Hi Ros,
tl;dr
Proof readers are not acceptable, but some of this intervention should come for free from the lecturer, fellow students and Learning Support. However, this assumes the assessment method is correct, which it might not be.
Let'a play a little game. Student A writes an essay and shows it to one of the following:
1) a fellow student B on A's course
2) his/her tutor
3) someone paid to review the work
Q1 Which of these three are legitimately allowed to change/rewrite any of it?
Q2. What are the three allowed to contribute that is legitimate in an academic case where this is assessed work?
My model answer, assuming traditional assessment techniques and university regulations would be:
Q1. None. If a lecturer could not be expected to rewrite work, no one else should; modifying text is not supervision, it's collaboration at best, or collusion. If an assignment is individual work, there is a threshold of acceptable intervention that the lecturer must manage.
Q2. Very little, sadly. Given we are assuming traditional assessment, which is already broken, fellow students (a great learning resource) are prohibited; lecturers are unable/unwilling to provide the level of supervision necessary, especially if the language skills are that poor; paid proof readers (as another poster suggested) could only legitimately provide the level of support a supervisor or Learning Support should be providing free, which does not include translation or rewrites.
The real question is what is being assessed and how is learning supported. If ability to write graduate level English is vital, a proof reader is not acceptable, and Learning Support units needs to be resourced properly to provide this service free for all, if the lecturer cannot; if admissions have accepted a student's level of English is sufficient, then the institution has to support that student. If the ability to construct an assignment individually is critical, most support is inappropriate. If in depth knowledge of the discipline is required, is an essay the best form of assessment?
Mike
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