What is cheating and how to avoid it
You are at University to learn more about your chosen field of study and you cannot undertake this learning unless you complete all assessments yourself.
It is essential that you follow the University’s academic regulations during your studies. Academic integrity is central to the University’s core values and we wanted to take this opportunity to remind students that all work submitted by students must be their own work (unless it is University-agreed group work) and it is therefore critical to ensure when you are citing others work that you reference this properly.
We are aware that studying at GCU may be different to where you have studied before, but it is important to know that if you are caught engaging in any type of academic misconduct, the consequences can be severe and could put your degree and future career prospects in jeopardy.
More information on academic integrity can be found on our webpages – including a link to our Don’t Cheat Yourself resource, which highlights examples of good academic practice and how to avoid engaging in academic misconduct, more commonly known as cheating.
What do we mean by cheating?
Cheating relates to any form of academic misconduct.
This could be:
Plagiarism - the unacknowledged inclusion of someone else’s work in your assessment, or the inclusion of your own work that you had submitted for an earlier assessment
Collusion - working with other students to complete an assessment without group work being an explicit requirement of the assessment
Ghostwriting - paying or asking someone to write some or all of your assessment for you. This also includes using AI, such as ChatGPT to write some or all of your assessment for you. You must write your own assessments.
Cheating can also include communicating with other students about the content of an exam whilst the exam is in process, or having unauthorised items (such as notes or internet-enabled devices when not permitted) when you are sitting an exam.
You also should not share your assessments with other students, and if you do this you both could be subject to investigation and action under the Code of Student Conduct.
If you are suspected of cheating, you will be investigated in line with the Code of Student Conduct and confirmed cases will result in disciplinary action. In most cases this will require you to retake the assessment with the attempt being counted. As well as meaning more work for you, this could result in potential delays in progression or graduation, or may even mean that you have run out of attempts at an assessment and therefore not be able to complete your degree. In the most serious cases, this could mean being expelled from the University.
There is always another way – access the support available at the University
There a number of reasons a student might consider cheating and we want to make you aware of the support available in order to prevent that happening.
If you are having difficulties with your academic writing, contact our School Learning Development Centres (LDCs) which provide a range of academic support for all our students (home and international) including: academic writing, information technology support, advice on study skills as well as other academic support and guidance.
Our Wellbeing team provides a free and confidential service to support you through your time at University. If you need to talk to someone, you can book an appointment with one of our counsellors or access our range of self-care resources.
You should also consider speaking to your Personal Tutor or programme leader if you are experiencing difficulties around an assessment submission.
Fit to Sit
It is important to state that the University operates on the default assumption that students undertaking a piece of assessment are declaring that they are fit to do so. We do, however, recognise that exceptional circumstances or serious problems can occur, that can impact on your fitness to sit a particular assessment. Therefore, as part of our commitment to the continual enhancement of our students’ learning experience, we introduced our Fit to Sit process in trimester A which allows you to make a declaration from five days prior to the date of the assessment, and up to two days after you sat/submitted a piece of assessment. To declare you are not Fit to Sit an assessment, you need to fill out an online form and your attempt will be made void, preserving your chance to sit/submit the assessment on one more occasion.
Please note that Fit to Sit is for exceptional circumstances and students should read our Fit to Sit frequently asked questions before submitting a form. Also, there are some assessments where post assessment declaration of ‘not fit to sit’ is not possible (as listed in individual module handbooks).
All of the above services and support mechanisms are well advertised at the University, so not being aware of them will not be considered as an appropriate reason for cheating. If you are aware of any friends who are struggling, please let them know that help is available.
You have worked hard to secure your place at University. Don’t put that hard work in jeopardy – earn your degree the right way.