Student Maya Kanani
Windsor Law Student Maya Kanani was interviewed by CBC radio today on her recent research report on the legality of 'essay mills'. For the past six months, Maya and University of Ottawa law student Megan Jamieson conducted research on 'essay mills' for the International Centre for Academic Integrity (ICAI) through Pro Bono Students Canada.
'Essay mills' sell essays, written by their employees, tailored to the student's course requirements. These purchased essays often go undetected when submitted through plagiarism detection software.
After exploring potential claims of negligence and fraud against 'essay mills', through current legal means, Maya and Megan, along with their supervisors, drafted model legislation to be considered by ICAI members from around the world. Their proposed legislation is a blunt instrument recognizing that universities cannot be expected to bear the sole responsibility for discouraging and detecting this widescale contract cheating.
Maya and Megan presented their research and hosted a workshop in Vancouver in February 2015 at the ICAI Conference to academics, students and educators from across the world. In recognition of their efforts, they received the 'Academic Integrity Advocacy' award for their exemplary work on this project. Maya will remain active on this project and is hoping to publish a position paper outlining their research in the months ahead.