Academic Integrity: sampling conversation – information for students

What is a sampling conversation?

The sampling conversation is simply a quality assurance mechanism to verify that the work submitted for assessment is your own. You will be asked to discuss your assessment and how you approached it with the module leader. Conversations will last between 15-20 minutes.

The conversation is not assessed and does not carry any marks.

What will I be asked about?

You are likely to be asked to summarise your arguments, explain your methods and approaches, discuss your evidence, justify your conclusions, and reflect on the effectiveness of your work.

Questions might be about:

Content: what is your work about?
Methods: what did you do? What sources did you use?
Results: what did you find out?
Evaluation/reflection: why does it matter? Why is this important?

How should I prepare?

You do not need to do anything to prepare specifically for the conversation. The conversation will be based upon your experience of undertaking the assessment. You will be asked about the work that you have already produced as part of the assessment. You might find it helpful to look over your answers before you talk to your module leader, but you don’t need to do additional revision.

You should have copies of your answers saved on your computer or your phone, you may also have scans or pictures of your notes and work in progress if you undertook a files-based assessment. It may be useful to have these in front of you during the conversation.

How will I be contacted?

If you have been selected as part of the sample you will be contacted by your module leader up to 24 hours after the submission deadline. You should make sure you are available and contactable via email during this period. If you have another assessment scheduled during this time please inform your module leader as soon as possible.

If you are living in a time zone outside British Summer Time you will not be expected to be available during unsociable hours.

How will the conversation take place?

Conversations will take place in Microsoft Teams and will be recorded.

Make sure you can connect to a Microsoft Teams meeting and can hear and see and can be heard and seen by others. If you have any problems joining any of the test meetings, please contact the module leader immediately.

During the conversation

Stay calm: this is just a chat about work you have done, it isn’t an interrogation.
Don’t be defensive: remember that you are not being interviewed because you are suspected of misconduct – your name has been randomly selected.
Listen carefully to the questions.
If you don’t understand the question ask for the question to be repeated, or check your understanding of the question before you start to answer, i.e. “I think that you are asking . . .”
Take the time that you need to answer.
If you can’t answer the question, you don’t remember, or you experience ‘brain freeze’ say so and ask if you can come back to that question later.
Don’t ask about your marks: your work will not yet have been marked so your module leader won’t yet know how well you have done in the assessment.
Silence your mobile and place a ‘do not disturb’ sign on your door.

After the conversation

You won’t receive feedback on your performance during the conversation, as this isn’t assessed. So don’t be concerned if you don’t hear anything further.