Pay-To-Pass: Evolving Online Systems That Undermine the Integrity of Student Work

Abstract

AbstractIn an age where information is available at our fingertips, students in the post-secondary environment have equally ready access to resources that can be supportive of their academic development or academically questionable. In this chapter, we describe the pervasiveness of pay-to-pass websites in the Canadian post-secondary context. We distinguish pay-to-pass websites from other forms of contract cheating by defining them as sites encouraging students to share and access course material, assessments, and notes for academic and personal gain, as well as those providing real-time academic support. This chapter is a reflection on the nature and impact of these sites and explores a three-pronged approach to addressing the challenges posed by them on the upholding of academic integrity in post-secondary education.