Collusion occurs when two or more students exchange or share work when the assessment requirements ask for independent, individual work. It involves working with others without the permission of your lecturer to produce work which is then presented as your own work.
Collaboration means working together in pairs or groups cooperatively on shared activities related to an assessment task with the permission of your lecturer. It requires a team effort, where everyone's contribution is acknowledged and no deception takes place.
While group or collaborative learning is now encouraged as it is recognised as an important element of the learning process, it can lead to collusion. Students need to understand the difference between collaboration and collusion and be given very specific instructions about assessment requirements from their lecturers.
Acceptable collaborative activities related to assessment tasks can include discussing the assessment task, and locating and sharing resources. Test your understanding of this issue on the following page!
