GAIN resource page

GAIN will share experiences and resources to help other jurisdictions develop legislation, regulatory approaches and frameworks that penalise facilitating and advertising of cheating services.

Read more about what is happening across the globe below.

TEQSA

The Tertiary Education Quality and Standards Agency (TEQSA) is Australia’s independent national quality assurance and regulatory agency for higher education. TEQSA’s vision is to protect the interests of students and instil confidence in the excellence of Australian higher education, nationally and internationally. 

TEQSA’s Higher Education Integrity Unit (HEIU) is leading the agency’s work to combat commercial academic cheating services through detection, education and enforcement.

TEQSA is detecting activity by commercial cheating service providers through web analytics, gathering intelligence from the sector and working with national and international experts.

TEQSA resources for providers, academics and students are helping to build awareness and support a strong culture of academic integrity. They also engage with the media about this topic to raise awareness in the broader population. 

In 2021, TEQSA successfully obtained a Federal Court injunction requiring 51 internet service providers to block access to two identified contract cheating websites. Following this significant milestone, TEQSA began working directly with Australia’s major internet service providers, and have disrupted access to a further 150 websites that were found to be offering academic cheating services. They have also begun working with social media networks about advertising for cheating services that targets students and have already had over 650 such posts removed.

Legislation

Tertiary Education Quality and Standards Agency Amendment (Prohibiting Academic Cheating Services) Bill 2019

Resources

ASQA

Australia’s Australian Skills Quality Authority (ASQA) is responsible for the regulation and quality assurance of more than 90% of providers offering vocational skills and training across Australia. 

In areas where we are not the responsible regulator, we work in partnership with the relevant accountable agencies, including state regulators in Victoria and Western Australia, and the Tertiary Education Quality and Standards Agency, to ensure a nationally consistent and quality VET system.

A key focus of ASQA’s regulatory approach is ensuring we apply integrated, contemporary, tailored approaches to address risk. We address risks through: 

  • the design of regulatory activities with a range of education, engagement, monitoring, assessment and compliance activities, used individually or in combination to respond to particular risks
  • the scope, frequency and types of monitoring and assessment activities we undertake
  • the nature of our regulatory response in relation to findings of provider non-compliance.

Our 2022-23 regulatory risk priorities include a specific focus on issues relating to integrity and contract cheating. 

Resources

Hcéres

The High Council for the Evaluation of Research and Higher Education (Hcéres) is the French agency whose missions cover four main areas of action: 

  • Evaluations of institutions, their programmes (bachelor, master and PhD) and research units as well as research performing organisations;
  • Producing scientometric indicators and analyses of research and innovation systems for public authorities and all higher education and research stakeholders;
  • Sharing its expertise internationally. Through the Department for European and International Affairs, Hcéres expands its expertise worldwide, carries out evaluations abroad, and engages in European and international networks.
  • Driving research integrity at the national level thanks to the Office for Research Integrity which shares good practices nationally through MOOCs, supports and promotes the work of the network of research integrity officers in the higher education and research institutions. On top of that, all our evaluation guidelines comprise standards and criteria dedicated to ethics and scientific integrity. 

Academic integrity is not one of the Hcéres’ missions yet and is not a widely spoken topic in France. However, the agency wishes to widen its scope and enhance its activities through discussion and the sharing of good practices within European and international networks. Hcéres is also interested in analysing how research and academic integrity interrelate, notably when it comes to doctoral studies.

MAB

The Hungarian Accreditation Committee is a national-level, independent body of experts tasked with the external evaluation of the quality of educational and related research activities and the internal quality assurance (QA) systems of higher education institutions in Hungary. It operates within the scope of the Standards and Guidelines for Quality Assurance in the European Higher Education Area (ESG). Its key task is to provide evaluation services to facilitate high standards of learning in Hungarian higher education institutions and to promote quality assurance to support all levels of education and all stakeholders involved. 

The MAB works in line with the laws relevant to higher education, performs the tasks assigned to it, meets the ESG 2015 criteria and proceeds in line with the objective, complex and modern guidelines developed by its disciplinary committees and the MAB Board. Through its activities, the MAB promotes the independence of operations and takes emphasis on academic integrity. It applies, develops and/or adapts assessment methodologies conforming to international standards. The MAB’s work as an expert, accreditor, analyst and submitter of proposals follows the values specified in the international standards, is based on objective criteria and is independent, unbiased and free from politics. Through all of its activities, the MAB endeavours to solidify the quality culture of higher education institutions in order to improve the standards of Hungarian higher education and strengthen its international reputation.

Resources

Legislation

The facilitation of learner cheating is a threat to the integrity, standards and reputation of Irish education and training. Legislation to address this issue was introduced in Ireland in November 2019.

Section 43A of the Qualifications and Quality Assurance (Education and Training) (Amendment) Act 2019 makes it an offence to:

  • facilitate a learner to cheat in any way;
  • advertise cheating services to learners; and
  • publish advertisements for cheating services to learners.

Quality and Qualifications Ireland is responsible for bringing prosecutions under this section of the Act. Those convicted of an offence under Section 43A may receive a fine of up to €100,000 and/or imprisonment for a term of up to five years.

National Academic Integrity Network

The National Academic Integrity Network (NAIN) is a peer-driven network, established in November 2019 by QQI. The network is focused on actively supporting higher education institutions to

  • effectively engage with the challenges presented by academic misconduct
  • embed a culture of academic integrity among providers
  • develop national resources and tools for providers to address the challenges presented by academic misconduct.

Find out more about NAIN here.

NAIN resources

CIMEA

CIMEA is the official Italian centre within the NARIC (National Academic Recognition Information Centres) network of the European Union and the ENIC (European National Information Centres) network of the European Council and of UNESCO.

Since 1984, CIMEA (Information Centre on Academic Mobility and Equivalence) has performed its focused activity of information and advice on the procedures of qualifications recognition and on themes linked to Italian and international higher education and training. The centre has an experience of more than 40 years of monitoring and researches on Accreditation Mills, Diploma Mills, Visa Mills, developed thorough projects:

with the outcomes of providing guidelines and databases in order to support different stakeholders in knowing and combating malpractice in the education sector. 

Since 2019,  CIMEA has adopted blockchain technology for issuing its assessments so to allow the holder of a qualification to share data in a secure and certified way, creating a system of trust and reliability among different stakeholders and preventing document fraud. 

In addition to that, CIMEA is the Italian representative within the ETINED platform promoting principles of ethics, transparency and integrity in education so to assure  and maintain its quality. In the last year CIMEA has been conducting research on “Ethics and Universities” in Italy, whose results are going to be soon released in a comprehensive publication.

OAEP

The Office of the Ombudsperson for Academic Ethics and Procedures (Office)  aims to ensure the work of the Ombudsperson in considering complaints, initiating investigations into a possible violation of academic ethics and procedures related to the implementation of the provisions of academic ethics, supervising compliance with the provisions of academic ethics and procedures related to the implementation of the provisions of academic ethics, investigating administrative offences, and preventing unethical behaviour.

The Office fulfils various tasks, among which are, e.g., to promote and to supervise compliance of research and higher education institutions with academic ethics and procedures related to the implementation of the provisions of academic ethics, to contribute to the quality of higher education and research by nurturing the universally recognised values in this field, principles and research practices ensuring the dissemination of research and science (art), transparency of higher education and related activities, fairness, justice, responsibility, equality of persons being members of the academic community, their non-discrimination, academic freedom, trust and respect, to organise and/or to implement preventive measures against unethical behaviour of the academic community and so forth.

The Office is a member of the European Network of Research Integrity Offices and serves on its Board.

Resources

NZQA

The New Zealand Qualifications Authority (NZQA) ensures that New Zealand qualifications are accepted as credible and robust nationally and internationally, supporting learners as they “Qualify for the Future World: Kia Noho Takatū Ki Tō Āmua Ao.”

NZQA develops and supports the NZQCF which includes both the Framework architecture and the database of all New Zealand quality assured qualifications and micro-credentials, and works with international counterparts to support academic integrity.

NZQA is responsible for the quality assurance of non-university tertiary education organisations, and promotes the understanding, comparability, and recognition of New Zealand qualifications internationally.

NZQA also administers assessment towards New Zealand’s National Certificates of Educational Achievement (NCEA) and New Zealand Scholarship for secondary school students and maintains the database of Assessment Standards – national standards used in qualifications.

The South African Qualifications Authority (SAQA) is the Government mandated custodian and oversight body of the South African National Qualifications Framework (SA NQF). SAQA oversees the implementation and advancement of the SA NQF. It also coordinates the three differentiated Sub-Frameworks of the SA NQF:  for General and Further Education and Training, Higher Education, and Occupational Qualifications respectively – each of which is overseen by one of three Quality Council.

The objectives of the SA NQF are to create a single integrated national framework for learning achievements; facilitate access to, and mobility and progression within, education, training, and career paths; enhance the quality of education and training; and accelerate the redress of past unfair discrimination in education, training and employment opportunities. The SA NQF seeks to contribute to the development of individual lifelong learners and the socio-economic development of the nation at large.

SAQA has zero tolerance regarding misrepresentation and fraudulent practices related to qualifications and credits (Policy and Criteria for Evaluation Foreign Qualifications within the South African NQF, March 2017). In the interests of maintaining academic integrity, SAQA advocates genuine qualifications and the elimination of misrepresentation of qualifications and has developed a National Policy on Misrepresented Qualifications (2017) to this end. SAQA is required to report incidences of misrepresentation and alleged fraud to its political principal, the Minister of Higher Education, Science and innovation.  Furthermore, the organisation has played a key role in making refinements to the NQF Act, to strengthen its role in implementing such policy. When these amendments come into effect, the changes will provide a legislative framework to implement the policy and safeguard academic integrity across the education and training space.

In South Africa, there are specific criteria to ensure genuine qualifications in each of the three NQF Sub-Framework contexts. Public higher education institutions (HEIs) are deemed accredited as they are established by the Higher Education Act (Act 101 of 1997, As Amended). Private HEIs must apply to the Department of Higher Education and Training (DHET) to be registered as a Private HEI, and the Council on Higher Education (CHE) accredits learning programmes that lead to qualifications registered on the NQF.  The Quality Council for Trades and Occupations (QCTO) accredits providers to offer occupational qualifications registered on the NQF.  Public schools are deemed to be accredited as they are established by the Schools Act (Act 84 of 1996, As Amended).  Private schools must be registered and accredited by Umalusi, the Council for Quality Assurance in General and Further Education and Training. All provider institutions are only accredited to offer qualifications registered on the NQF and their documentation and processes must be authentic.

Qualifications obtained in countries outside South Africa are evaluated by SAQA for authenticity and correspondence to South African NQF levels. The qualification must be part of a quality assured country education and training system. Non-formal and informal learning may be recognized through Recognition of Prior Learning (RPL) processes, where these processes are also quality assured rigorously. The South African NQF policy basket seeks to ensure that all qualifications used in South Africa are genuine, meet quality standards and that the learner and the qualification systems are protected. 

Resources

AAC (Andalusia)

The Directorate for Evaluation and Accreditation (DEVA) of the Andalusian Agency of Knowledge (AAC) is the responsible body for guaranteeing and promoting the quality of the Andalusian System of Knowledge in Spain, by evaluating Higher Education universities, educational programmes, teaching staff and R&D&I activities. AAC-DEVA is full member of the European Association for Quality Assurance in Higher Education (ENQA) and the International Network for Quality Assurance Agencies in Higher Education (INQAAHE) and is registered in the European Quality Assurance Register for Higher Education (EQAR).

In the absence of a regulatory role, AAC-DEVA is committed to the promotion of academic integrity within the Andalusian Higher Education System by setting up a working group to reflect on the impact of misbehaviour in Andalusia and to propose actions to combat its effect. In Spain, academic misconduct is mainly regulated by the Law 3/2022, of 24 February, on university coexistence, in which reprehensible behaviour such as plagiarism, cheating or impersonation are categorised as very serious disciplinary offences with negative consequences such as expulsion from the university from two months to three years and the loss of the enrolment rights.

AQUIB (Balearics)

AQUIB (Balearic Agency for Quality Assurance in Higher Education) is the entity responsible of the evaluation, accreditation, and certification of the Balearic Higher Education system. Its mission is to contribute to improving the quality of the Balearic higher education system through evaluation, certification, and accreditation in the field of teaching, research, knowledge transfer and management. The main activity of the agency is the study programme evaluations, although we also evaluate teaching staff and provide support to the university in other activities. AQUIB aims to become the main referent in QA in the Balearic Islands. Following this vision, the agency wants to support the university (UIB) in the field of academic integrity. Currently, UIB is putting a lot of effort on this topic and is addressing it in two ways: obtaining evidence and developing informative tools (https://iapost.uib.es/en/p/2/acciones-previstas). AQUIB wants to aid by sharing knowledge, good practices, and resources. Furthermore, we are interested in gaining deep knowledge in this topic to be able to include it into our evaluation guidelines with more detail. Since it already is one of the main concerns of the universities, AQUIB wants to be a referent in the matter and be able to provide effective mechanisms to fight back. This is also in line with the agency’s values of integrity, transparency, rigour, and social responsibility.

Resources

QAA

The UK Quality Assurance Agency for Higher Education (QAA) is an independent charity working to benefit students and higher education, and one of the world’s experts in quality assurance. We are trusted by higher education providers and regulatory bodies to maintain and enhance quality and standards. We work with governments, agencies and institutions globally to benefit UK higher education and its international reputation.

QAA delivers tailored quality assurance approaches for each of the four UK nations, given a UK-wide underpinning by the UK Quality Code for Higher Education. In addition, QAA Membership allows higher education institutions to work with us and provide vision, expertise and guidance on the topics that matter to their staff and students. We work in partnership with, and for, our members to deliver high-quality services, and we provide advice and support about quality and standards in the UK and internationally.

QAA works with sector agencies, government departments, regulators, politicians and academics with expertise in academic misconduct to protect academic integrity and prevent cheating and fraud. QAA has developed an Academic Integrity Charter which UK providers can build their own policies and practices around, successfully campaigned to outlaw essay mills in England, and issued guidance for institutions on tackling contract cheating.

Resources

We also offer a wide range of advice, events and resources for our members on academic integrity. 

NAQA

The National Agency for Higher Education Quality Assurance (NAQA) is an independent permanent collegial state body. NAQA started its activities in February 2019. NAQA’s mission is to catalyze positive changes in higher education and to shape its quality culture.

The authority of NAQA includes the following areas: accreditation of study programmes (junior bachelor, bachelor, master, PhD); accreditation of thesis defence committees; accreditation of independent agencies; institutional accreditation of higher education institutions (HEIs); development of university rankings; compliance with academic integrity; and other activities.

The main vectors of NAQA activities in academic integrity compliance are combatting plagiarism and encouraging academic integrity. In accordance with Ukrainian legislation, NAQA acquired the function of monitoring academic integrity. NAQA has the right to revoke the designation of the PhD and Doctor of Sciences degrees in case of detection the academic dishonesty facts. Academic integrity is also an accreditation subcriterion and is carefully checked during each study programme accreditation procedure.

In addition, NAQA holds consultations and regular meetings with international partners and networks. NAQA is a member of The International Center for Academic Integrity (ICAI). In May 2022 NAQA received the Tracey Bretag Memorial Award during the European Network for Academic Integrity Awards ceremony. NAQA has signed Memorandums of Cooperation with anti-plagiarism services Strike Plagiarism and Unicheck.

NAQA also works on the development of the draft law on academic integrity, aimed at stimulation real, non-formal compliance with the principles of academic integrity of higher education institutions. NAQA also provides HEIs with clarification and recommendations on academic integrity.

Resources

ZAQA

The Zambia Qualifications Authority (ZAQA) is a statutory body under the Ministry of Education of the Republic of Zambia established through the ZAQA Act No. 13 of 2011 to develop and implement a National Qualifications Framework, register and accredit qualifications and provide measures to ensure that standards and registered qualifications are internationally comparable;. 

To achieve its mandate the Zambia Qualifications Authority performs the following functions:

  • Develops, fosters and maintains an integrated national framework for the recognition of learning achievements. Some of the objectives of the Zambia Qualifications Framework are to facilitate access to, mobility and progression within, education, training and career paths and enhance the quality of education and training.
  • Develops the content of level descriptors for each level of the Framework and reach agreement on the content with the appropriate authorities.
  • Registers and accredits qualifications or part-qualifications recommended by an appropriate authority if it meets the relevant criteria.
  • Verifies and Evaluates of both foreign and local qualifications.
  • Develops policy and criteria after consultation with the appropriate authorities for assessment, recognition of prior learning and credit accumulation and transfer.
  • Ensures that standards and accredited qualifications are internationally comparable.
  • Determines national standards for any occupation and keeps a database of learning achievements in Zambia.

Links to quality assurance bodies championing academic integrity in Zambia;

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