IntroductionWith a definition that is evolving, a serious component of the contract cheating issue involves individuals paying a third-party to complete assessment items for them and then submitting this work as if it were their own. The issue of contract cheating poses a significant problem for tertiary institutions. The research literature conducted to date has addressed contract cheating, yet few papers discuss theory-based prevention strategies, and even fewer still evaluate the impact of theory-based prevention strategies.Case descriptionThis paper discusses a case study of contract cheating that was identified in a business simulation operating in a capstone unit at a large Australian university. The problem is outlined, the theory-based intervention is explained, and the impact on the contract cheating problem is quantified.Discussion and evaluationBuilding on a platform provided by criminological theory and crime prevention practice, the Unit Coordinator systematically adjusted a large number of assessment elements to ensure contract cheating was less likely. Importantly, this intervention was effective but also did not disadvantage students who were not engaging in contract cheating.ConclusionsOverall, this paper connects criminological theory and crime/problem prevention practice with academic misconduct issues with the intent of demonstrating there is potential to minimise the opportunity for contract cheating by altering the opportunity structures for assessment items. Crucially, this can be done without impeding genuine student efforts and does not depend on apprehension and conviction.

中文翻译：

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消除商业惯例中合同作弊的机会：预防犯罪案例研究

引言随着定义的不断演变，合同作弊问题的一个重要组成部分涉及到个人向第三方支付费用以完成对他们的评估项目，然后将其视为自己完成的工作。合同作弊问题对大专院校构成了重大问题。迄今为止进行的研究文献都涉及合同欺诈，但很少有论文讨论基于理论的预防策略，甚至很少有人评估基于理论的预防策略的影响。在澳大利亚一所大型大学的顶楼部门进行业务模拟。概述了问题，解释了基于理论的干预，并量化了对合同欺诈问题的影响。讨论和评估在犯罪学理论和犯罪预防实践提供的平台上，单位协调员系统地调整了大量评估元素，以确保合同欺诈的可能性降低。重要的是，这种干预是有效的，但也不会给没有参与合同作弊的学生带来不利影响。结论总体而言，本文将犯罪学理论和犯罪/问题预防实践与学术不端行为联系在一起，目的是证明有可能最大程度地减少犯罪的机会。通过更改评估项目的机会结构来进行合同作弊。至关重要的是，这可以在不妨碍学生真正努力的前提下完成，并且不依赖于恐惧和信念。