Conference Presentations by Sarah Elaine Eaton
The goal of this session is to provide an in-depth account of the history and development of cont... more The goal of this session is to provide an in-depth account of the history and development of contract cheating in Canada over the past 50+ years. You will also learn about the one and only (failed) attempt at legislation to make ghostwritten essays and exams illegal in Canada. Method: The content of this session is drawn from Eaton's book chapter on contract cheating in the forthcoming edited volume, Academic Integrity in Canada: An Enduring and Essential Challenge (Eaton & Christensen Hughes) that involved over a thousand hours of historical research and digging into archival material to uncover that the contract cheating industry in Canada has been operating successfully for longer than most of us ever realized. Results: Get the details on a criminal case in the 1980s, noted as being the first of its kind in Canada, and possibly the Commonwealth, that made history when an essay mill owner and his wife were charged with fraud and conspiracy. The case was dismissed by the judge, leaving the contract cheating industry to flourish in Canada, which it has done with a vengeance. Then learn about an exposé in a major US magazine in the 1990s that presented in-details about the experiences of writers who supplied services to the contact cheating industry. Now that we are in the 21 st century, find out what's being done across the country today to take action against contract cheating. Implications: I share previously undiscovered evidence and insights that shows how the contract cheating industry has been proliferating in Canada for at least half a century. Even if you thought you knew about contract cheating in Canada, you'll almost certainly learn something new in this session. I conclude with strong calls to action for educators, advocates, and policy makers.
Papers by Sarah Elaine Eaton
Journal of Academic Ethics
This article presents results from a self-report survey of misconduct behaviours and the stress s... more This article presents results from a self-report survey of misconduct behaviours and the stress students (n = 916) experienced at one Canadian community college. Results showed that students engaged in a variety of contract cheating behaviours, and experienced a myriad of stressors both in and outside the college context, including traumatic life events. Those who engaged in commercial contract cheating and inappropriate sharing behaviours experienced significantly higher levels of stress. This result differed by type of stress suggesting that not all stress may lead to violation behaviour. Results also suggest that some students are exposed to more stress than others, which could put them at higher risk for engaging in contract cheating. Understanding contract cheating using the stress process framework draws our attention to how a student's location in the social institutions of work, family, and school, how their positions of advantage or disadvantage, and their involvement in social relationships may produce stress which we have found to be associated with contract cheating. Seeing stress in this way allows post-secondary institutions to address the structural conditions which lead to stress through the development of policy, procedure, and supports for students as they navigate academic integrity throughout their programs.
Integrity Hour first convened in March 2020, in response to the rapid pivot to emergency remote t... more Integrity Hour first convened in March 2020, in response to the rapid pivot to emergency remote teaching during COVID-19. After a year, this online community of practice (CoP) is still going strong. We collectively reflect on how the first year of Integrity Hour has informed our understanding of how to uphold and enact academic integrity and impacted how we work with students, support our colleagues, and make decisions.
The Canadian Symposium on Academic Integrity was held at the University of Calgary, April 17-18, ... more The Canadian Symposium on Academic Integrity was held at the University of Calgary, April 17-18, 2019. This program contains the full schedule from the 1.5-day event, along with information on the keynote sessions, 23 peer-reviewed papers, 5 posters, and 3 interactive workshops. Full abstracts for each presentation are included, making this a useful artefact from the conference that serves to document the topics discussed and the research occurring across Canada on various topics related to academic integrity. Document length: 49 pages.
In this article, I reflect on assessment practices that can help prevent and address plagiarism i... more In this article, I reflect on assessment practices that can help prevent and address plagiarism in in online learning in higher education.
Poor paraphrasing can be a sign of underdeveloped writing skills that can lead to plagiarism. One... more Poor paraphrasing can be a sign of underdeveloped writing skills that can lead to plagiarism. One example of poor paraphrasing is Rogeting, which is the substitution of words with their synonyms using Roget's thesaurus or other digital synonym providers. In this position paper, we discuss Rogeting as a form of poor paraphrasing that may lead to academic integrity breaches, such as plagiarism. We discuss methods of identifying Rogeted text, concluding with practical recommendations for educators about how to better support student writers so they can avoid Rogeting in favour of developing their writing skills.
This manual was developed for participants of my professional development workshop or online webi... more This manual was developed for participants of my professional development workshop or online webinar "Twitter for Teachers". The intended audience is professional educators who are interested in using Twitter for professional development and personal growth.
The purpose of this paper is to examine marketing (as a sub-set of management), as it applies to ... more The purpose of this paper is to examine marketing (as a sub-set of management), as it applies to educational institutions from kindergarten through to post-secondary levels in Canada, the U.S. and Australia. The methodology employed in this study included both a survey of current literature in the field and survey of particular institutions in each country. The findings indicate that the marketization of education and in particular, branding, is a practice that will likely continue to grow during the twenty-first century. The practical implications of this for schools and other educational institutions are an increased knowledge for marketing and branding specialists with the ability not only to strategically position an institution within a given community, but also to help keep it competitive in a world that is becoming ever globalized. This paper offers a comparative study of three countries, providing new insights into how marketing and branding practices are employed, as well a...
This paper examines the theory and practice of the commercialization of education in Canada, usin... more This paper examines the theory and practice of the commercialization of education in Canada, using comparative examples from the United States and Australia. Critical theory provides the framework for the study. From the broad focus of business practice, the examination is narrowed down to marketing, and even further to branding, at all levels, from kindergarten through to post-secondary.
This research report investigates the links between formal, non-formal and informal learning and ... more This research report investigates the links between formal, non-formal and informal learning and the differences between them. In particular, the report aims to link these notions of learning to sciences and engineering in Canada and the United States. Philosophical underpinnings of this research are: (1) There is value in learning of all kinds; (2) Learning is a lifelong endeavour; and (3) An interdisciplinary approach is valuable.
Funding for this training manual was provided under the Werklund School of Education Scholarship ... more Funding for this training manual was provided under the Werklund School of Education Scholarship of Teaching and Learning Grant, 2016-2017.
An Open Educational Resource (OER) developed as a contribution to the "English in Technology... more An Open Educational Resource (OER) developed as a contribution to the "English in Technology" event sponsored by The White House Office of Global Engagement and the U.S. Department of State, Bureau of Educational and Cultural Affairs, Office of English Language Programs.
Journal of Contemporary Education, Theory & Research 4 (2020) 2, S. 3-11 Padagogische Teildiszipl... more Journal of Contemporary Education, Theory & Research 4 (2020) 2, S. 3-11 Padagogische Teildisziplin: Empirische Bildungsforschung; Hochschulforschung und Hochschuldidaktik;
Purpose: The goal of this guide is to provide a clear overview of the topics of predatory journal... more Purpose: The goal of this guide is to provide a clear overview of the topics of predatory journals and questionable conferences and advice on how to avoid them. This guide intentionally adopts a plain language approach to ensure it is accessible to readers with a variety English language proficiency levels. Methods: Electronic searches were conducted manually using Google and Google Scholar, along with a search of the University of Calgary library research databases. Search terms included predatory journals, predatory publisher, predatory conference, questionable conference and vanity conference. Three primary types of sources informed this report: (1) scholarly peer-reviewed articles; (2) reputable popular media such as established newspapers; and (3) grey literature such as blogs written by experts and scholars. Findings: Plain-language overviews of predatory publications and questionable conferences are provided to help researchers understand what these are and how to avoid them. A discussion of how to figure out where an aspiring author should publish their work is included, as well as a checklist for determining if a conference is worth the prospective presenter's time and resources. Implications: There are implications for mentors of graduate students and early-career stage academics, as well as for institutions as a whole. The issue of questionable conferences and publications is so complex that early-stage academics require support and mentorship to cultivate a deeper understanding of how to share their work in a credible way. Additional materials: Contains 66 references and 2 tables.
Journal of Contemporary Education, Theory & Research 4 (2020) 2, S. 35-41 Padagogische Teildiszip... more Journal of Contemporary Education, Theory & Research 4 (2020) 2, S. 35-41 Padagogische Teildisziplin: Empirische Bildungsforschung; Hochschulforschung und Hochschuldidaktik;
In this article we present resources and ideas for prospective writers of Canadian Perspectives o... more In this article we present resources and ideas for prospective writers of Canadian Perspectives on Academic Integrity. The purpose of this article is to generate ideas and build confidence among prospective contributors. Our intention is to provide support for those who have wisdom and insights to share, but who may be inexperienced or lack confidence with their professional writing skills.
International Journal for Educational Integrity, 2020
ensured that the Australians have the last word, so to speak, as we conclude with the voices of t... more ensured that the Australians have the last word, so to speak, as we conclude with the voices of two academic elders, professors emeriti, who have supported the journal as members of the editorial board, and Tracey's work for many years. Although many individuals have contributed to this editorial, we recognize that we are not alone in being inspired by Tracey. For every person who has shared their reflections in this collective editorial, there are likely at least a hundred others with similar sentiments and have their own personal connections to Tracey. We recognize that our words cannot begin to represent the worldwide impact Tracey had through her work and her vision. And now on to my own reflection… My first connection with Tracey was through IJEI. The manuscript I had submitted for consideration was one of the first pieces I'd taken the lead on after finally securing a full-time tenure track position, after 22 years of being a sessional lecturer (otherwise known as a precariously-employed academic). The piece was a literature review about the research conducted in Canada on academic integrity. Through the revision process Tracey encouraged me to be bold, to go beyond a literature review, and set the stage for a research agenda in Canada on educational integrity, and to conclude with an evidence-informed call to action. I was inspired by her energy, her clarity of thought, and her passion for the work. I made the revisions and the piece was published (Eaton and Edino 2018). From there, we stayed in touch and she became a mentor, colleague, and friend, all in one. She joined us as they keynote speaker for the inaugural Canadian Symposium on Academic Integrity at the University of Calgary in April, 2019. She felt unwell during the symposium, but none of us knew at the time, including her, how serious it was. As it turned out, her trip to Canada was one of her last journeys abroad. We are so grateful to have had the opportunity to learn from her in person during her visit. I have not known Tracey as long as some of my fellow contributors and colleagues. She had an astounding ability to change your life within moments of talking with her. Each time we connected, wisdom, ideas, and inspiration flowed from her as unlimited gifts she gave just by being herself. Though this collection of tributes, you will see that we grieve individually and collectively, and our heartbreak echoes across continents. Tracey not only contributed to our field, she catalysed it. Through these reflections we remember her, we celebrate her, and most of all, we honour her.
International Journal of Learning, Teaching and Educational Research, 2017
ESL programs at post-secondary institutions must often generate revenue in addition to teaching s... more ESL programs at post-secondary institutions must often generate revenue in addition to teaching students English. Institutions often impose explicit expectations on these programs to generate profit, creating unique challenges for those who administer them. This qualitative case study investigated challenges faced by ESL program directors at one university in Canada. Semistructured interviews were used to collect data from program directors (N = 3) on topics relating to administration, marketing, the mandate to generate revenue, and the complexities of ESL program legitimacy and marginalization in higher education contexts. Five key themes emerged from the data: (a) the necessity for directors to be highly qualified and multilingual, as well as have international experience; (b) a general lack of training, support, and resources for program directors; (c) institutional barriers such as working with marketers and recruiters with little knowledge of ESL contexts; (d) program fragmentation and marginalization on campus; and (e) reluctance to share information and program protectionism. Findings point to the need for increased training and support for ESL program directors, along with the need for institutions to elevate the profile of these programs so they are not viewed as having less value than other academic programs on campus.
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Conference Presentations by Sarah Elaine Eaton
Papers by Sarah Elaine Eaton