tag:theconversation.com,2011:/us/topics/sessional-lecturers-44873/articlesSessional lecturers – The Conversation2021-02-22T18:57:50Ztag:theconversation.com,2011:article/1553572021-02-22T18:57:50Z2021-02-22T18:57:50ZCOVID hit casual academics hard. Here are 5 ways to produce a better deal for unis and staff<p>Australian universities roughly <a href="http://highereducationstatistics.education.gov.au/Default.aspx">doubled the number of casual staff</a> employed to 23,000 (in full-time equivalents) from 2001 to 2019 (the latest year for which figures are available). </p>
<p>The greatest increase in casual staff has been in the academic workforce. The proportion of casual staff <a href="http://highereducationstatistics.education.gov.au/Default.aspx">increased from 20% to 24%</a> of this workforce in full-time equivalent (FTE) terms — as casual staff usually work part-time, <a href="https://melbourne-cshe.unimelb.edu.au/lh-martin-institute/fellow-voices/evolving-australian-university-workforce">we estimate</a> that’s about 90,000 people.</p>
<p>Earlier this month, Universities Australia <a href="https://www.universitiesaustralia.edu.au/media-item/17000-uni-jobs-lost-to-covid-19/">announced</a> 17,300 university jobs had been lost due to the COVID-19 pandemic. It said the sector was likely to lose about A$3.8 billion in revenue in 2020 and 2021. </p>
<p>Based on <a href="https://melbourne-cshe.unimelb.edu.au/lh-martin-institute/fellow-voices/australian-university-workforce-responses-to-covid-19-pandemic">previous analysis</a> of individual university announcements in 2020 of job losses totalling around 6,000 FTE, it is highly likely most of the 17,300 jobs lost are people on casual or fixed-term contracts. A modest 10% reduction in academic casual staff would mean 9,000 lost their jobs. This has a significant impact on the capacity to teach domestic students.</p>
<p>There have been and will continue to be legitimate reasons for casual academic employment in higher education. A number of factors have prompted this steady increase in casualisation of academic work. </p>
<p>Two main considerations have been:</p>
<ol>
<li><p>rapid <a href="https://app.powerbi.com/view?r=eyJrIjoiMWExZWZmZDktODBiNS00NzA3LWJkOTgtN2ZkOTA3NzhiNThmIiwidCI6ImRkMGNmZDE1LTQ1NTgtNGIxMi04YmFkLWVhMjY5ODRmYzQxNyJ9">growth in student numbers</a> coupled with the <a href="https://theconversation.com/how-universities-came-to-rely-on-international-students-138796">decline in the real rate of government funding</a> for teaching and research, making universities less keen to take on more “permanent” academic staff</p></li>
<li><p>very generous conditions attached to continuing employment, including 17% employer-provided superannuation, redundancy provisions well above community norms, highly regulated workload provisions and, for some, access to generous “outside work” entitlements.</p></li>
</ol>
<figure class="align-center zoomable">
<a href="https://images.theconversation.com/files/385441/original/file-20210222-15-dvwu50.png?ixlib=rb-1.1.0&q=45&auto=format&w=1000&fit=clip"><img alt="chart showing total Australian university enrolments from 2000 to 2019" src="https://images.theconversation.com/files/385441/original/file-20210222-15-dvwu50.png?ixlib=rb-1.1.0&q=45&auto=format&w=754&fit=clip" srcset="https://images.theconversation.com/files/385441/original/file-20210222-15-dvwu50.png?ixlib=rb-1.1.0&q=45&auto=format&w=600&h=207&fit=crop&dpr=1 600w, https://images.theconversation.com/files/385441/original/file-20210222-15-dvwu50.png?ixlib=rb-1.1.0&q=30&auto=format&w=600&h=207&fit=crop&dpr=2 1200w, https://images.theconversation.com/files/385441/original/file-20210222-15-dvwu50.png?ixlib=rb-1.1.0&q=15&auto=format&w=600&h=207&fit=crop&dpr=3 1800w, https://images.theconversation.com/files/385441/original/file-20210222-15-dvwu50.png?ixlib=rb-1.1.0&q=45&auto=format&w=754&h=260&fit=crop&dpr=1 754w, https://images.theconversation.com/files/385441/original/file-20210222-15-dvwu50.png?ixlib=rb-1.1.0&q=30&auto=format&w=754&h=260&fit=crop&dpr=2 1508w, https://images.theconversation.com/files/385441/original/file-20210222-15-dvwu50.png?ixlib=rb-1.1.0&q=15&auto=format&w=754&h=260&fit=crop&dpr=3 2262w" sizes="(min-width: 1466px) 754px, (max-width: 599px) 100vw, (min-width: 600px) 600px, 237px"></a>
<figcaption>
<span class="caption">Total Australian university enrolments from 2000 to 2019.</span>
<span class="attribution"><a class="source" href="https://app.powerbi.com/view?r=eyJrIjoiMWExZWZmZDktODBiNS00NzA3LWJkOTgtN2ZkOTA3NzhiNThmIiwidCI6ImRkMGNmZDE1LTQ1NTgtNGIxMi04YmFkLWVhMjY5ODRmYzQxNyJ9">Commonwealth Department of Education Skills and Employment, Selected Higher Education Statistics</a>, <a class="license" href="http://creativecommons.org/licenses/by/4.0/">CC BY</a></span>
</figcaption>
</figure>
<p>Relying too heavily on casual academic employment could be detrimental in the long term for the student experience, research programs and universities — as well as for the staff themselves.</p>
<p>In 2020, Australian universities responded quickly and nimbly to the immediate emergency created by COVID-19. In 2021, as a fresh round of enterprise bargaining begins, universities have an opportunity to capture the disruption created by the pandemic and reform the terms and conditions for their increasingly contingent and casualised academic workforce.</p>
<h2>A better deal for unis and staff</h2>
<p>Here are five proposals that are readily achievable. Each would give better effect to universities’ stated commitments to value staff and allow them to fulfil their potential.</p>
<p><strong>1. Allow fixed-term engagement for teaching duties</strong></p>
<p>The <a href="http://awardviewer.fwo.gov.au/award/show/MA000006">Higher Education Industry (Academic Staff) Award</a> specifically excludes the use of fixed-term contracts for staff whose main role is teaching. This provision can in turn be linked to the increasing use of casual staff for teaching. It limits the capacity of universities to take on new teaching staff in times of uncertain student demand. </p>
<p>Varying the award to allow universities to engage fixed-term staff for teaching duties would provide greater certainty for staff and a more consistent experience for students.</p>
<p><strong>2. Change employment structures for teachers regularly employed as casuals</strong></p>
<p>Limitations on fixed-term employment for teaching have resulted in expanded numbers of casual teachers. However, simply removing the restraint is unlikely to change employment patterns, as casual teaching tends to be concentrated in particular periods of the year. </p>
<p>A fixed-term contract that allows for engagement and payment across a year but with work more concentrated in specific periods will not only improve security of tenure, but also enable staff to undertake a broader range of tasks, including student consultation. It will also give these staff access to personal and professional benefits such as academic promotion.</p>
<figure class="align-center ">
<img alt="female lecturer points to a laptop as she explains an issue to a male student" src="https://images.theconversation.com/files/385433/original/file-20210222-13-kgr8rr.jpg?ixlib=rb-1.1.0&q=45&auto=format&w=754&fit=clip" srcset="https://images.theconversation.com/files/385433/original/file-20210222-13-kgr8rr.jpg?ixlib=rb-1.1.0&q=45&auto=format&w=600&h=400&fit=crop&dpr=1 600w, https://images.theconversation.com/files/385433/original/file-20210222-13-kgr8rr.jpg?ixlib=rb-1.1.0&q=30&auto=format&w=600&h=400&fit=crop&dpr=2 1200w, https://images.theconversation.com/files/385433/original/file-20210222-13-kgr8rr.jpg?ixlib=rb-1.1.0&q=15&auto=format&w=600&h=400&fit=crop&dpr=3 1800w, https://images.theconversation.com/files/385433/original/file-20210222-13-kgr8rr.jpg?ixlib=rb-1.1.0&q=45&auto=format&w=754&h=503&fit=crop&dpr=1 754w, https://images.theconversation.com/files/385433/original/file-20210222-13-kgr8rr.jpg?ixlib=rb-1.1.0&q=30&auto=format&w=754&h=503&fit=crop&dpr=2 1508w, https://images.theconversation.com/files/385433/original/file-20210222-13-kgr8rr.jpg?ixlib=rb-1.1.0&q=15&auto=format&w=754&h=503&fit=crop&dpr=3 2262w" sizes="(min-width: 1466px) 754px, (max-width: 599px) 100vw, (min-width: 600px) 600px, 237px">
<figcaption>
<span class="caption">A fixed-term contract that allows for engagement and payment across a year would enable staff to undertake a broader range of tasks such as student consultation.</span>
<span class="attribution"><a class="source" href="https://www.shutterstock.com/image-photo/male-university-student-working-one-tutor-478396096">Shutterstock</a></span>
</figcaption>
</figure>
<p><strong>3. Shift the casual pay structure from the 1980s to the 2020s</strong></p>
<p>The current structure is based on the requirement to deliver hour-long lectures and tutorials and separate hourly rates for other academic duties such as marking, music accompaniment and nursing clinical supervision. All hourly rates attract a 25% loading to compensate for loss of annual and sick leave. </p>
<p>The Academic Salaries Tribunal (AST) <a href="https://parlinfo.aph.gov.au/parlInfo/search/display/display.w3p;query=Id%3A%22publications%2Ftabledpapers%2FHPP032016002288%22;src1=sm1">codified the structure in 1980</a>. The evolution of teaching since then means this structure no longer reflects the breadth of work required. These changes include:</p>
<ul>
<li><p>team teaching (staff collaborate on delivery)</p></li>
<li><p>the flipped classroom model (students absorb the lecture and reading materials online at home, then discuss this or work on live problem-solving in classes)</p></li>
<li><p>the use of workshops and other hands-on work</p></li>
<li><p>online teaching where staff must be responsive to student work. </p></li>
</ul>
<p><strong>4. Create a reward/career structure for casual teaching staff</strong></p>
<p>Many of these staff are both expert in their field and excellent teachers. They include industry professionals and practitioners. </p>
<p>Some universities have developed promotion systems for honorary staff, especially where an academic title is important to professional standing. These processes might be adapted for casual teachers. They could then be appointed or promoted to an academic rank based on merit and receive pay to match, albeit as a casual employee.</p>
<p><strong>5. Allow for core entitlements to be portable</strong></p>
<p>The careers of many academic staff are now built on concurrent or consecutive appointments at several universities. Universities generally have provisions for recognising prior service at another university, but these largely benefit continuing staff. </p>
<p>The creation of the higher education industry superannuation scheme, UniSuper, in 1983 is an example of a whole-of-sector collaboration that has benefited staff and universities. A similar cross-sector framework to recognise service at another university should be considered. This might extend to the training and accreditation of casual teachers, ensuring quality across the sector. And in the case of fixed-term staff, it might allow for core entitlements such as annual and sick leave to be more portable.</p>
<p>The pandemic has greatly sharpened Australian universities’ focus on their staff and HR policies, structures and strategies. This presents an opportunity to review and greatly improve the employment practices for casual academic staff, in particular those relating to core student teaching. </p>
<hr>
<p><em>The detailed analysis on which this article is based can be found <a href="https://melbourne-cshe.unimelb.edu.au/lh-martin-institute/fellow-voices/evolving-australian-university-workforce">here</a>.</em></p><img src="https://counter.theconversation.com/content/155357/count.gif" alt="The Conversation" width="1" height="1" />
<p class="fine-print"><em><span>Janet Beard is affiliated with the Association for Tertiary Education Management and the Australian Institute of Company Directors.</span></em></p><p class="fine-print"><em><span>Teresa Tjia is employed as Dean of Students and Registrar (Interim) at Federation University. </span></em></p><p class="fine-print"><em><span>Elizabeth Baré and Ian Marshman do not work for, consult, own shares in or receive funding from any company or organisation that would benefit from this article, and have disclosed no relevant affiliations beyond their academic appointment.</span></em></p>Universities have legitimate reasons for employing some staff on casual contracts, but the impacts of the COVID pandemic have brought long-standing problems to a head. Now is the time to act on these.Elizabeth Baré, Honorary Fellow, LH Martin Institute, The University of MelbourneIan Marshman, Honorary Principal Fellow, Melbourne Centre for the Study of Higher Education, The University of MelbourneJanet Beard, Honorary Senior Fellow, LH Martin Institute, The University of MelbourneTeresa Tjia, Honorary Senior Fellow, Melbourne Centre for the Study of Higher Education, The University of MelbourneLicensed as Creative Commons – attribution, no derivatives.tag:theconversation.com,2011:article/1074562018-12-06T13:00:09Z2018-12-06T13:00:09ZGender pay gap at universities could get even worse – here’s why<figure><img src="https://images.theconversation.com/files/248744/original/file-20181204-34148-fah1wc.jpg?ixlib=rb-1.1.0&q=45&auto=format&w=496&fit=clip" /><figcaption><span class="caption">For every £1 men earn per hour, women earn 81.6p.
</span> <span class="attribution"><span class="source">shutterstock</span></span></figcaption></figure><p>Britain has one of the largest gender pay gaps in the European Union, with women earning <a href="https://ec.europa.eu/unitedkingdom/news/uk-has-one-highest-gender-pay-gaps-eu_en">roughly 21% less than men</a>. This means that women in UK universities today are still earning less than their male colleagues. So although laws on equal pay have been in place for more than 40 years, there <a href="https://www.bbc.co.uk/news/uk-england-43655192">is still a large gender pay gap in UK universities</a>. </p>
<p>The difference in hourly pay <a href="https://www.theguardian.com/news/2018/mar/22/cambridge-reveals-15-gender-pay-gap-in-oxbridge-college-audit">between men and women is 15%</a> in top UK universities and <a href="https://www.bbc.co.uk/news/uk-england-43655192">37% in other universities</a>. What’s more, men have most of the top jobs in UK universities, <a href="https://www.bbc.co.uk/news/uk-england-43655192">while women have more of the lower-paid jobs</a>. </p>
<p>And this “gender pay gap” <a href="https://www.sciencedirect.com/science/article/pii/S0747563218303753">may keep getting wider</a> if women aren’t supported to develop their digital skills. This is because women tend to have less advanced digital skills than men – skills that are increasingly in demand for university lecturer roles. And as universities around rely more extensively on digital technology, they need employees who have creative digital skills – which means women are more likely to miss out on jobs, promotions and pay increases. </p>
<h2>Wanted: technical talent</h2>
<p>The use of technology is now just part of the day job for anyone involved in teaching and learning in universities. Universities use technology to teach and communicate with students online – which can help to improve <a href="https://onlinelibrary.wiley.com/doi/abs/10.1111/bjet.12651?af=R">a student’s learning experience</a>. Staff are also expected to use online learning and mobile learning platforms to teach, assess and talk to students in a virtual environment. </p>
<figure class="align-center ">
<img alt="" src="https://images.theconversation.com/files/247760/original/file-20181128-32191-zrzhei.jpg?ixlib=rb-1.1.0&q=45&auto=format&w=754&fit=clip" srcset="https://images.theconversation.com/files/247760/original/file-20181128-32191-zrzhei.jpg?ixlib=rb-1.1.0&q=45&auto=format&w=600&h=400&fit=crop&dpr=1 600w, https://images.theconversation.com/files/247760/original/file-20181128-32191-zrzhei.jpg?ixlib=rb-1.1.0&q=30&auto=format&w=600&h=400&fit=crop&dpr=2 1200w, https://images.theconversation.com/files/247760/original/file-20181128-32191-zrzhei.jpg?ixlib=rb-1.1.0&q=15&auto=format&w=600&h=400&fit=crop&dpr=3 1800w, https://images.theconversation.com/files/247760/original/file-20181128-32191-zrzhei.jpg?ixlib=rb-1.1.0&q=45&auto=format&w=754&h=503&fit=crop&dpr=1 754w, https://images.theconversation.com/files/247760/original/file-20181128-32191-zrzhei.jpg?ixlib=rb-1.1.0&q=30&auto=format&w=754&h=503&fit=crop&dpr=2 1508w, https://images.theconversation.com/files/247760/original/file-20181128-32191-zrzhei.jpg?ixlib=rb-1.1.0&q=15&auto=format&w=754&h=503&fit=crop&dpr=3 2262w" sizes="(min-width: 1466px) 754px, (max-width: 599px) 100vw, (min-width: 600px) 600px, 237px">
<figcaption>
<span class="caption">Our research shows there is a wide gap in the way men and women use technology.</span>
<span class="attribution"><span class="source">Shutterstock</span></span>
</figcaption>
</figure>
<p>Universities also plan to use more advanced technology. Gamification is on the rise in universities. This is where universities personalise a student’s learning, using game design thinking <a href="https://www.sciencedirect.com/science/article/pii/S0360131518301842">in non-game applications</a>. Wearable devices, such as an Apple Watch or Google Glass, can also encourage learners to get more involved in the subject. This type of technology will most likely be used more in universities over the coming years.</p>
<p>And as women in higher education are generally less likely to be skilled in <a href="https://www.pwc.co.uk/who-we-are/women-in-technology/time-to-close-the-gender-gap.html">using these technologies</a>, they may well be left behind – widening the gender pay gap in higher education – while also making it harder for women to progress in their careers. </p>
<h2>Digital skills divide</h2>
<p><a href="https://www.sciencedirect.com/science/article/pii/S0747563218303753">Our research</a> which looks at the gender gap in smartphone adoption and use in Arab countries shows there is a wide gap in the way men and women use technology in some parts of the world. And we found similar patterns in the UK. Men have more advanced digital skills than women, and women are underrepresented in the technology sector, <a href="https://www.pwc.co.uk/who-we-are/women-in-technology/time-to-close-the-gender-gap.html">specifically in the digital sector in education</a>. </p>
<p>This “digital divide” begins at <a href="https://www.itproportal.com/features/tackling-the-uk-digital-skills-gap-means-tackling-gender-diversity-in-uk-tech/">a very early age in school</a>. It continues into higher education – in the UK there is one of the highest gender gaps in technology-related courses <a href="http://www.europarl.europa.eu/RegData/etudes/STUD/2018/604940/IPOL_STU(2018)604940_EN.pdf">among all university courses</a> in the world.</p>
<figure>
<iframe width="440" height="260" src="https://www.youtube.com/embed/xQGshHOUy8k?wmode=transparent&start=0" frameborder="0" allowfullscreen=""></iframe>
<figcaption><span class="caption">Why the World needs more women In tech.</span></figcaption>
</figure>
<p>Technology is advancing quickly, so academics and others working in higher education constantly have to update their skills. Without these skills, women in the sector are at a disadvantage when it comes to promotion and pay rises. So it’s more important than ever for universities to provide training and other programmes that help women develop their digital skills. </p>
<p>Closing the gender gap in digital skills would remove one factor contributing to the gender pay gap in UK universities. It would increase the chances of women being employed in the sector and make it easier for them to develop their careers. Tapping into female talent in technology would bring huge benefits to universities. And above all, it would help to close the digital skills gap – while helping to build a more equal and fairer society.</p><img src="https://counter.theconversation.com/content/107456/count.gif" alt="The Conversation" width="1" height="1" />
<p class="fine-print"><em><span>Nisreen Ameen does not work for, consult, own shares in or receive funding from any company or organisation that would benefit from this article, and has disclosed no relevant affiliations beyond their academic appointment.</span></em></p>How an increased use of technology could widen the gender pay gap in higher education.Nisreen Ameen, Lecturer in Information Technology Management, Queen Mary University of LondonLicensed as Creative Commons – attribution, no derivatives.tag:theconversation.com,2011:article/852322017-10-16T22:01:20Z2017-10-16T22:01:20ZUniversities unite against the academic black market<figure><img src="https://images.theconversation.com/files/190494/original/file-20171016-30966-50d5tk.jpg?ixlib=rb-1.1.0&q=45&auto=format&w=496&fit=clip" /><figcaption><span class="caption">The second annual International Day of Action Against Contract Cheating is an attempt by universities around the world to raise awareness about students who hire others to do their work.</span> <span class="attribution"><span class="source">(Shutterstock)</span></span></figcaption></figure><p>On the <a href="http://www.imdb.com/title/tt1632701/">TV show <em>Suits</em></a>, Mike Ross’s character charges a hefty fee to students to take the LSAT (law school admission test) for them. Ross has a stellar memory and a remarkable ability to take tests without getting crushed by stress — he is the perfect “contract cheater.” Later, Ross builds a career as a lawyer based on fake credentials, presumably from Harvard. </p>
<p>Mike Ross may be fictional, but his business is only too real within universities globally. “Contract cheaters” such as Ross complete academic work on a student’s behalf — for a fee. This work includes test taking and homework services. It includes essay-writing and even PhD thesis-writing services, also known as “paper mills.” </p>
<p>In my role as interim associate dean of teaching and learning at the University of Calgary, and as a researcher who specializes in plagiarism prevention and academic integrity, <a href="http://wp.me/pNAh3-lc">I have been writing about contract cheating since 2010</a>. Since then, it has become rampant at high school and post-secondary levels. </p>
<p>This black market for academic work is vast and little understood. Universities in Canada, and around the world, are having a very hard time trying to police it. </p>
<p>On Oct. 18, 2017, many universities have committed to the second <a href="http://contractcheating.weebly.com/">International Day of Action Against Contract Cheating</a>. This aims to tackle the issue head on — by raising awareness and sharing prevention strategies. </p>
<h2>A vast online marketplace</h2>
<p>According to a CBC News survey, <a href="http://www.cbc.ca/news/canada/manitoba/cheating-students-punished-by-the-1000s-but-many-more-go-undetected-1.2549621">more than 7,000 Canadian university students were disciplined for academic cheating during 2011-12</a>. Of those, more than half had plagiarized written material. Contract cheating differs from traditional plagiarism because students are not merely copying and pasting content. Instead, they pay for unique content, custom written to their exact specifications, such as instructions for an assignment.</p>
<p>No one knows exactly how many of these services exist, or how much money they make. In the U.K., <a href="https://www.theguardian.com/education/2017/feb/21/plan-to-crack-down-on-websites-selling-essays-to-students-announced">more than 30,000 cases of contract cheating have been discovered</a> over the past decade. In Australia, there are documented cases of <a href="http://www.dailymail.co.uk/news/article-3595982/Thirteen-engineering-students-expelled-Deakin-University.html">students being expelled from a university due to contract cheating</a>. </p>
<p>We have very little data about the reality of the situation in Canada. A Google search using the terms “Canada” and “write my essay” returns more than 47 million results. Among the top results are services offering to write essays for between $19 and $25 per page. Another claims to have over 1,200 writers working for them. All offer completely original content, based on the assignment instructions and criteria.</p>
<p>It gets worse. Students can order an entire PhD thesis to be custom ghost written. In some countries, the PhD thesis market is publicly blatant. For example, In Hanoi, Vietnam, an entire area of the city is known as the <a href="http://english.vietnamnet.vn/fms/education/186946/education-ministry-powerless-in-preventing-ghostwriting-of-phd-dissertations.html">“thesis market.”</a> </p>
<p>In Canada, thesis-writing services and contract cheating remain largely hidden in an online black market for academic work. Social media helps students find and share information about how to get someone to do their academic work for them. There are also sites where students can auction off their work to various bidders. One website, <a href="https://bid4papers.com/">Bid4papers.com</a>, shows exactly how the process works. Student place an order for a specific assignment. Then they can communicate with various bidders to figure out who they’d like to work with. After choosing a contract cheater, students can follow the entire workflow process online, answering questions along the way, with round-the-clock support.</p>
<h2>Why students outsource their work</h2>
<p>Students outsource their work to a third party for a variety of reasons. For some students, the pressure to complete their work by deadlines, or to get good grades may prompt them to work with a contract cheater.</p>
<figure class="align-center ">
<img alt="" src="https://images.theconversation.com/files/190346/original/file-20171016-21986-gakr6k.jpg?ixlib=rb-1.1.0&q=45&auto=format&w=754&fit=clip" srcset="https://images.theconversation.com/files/190346/original/file-20171016-21986-gakr6k.jpg?ixlib=rb-1.1.0&q=45&auto=format&w=600&h=399&fit=crop&dpr=1 600w, https://images.theconversation.com/files/190346/original/file-20171016-21986-gakr6k.jpg?ixlib=rb-1.1.0&q=30&auto=format&w=600&h=399&fit=crop&dpr=2 1200w, https://images.theconversation.com/files/190346/original/file-20171016-21986-gakr6k.jpg?ixlib=rb-1.1.0&q=15&auto=format&w=600&h=399&fit=crop&dpr=3 1800w, https://images.theconversation.com/files/190346/original/file-20171016-21986-gakr6k.jpg?ixlib=rb-1.1.0&q=45&auto=format&w=754&h=501&fit=crop&dpr=1 754w, https://images.theconversation.com/files/190346/original/file-20171016-21986-gakr6k.jpg?ixlib=rb-1.1.0&q=30&auto=format&w=754&h=501&fit=crop&dpr=2 1508w, https://images.theconversation.com/files/190346/original/file-20171016-21986-gakr6k.jpg?ixlib=rb-1.1.0&q=15&auto=format&w=754&h=501&fit=crop&dpr=3 2262w" sizes="(min-width: 1466px) 754px, (max-width: 599px) 100vw, (min-width: 600px) 600px, 237px">
<figcaption>
<span class="caption">There are many different reasons why Canadian students use contract cheaters instead of doing the work themselves.</span>
<span class="attribution"><span class="source">(Shutterstock)</span></span>
</figcaption>
</figure>
<p>For others, the time they might spend completing an assignment is time they could more lucratively spend working at a paid job. </p>
<p>For example, let’s say a student has a job where he or she earns $15 per hour. If an assignment takes about 10 hours to complete, but costs only $50 to outsource, the student is better off using those hours to earn $150 at their paid job. They come out $100 ahead and maybe even with a better grade. If they’re careful, their instructors are none the wiser.</p>
<h2>Secret jobs for impoverished academics</h2>
<p>Some contract cheaters are located <a href="http://www.ibtimes.co.uk/large-numbers-indians-are-helping-british-students-cheat-low-prices-say-experts-1536373">offshore</a>, in countries such as India, Pakistan, Kenya and Nigeria, and the money they earn may be substantial when converted into their local currency. But not all contract cheaters work offshore. <a href="http://www.telegraph.co.uk/education/2017/10/07/university-lecturers-topping-earnings-helping-students-cheat/?WT.mc_id=tmg_share_tw">A recent report from the U.K.</a> reveals that teaching assistants and lecturers also top up their earnings by supplying black market academic work. </p>
<p>In recent years, the working conditions of highly qualified Canadian academics have come under increasing scrutiny, <a href="http://www.huffingtonpost.ca/andrewrobinson/contract-professors-canada_b_6615142.html">with some being classified as poor, according to Statistics Canada</a>. In 2014, CBC uncovered that <a href="http://www.cbc.ca/news/canada/most-university-undergrads-now-taught-by-poorly-paid-part-timers-1.2756024">most undergraduates were being taught by poorly-paid part-time academic staff</a>, some of whom earned as little as $28,000 per year. </p>
<p>The reality is that some of these contract faculty may have second (and secret) jobs as contract cheaters.</p>
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<p>Most students who hire a contract cheater never know the real identity of the person who completed work on their behalf. And they don’t care. The relationship is purely transactional. The student gets an academic product to submit for credit and the supplier gets paid.</p>
<h2>Day of action to #defeatthecheat</h2>
<p>Educators struggle to tackle the issue of contract cheating because it is hard to detect and harder to prove. <a href="https://drive.google.com/file/d/0B5bT3MX6fj6_UXAtWllfLVZyYjA/view">The International Center for Academic Integrity has produced a toolkit</a> to help institutions and educators combat contract cheating. Strategies include educating students about how to make good ethical choices when it comes to school work. There’s also <a href="https://drive.google.com/file/d/0B5bT3MX6fj6_V0dLX0V5ajF1aWs/view">a resource for faculty </a>on how to design assessments and detect contract cheating.</p>
<p>More than 40 institutions across more than a dozen countries have committed to the <a href="http://contractcheating.weebly.com/the-day-against-contract-cheating.html">second International Day of Action Against Contract Cheating</a> — to raise awareness about what contract cheating is and sharing strategies on how to prevent it. Events will be held on campuses to help instructors and students understand what contract cheating is and why it is wrong.</p>
<p>A social media campaign using the hashtags #excelwithintegrity and #defeatthecheat will be used to promote the day of action online. You can join the conversation on Twitter to help raise awareness about this important issue in education.</p><img src="https://counter.theconversation.com/content/85232/count.gif" alt="The Conversation" width="1" height="1" />
<p class="fine-print"><em><span>Sarah Elaine Eaton receives funding from the University of Calgary to study plagiarism prevention and academic integrity. </span></em></p>Across Canada and around the world, thousands of students are paying cash for good grades - in tests, essays and even PhD theses. On Oct. 18, 2017, universities globally are fighting back.Sarah Elaine Eaton, Acting Associate Dean, Teaching and Learning, Werklund School of Education, University of CalgaryLicensed as Creative Commons – attribution, no derivatives.