Ethical student collaboration in education matters. It sits at the heart of effective learning, fostering teamwork, creativity, and problem-solving skills. Yet, when collaboration crosses certain boundaries, it risks turning into academic collusion—a practice that undermines integrity and can lead to serious consequences for students and institutions alike.
The line between student collaboration and academic collusion, however, isn’t always clear. In fact, there’s often a large gray area where well-intentioned teamwork can unintentionally slip into unethical territory.
For students, this ambiguity can lead to inadvertent missteps—actions that feel collaborative but fall outside the bounds of academic integrity. These mistakes can leave students feeling trapped in a situation that can be difficult to recover from, leading to consequences that can impact their academic progression as well as their institution’s reputation.
The goal of this blog post is to help both educators and students navigate this hazy terrain by defining the differences between student collaboration and collusion, identifying key warning signs, and offering practical advice for promoting ethical teamwork within the realms of their institution’s academic integrity policy.
What is effective student collaboration and how does it impact learning?
Student collaboration, often referred to as cooperative or collaborative learning, is defined by Smith and McGregor (1993) as, “a complex sense-making process in which a group of students works together towards a shared goal, fostering collective knowledge construction.”
While the terms are sometimes used interchangeably, student collaboration refers more broadly to any teamwork among students, whereas collaborative learning specifically emphasizes the intentional use of collaboration as a learning strategy to enhance understanding and mastery of the material.
Effective student collaboration goes beyond task completion—it prioritizes critical thinking, shared responsibility, and active engagement, making it a powerful tool for deepening learning and fostering essential skills like communication, problem-solving, and teamwork.
Effective student collaboration is enhanced by a number of factors, as found in a study by Scager et al. (2016) on evoking positive interdependence in higher education. They found that student collaboration can be optimised through:
- student autonomy and self-regulatory behavior;
- challenging, open, and complex group tasks that require creating something new and original;
- a sense of responsibility and shared ownership of both the collaborative process and the end product; and
- absence of free riders in group assignments.
When students come together to learn, they develop the skills they need to succeed in both their academic and future professional environments. This includes enhancing their critical thinking and problem-solving skills, developing communication and teamwork skills, gaining the opportunity to learn from diverse perspectives, and being able to improve information retention through active participation—all transferable skills for the outside world, be it homelife or career.
These benefits are strongly supported by research, as evidenced in a comprehensive meta-analysis by Johnson et al. (2014). They found that students learning collaboratively demonstrated greater knowledge acquisition, retention of material, and higher-order problem-solving and reasoning abilities compared to those working individually.
What is an example of a collaborative activity for students?
There are a range of activities that have the potential to deepen collaborative engagement among students. These include:
- Group projects: Students can join forces to collectively solve problems or create a presentation based on assigned tasks. This can involve a mix of independent and collaborative engagement, whereby students share workload, then come back together to present findings.
- Role-playing or simulation activities: Students take on specific roles or participate in simulated real-world scenarios that require collaboration to achieve a common goal. For example, a mock trial, a business pitch, or a crisis management scenario encourages students to combine their unique skills, communicate effectively, and work together toward a successful outcome.
- Study groups and peer reviews: Collaborative study sessions that involve discussing concepts and sharing resources and feedback can help a group of students improve their writing, research, or projects. With the right guidance to hand, peer reviews give students the opportunity to share their knowledge and learn from others, fostering a collaborative environment where ideas can be refined, and perspectives expanded.
Student collaboration vs. academic collusion: Key differences
While collaboration is a legitimate and encouraged part of learning, academic collusion refers to unauthorized cooperation that results in academic dishonesty.
Collusion occurs when students work together in a way that violates institutional guidelines, often blurring the lines of individual responsibility. Understanding the distinct differences and boundaries is crucial to prevent collusion and uphold academic standards.
Let’s take a look at the distinct differences between the two:
When can student collaboration inadvertently shift to academic collusion?
The gray area between student collaboration and academic collusion can understandably create confusion for students if the right guidance isn't front and center, making it possible to unintentionally cross ethical boundaries.
In some cases, students may inadvertently engage in collusion without malicious intent. While unintentional actions require careful consideration, intentionality—for some instructors and depending on the stakes of the assessment—can play a critical role in assessing and managing instances of collusion within an institution.
Dividing work equally
Particularly when working as part of a group, one key challenge is ensuring equitable participation—where all members of the group share an equal load and avoid situations where certain individuals shoulder more work than others, a phenomenon often referred to as ‘social loafing’, defined by North, Linley, and Hargreaves (2010) as, “the tendency for individuals to reduce their own personal input when performing as part of group.”
Fostering this level of inequity can lead to excessive reliance on shared work. If students overstep their roles and share answers or complete each other’s tasks, it can blur the lines of acceptable collaboration.
Failing to follow instructor guidelines
A critical factor for students is adhering closely to the instructor’s guidance to ensure that student collaboration remains within ethical boundaries. Without proper oversight, shared work can drift into academic collusion, where students cross the line from legitimate collaboration to prohibited sharing of ideas or answers. The intent may be mixed, where some students may knowingly engage in collusion, or mistakenly diverge from the assignment guidelines.
Instructors play a pivotal role in providing clear parameters for group work and regularly checking in with teams to prevent misunderstandings about what is considered acceptable student collaboration.
However, students, too, have a responsibility to act with integrity when it comes to their academic output. Seeking clarity should be a key part of any student assignment, whether collaborative or independent. As part of their student guide on understanding and avoiding collusion, Heriot Watt University advises: “When it comes to assessments … you need to be sure that you understand what the limits of acceptable collaboration are. And if in doubt, always ask!”
Sharing drafts or final work
Peer review is an essential part of student collaboration, but when students begin sharing completed drafts or final answers for copying, it moves from learning support to collusion. Collaboration can also turn into collusion when students misuse shared material.
For example, in cases where a group project is followed by an individual assignment, some students may rely too heavily on shared content from the group work rather than producing their own independent analysis. If students knowingly submit identical or heavily overlapping work for what was meant to be an individual task, this constitutes academic collusion.
How can educators promote ethical student collaboration?
Educators are central to fostering effective and ethical student collaboration. Research shows that obstacles such as free-riding, lack of collaborative skills, and interpersonal dynamics often arise because educators focus heavily on cognitive outcomes while neglecting the collaborative aspects of group work (Le, Janssen & Wubbels, 2018).
By setting clear goals, providing structured guidance, and assessing both academic and teamwork skills, teachers can help students navigate these challenges and ensure collaboration remains productive and ethical. Take a look at some quick wins for promoting ethical student collaboration in the classroom:
Design collaboration-friendly assignments
Create group projects that require a mix of individual and group contributions. For example, students can present a group report while submitting individual reflections on their roles.
Set clear expectations
Clearly outline what constitutes acceptable collaboration versus prohibited collusion. Include these definitions in the syllabus and reinforce them during class discussions.
Monitor group work
Regular check-ins can help identify imbalances in contributions and ensure each student group stays on track. Encourage your students to maintain documentation of their roles and responsibilities. This record-keeping can reduce the risk of the ‘social loafing’ (covered earlier), among peers.
Use assessment rubrics
Design rubrics that reward both teamwork and individual contributions. By making the rubric available before the collaborative task begins, students can become motivated to do their part while contributing to the team.
Leverage technology
When determining the critical factors for enhancing student collaboration, Leow and Neo (2023) observe that when it comes to enhancing collaborative learning experiences, “technology is under-utilized in many classrooms, and educators still lack the confidence and proper theoretical frameworks to redesign their classes efficiently.“
With such a large gap in the effective integration of technology, this directly impacts the potential for fostering meaningful student collaboration. So how can educators effectively leverage Turnitin to promote ethical student collaboration and, as a byproduct, discourage academic collusion?
- Use shared project management platforms: Freemium tools like Trello help students organize tasks, assign responsibilities, and track progress transparently.
- Familiarize students with collaborative writing platforms: Real-time collaboration with visible contribution tracking can foster accountability among students, as well as providing instructors with records that can address participation issues if they arise.
- Enhance peer reviews with peer feedback tools: With full oversight of peer review assignments, instructors can be certain that students are fully focused on offering constructive feedback, rather than rewriting or overly influencing their peers’ work.
- Implement similarity detection software: With integrity software at hand, instructors can provide students with an opportunity to learn about academic integrity and monitor for collusion within the course or institution.
Overview: Taking steps to promote student collaboration while discouraging academic collusion
Ethical student collaboration doesn’t just build academic success; it lays the foundation for integrity, trust, and lifelong skills. Yet, the line between collaboration and collusion is delicate, requiring intentional effort from both students and educators to stay within ethical boundaries.
By creating an environment where teamwork is guided, monitored, and supported by the right tools, institutions can empower students to engage meaningfully while safeguarding academic integrity.