In a firm stance against AI-assisted academic dishonesty, the Australian investment company Breakthrough Victoria has championed an innovative program named Cadmus with a significant investment of $600,000. This platform boasts the ability to detect the misuse of AI platforms such as ChatGPT by students, marking a significant stride in the battle against academic malpractice.
The strength of Cadmus lies in its innovative approach to catching academic cheating, closely scrutinising student assessment construction processes. By tracking the time spent on assessments and the origin of any copy-pasted content, Cadmus stands at the forefront of maintaining academic honesty. The platform has already garnered the trust of numerous universities, including the University of Melbourne, University of Sydney, Edith Cowan University, and RMIT.
Beyond its mission to combat academic malpractice, Cadmus also captures student learning analytics and provides assessment creation templates for educators across all subject areas. The implementation of Cadmus in universities has led to an impressive 76% reduction in academic dishonesty, an overwhelming 91% positive student experience, and a significant 8.5% increase in academic performance and pass rates.
The fight against academic dishonesty extends to a national level, with the Federal Government recently cracking down on dishonest practices, blocking 100 illicit cheating websites. Since August 2022, this number totals to 250 blocked sites known for selling students' assignments and offering proxy exam services, activities that frequently left students exposed to potential blackmail.
With stringent anti-cheating laws in place, Australia holds a strong front against academic cheating. Penalties include up to two years in prison and hefty fines of up to $110,000. The Tertiary Education Quality and Standards Agency (TEQSA) has played a pivotal role in curbing these services, developing crucial resources for students and staff, offering guidance on steering clear of cheating services, and unveiling a new training course for academics and staff to thwart cases where students outsource work to third parties.
This unified effort exemplifies Australia's commitment to upholding the integrity of education and safeguarding a fair and advantageous learning environment for all students. The fight against academic dishonesty is one that educational institutions are poised to win, regardless of the sophistication of cheating mechanisms.
