Examples of Collusion

Here are six situations where Rook (Rook 2003) had identified where plagiarism or collusion may arise for computing students:

"Situation 1:
Student B has trouble with a part of the code and asks student A for help. Student A shows his/her own code to student B to demonstrate how it has been done. This is collusion and both students will lose their marks for this section.

Situation 2:
Student B has trouble with a part of the code and asks student A for help. Student A types in some code for student B. This is collusion and both students will lose their marks for this section.

Situation 3:
Student B looks at student A's code without student A knowing, in order to see some code that may help them with their assignment. This is plagiarism, and student B will lose marks for this section. But if both students have produced similar code and both deny copying, then both students could be penalised.

Situation 4:
Student B has trouble with the code and finds some suitable code on the Internet or in a book. Student B copies it, make a few adjustments, and gets it to work in this situation. This is plagiarism and student B will lose marks for the section. (Unless student B indicated in the assignment that this code has been used, in which case marks will be awarded for the parts the student has written.)

Situation 5:
Student B has trouble with the code and consults a book or the Internet for similar code. On finding some, the student studies it to understand how the author has solved the problem. Using an improved understanding of programming, student B writes his/her own code to solve the assignment and acknowledges the assistance of the source by referencing it. This is perfectly fine and a useful way to study programming.

Situation 6:
Student B has trouble with the code and asks student A for help. Student A explains some of the programming principles that student B is having trouble with, possibly giving bits of code that would work in general situations. This is perfectly fine and a useful process for both students.

• You should have written every line of code yourself and should be able to explain each line fully if asked to do so.
• Do not let other people see your code. In the real world it is good to share code, but for an assignment it could lead to you being accused of collusion, which will certainly waste your time and could lead to you losing marks or retaking the assignment.
• If other students ask for help, and you wish to help, do so by improving their understanding, not by giving them the answer. If anyone copies code you have shown them, you may both be accused of collusion. Also bear in mind that if other students get qualifications they do not deserve, you may one day fly in an aircraft with flight control software written by one of them.
• If you do not have time to help them, or if they are asking questions you feel you should not answer, tell them to ask the seminar tutor who is getting paid to teach you all.
• When you have problems with your own work, ask the seminar tutor. Do not worry about asking questions that are too closely related to the assignment - if we are not able to answer, we will simply tell you. If we are giving you evasive answers, we are probably trying to help you without giving away too much about possible assignment solutions. (Or it may be that we don't know the answer!)"

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