An integrity unit set up to crack down on university cheats may have helped contribute to a significant downward trend in online searches for the dodgy practice in Australia, new data suggests.
Acting Education Minister Stuart Robert will release figures on Friday that show after a new Higher Education Integrity Unit started up a year ago, searches for cheating services in Australia dropped by 23.5 per cent during the last half of 2021.
The new unit, which has a $3.9m per year budget, operates within Australia’s education standards regulator, the Tertiary Education Quality and Standards Agency (TEQSA).
New laws were passed in September 2020 that allowed TEQSA to block academic cheating websites using court orders.
The agency has identified a whopping 300 websites suspected of offering such services.
Another 130 are in their sights over the coming months, it can be revealed.
Operators face a maximum of two years in jail or fines of up to $110,000 if their cheating services or advertising is deemed to be for a commercial purpose.
Acting Education Minister Stuart Robert said despite this progress, there was still the challenge of artificial intelligence, file-sharing and other tools used by professional rackets.
“While the government’s tough stance on industrial-scale academic cheating is bringing results, higher education providers and students must remain vigilant in the face of this evolving risk,” he said.
TEQSA Chief Commissioner Peter Coaldrake said cheating services were targeting students through social media platforms and online marketplaces.
He said the regulator was working with Facebook, Instagram, WhatsApp, LinkedIn and Gumtree to remove posts that promoted cheating.
“While we are pleased to have these companies working with us and taking action to remove 300 posts so far, I know these posts and accounts represent just the tip of the iceberg – and our work continues to disrupt cheating service operators,” Professor Coaldrake said.
Earlier this month, TEQSA launched translated anti-cheating resources in Mandarin, Hindi, Portuguese and Malay to reach more students, including returning international ones.
Anyone who wants to report suspected cheating can do so at teqsa.gov.au/cheating.
