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Consistent with the Academic Integrity Rule 2021, collusion means the involvement of more than one person, or a person collaborating with an AI program, in an instance of academic dishonesty
Collusion occurs when two or more students work together in a way that is not permitted by the assessment instructions. This may include sharing answers, co-writing sections of an assignment, or submitting work that is too similar to another student’s.
Collusion can be unintentional. For example, discussing an assignment with a friend can cross into collusion if you begin drafting or editing each other’s work. Always check your course instructions carefully and ask your convenor if you are unsure what level of collaboration is allowed.
The academic integrity principle
Consistent with the Academic Integrity Rule 2021,
- The academic integrity principle is the principle that a student’s work is genuine and original, completed only with the assistance allowed according to the rules, policies and guidelines of the University.
- In particular: (a) the academic integrity principle requires the words, ideas, scholarship and intellectual property of other people or of an AI program to be appropriately acknowledged; and (b) a person is in breach of the academic integrity principle if the person engages in collusion.
Under the Rule, it is the principle that every student (including Higher Degree Research candidates) of the University:
- (a) is committed to engaging in academic work in ways that are consistent with, and actively support, academic integrity; and
- (b) upholds this commitment by behaving honestly, responsibly and ethically, and with respect and fairness, in scholarly practice.
These two rules set the parameters for what is and is not permissible in terms of working with others. Working in a study group and sharing ideas in that context are not examples of collusion – they are part of the ‘learning’ phase of your study in a course and do not relate to the production of ‘a student’s work’. Indeed, they can be very helpful opportunities to articulate your ideas and to debate your understanding of important concepts with others.
The production of items for assessment - the creation of ‘a student’s work’ must be undertaken without the help of others (unless this is expressly allowed by the assessment instructions in instances of group assessment). That goes for all pieces of assessment, no matter how big or small: from 5% Canvas quizzes to 50-100% research essays.
Two important phrases clarifying the concept of collusion are the requirement that student work is ‘original’ and that it has been ‘completed only with the assistance allowed according to the rules, policies and guidelines of the University’.
The Assessment Rule 2016, defines the term ‘examination’ to include ‘any task required to be performed by a student for the assessment of the student’s performance in the coursework’. So, every piece of assessment you undertake is officially an ‘examination’. This has important implications for the purposes of the rules relating to examinations posted on the ANU website.
In addition, it is particularly important to remember that you are making a declaration in relation to your work every time you submit a piece of assessment. Clause 18 of the Student Assessment (Coursework) Policy states:
All assessment task submissions, regardless of mode of submission, require agreement to the following declaration by the student:
"I declare that this work:
- upholds the principles of academic integrity, as defined in the Academic Integrity Rule;
- is original, except where collaboration (for example group work) has been authorised in writing by the course convener in the class summary and/or LMS course site;
- is produced for the purposes of this assessment task and has not been submitted for assessment in any other context, except where authorised in writing by the course convener;
- gives appropriate acknowledgement of the ideas, scholarship and intellectual property of others insofar as these have been used;
- in no part involves copying, cheating, collusion, fabrication, plagiarism or recycling.
I acknowledge that I am expected to have undertaken Academic Integrity training through the Epigeum Academic Integrity modules prior to submitting an assessment, and so acknowledge that ignorance of the rules around academic integrity cannot be an excuse for any breach."
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