if they wish to disclose undetected academic misconduct?

Students can come forward confidentially via direct email to the Academic Integrity Team to disclose any undetected academic misconduct.

Students can be referred to relevant ACU support services, including:

• the Academic Integrity team
• Student Advocacy Service
• counselling.

What are the outcomes of disclosure?

The outcomes of disclosure vary depending on the original unit result:

• If a student originally passed the unit:

  a breach is recorded, and the student will be provided with an alternative piece of assessment to evidence relevant learning outcomes. If they successfully pass the alternative assessment, they will receive a grade of Pass (PA - 50%) or Pass Ungraded (PS). If unsuccessful, the final grade will be changed to a Fail (NN) or Fail Ungraded (NU).

• If a student originally failed the unit:

  the academic misconduct is recorded on the student’s file, and the grade is unchanged. Although the grade is unchanged, the benefit of this outcome is to remove the threat or power from a potential blackmailer.

In cases where a supplementary assessment is required, the Academic Integrity team will liaise with lecturers-in-charge to assist in this process.

Your commitment to upholding academic integrity at ACU and supporting this initiative is greatly appreciated. If you have any questions, please contact Academic.Integrity@acu.edu.au.