Investigations into online file-share cheating at Massey

Massey has confirmed there have been investigations into cheating based on file sharing from online services. 

An anonymous Massey lecturer told RNZ earlier last month that their students had been cheating since last year's lockdowns through subscriptions to an online file sharing service that took requests for answers to any questions and publicly shared the answers. 

"You pay a monthly fee. You actually submit the specific question that you want the answer to and then the contractor in India writes the answer for you immediately, like within 15 minutes of the question, and the answer is being posted publicly for all the other members of the website to see. So not just a student who posted the question, any other student in the class who looks for it,” an anonymous Mathematics and Science staff member at Massey told RNZ. The staff member notes that in these circumstances, “sometimes it's difficult to get proof” and students would typically be let off despite an investigation.  

A Massey University spokesperson confirmed for Massive that there had been investigations into that kind of cheating but could not comment on any more specifics. 

“Massey has robust processes for investigating suspected breaches of academic integrity. In cases such as these, which involve file sharing, the academic integrity officer’s investigation would include investigating file metadata and other elements of the digital footprint, as well as providing the student with an opportunity to explain what had happened before any decision was made or penalty imposed,” the spokesperson said. 

The spokesperson added that as soon as Massey becomes aware of any Massey University material being used on file sharing sites, they contact the company to request they take it down. Penalties to students for cheating can range from failing the assessment or course to being stood down from the University, depending on the severity of the offense. 

“The University tries to take an educative approach to breaches of academic integrity where this is appropriate. We take breaches of academic integrity very seriously. We have recently reviewed and renewed our Student Disciplinary Regulations in order to help provide clearer rules around academic and non-academic disciplinary breaches including academic integrity,” they said. 

Massey was one of five tertiary institutions to experience an increase in academic misconduct in the move to online from 2019 to 2020, with a 10% increase (149 to 164 cases). In response to concerns about online assessments leading to an increase in cheating, a university spokesperson said that they are confident their existing processes assure academic integrity, and they are focusing on the selection and design of assessments to help minimise integrity issues. 

“As a university, with a focus on digital and blended delivery, we believe that academic integrity in online assessment and online exams can be upheld when managed appropriately,” they said. 

The Massey University spokesperson said that there had been 70 instances of academic misconduct recorded at Massey so far in 2021.