Spot University : As students roam university campuses, they will find stickers attached to bathroom stalls and pamphlets dropped near eating areas, along with advertisements online for contract cheating services – offering everything from homework assistance to taking exams for students.
But many professors do not report suspected academic dishonesty to authorities, so what can be done to promote reporting and reduce academic dishonesty?
1. How To Spot A Cheater?
It can be easy to recognize certain indicators of cheating during an exam or homework assignment. There are obvious telltales: when work appears similar to another’s and Googling certain phrases could reveal sources such as Wikipedia, term paper mills or paid tutoring services; similarly there may be subtler clues such as writing answers out on napkins or attaching notes directly onto cell phones – though many professors are simply too overwhelmed with assignments and papers to notice these signs properly.
Cath Ellis and colleagues conducted a survey last year at the University of New South Wales that revealed nearly nine out of 10 academic staff had never suspected a student of cheating – which poses a huge problem, they argue. “A Research Agenda for Academic Integrity,” their scholars write that we require further study of cheating detection; in particular detecting individuals more prone to it who may be harder to spot due to traits like narcissism or self-importance being risk factors for cheating; although not suggesting any students with those traits should be treated suspiciously since everyone makes mistakes despite these characteristics.
Professors who suspect cheating usually report it to their department’s honor board or college registrar; however, this doesn’t always happen due to teacher fatigue and/or lack of evidence. Students caught cheating may face academic suspension to expulsion with any further colleges being more reluctant to enroll them due to notations on their transcripts that could prevent future enrollment.
Students caught cheating often use various excuses when caught, from “The dog ate my homework” to more complex explanations such as hiding test-taking tips in their clothing or using smartwatches to search online databases for answers. Engineering majors, fraternity/sorority members and freshmen tend to cheat more frequently while men admit more readily than women admitting their cheating ways.
2. Tutors Aren’t Helping
Tutoring can be an invaluable way for students to receive extra assistance with challenging subjects and improve performance; if a student’s current tutor is not producing results that match what was promised to them however, it might be time for a change.
There can be several reasons for this to occur, but usually, it comes down to how the tutor teaches their tutee. If your tutee is visual learner, for example, they might not benefit from simply hearing lectures delivered verbally; therefore, tutors might need to spend extra time drawing diagrams or working problems out on paper so the student can see exactly how solutions are arrived at.
Furthermore, tutors may become too preoccupied to keep track of homework assignments and submission deadlines for tutees – this can result in them not doing their assignments or missing deadlines for submission, which makes cheating easier via uploading course content from tutoring sessions onto websites for study. Therefore it’s crucial for success as a tutor that you remain vigilant with assignment monitoring while communicating regularly with pupils, their parents, teachers, and administrators.
It could also be that the tutor just isn’t a good match for the student. This is a common issue and students should communicate with their tutor if they’re not learning or making progress; even if a connection doesn’t form immediately between tutor and pupil, tutors should attempt to discover why it doesn’t work so they can resolve the situation as soon as possible.
Sometimes it just boils down to whether a tutor and student don’t get along, which is okay. Students should be honest when communicating their dissatisfaction to their tutor if they believe they’re not getting what they need; otherwise this would be doing both parties a disservice. Speaking with other students who’ve found suitable tutors can also be very useful; seek their advice.
3. Contract Cheating
Contract Cheating Contract cheating is an academic dishonesty practice where students hire or engage third-party contractors to do their assessed work for them, which has serious ramifications for higher education quality and standards, including depression, anxiety and self-harm among its victims. It has a direct effect on quality standards across higher education resulting in poor student welfare outcomes including depression anxiety and self-harm among its recipients.
Contract cheating may not be as well-known as plagiarism, yet it remains an increasing problem in certain institutions – and may be more harmful and pernicious than was once believed. Contract cheating goes beyond simply asking a friend or family member to write your assignment or exam question for you; many ‘contract cheating’ companies operate online and advertise their services openly on sites like YouTube – often aiding students commit academic misconduct while engaging in predatory and illegal behaviors such as blackmailing students.
Students often report engaging in contract cheating because they believe it will go undetected and result in higher grades. Other motivations could include time pressures (students can have many responsibilities at university), lacking academic skills, or wanting an advantage over fellow classmates. Luckily, higher education providers have an opportunity to address this issue directly.
An academic integrity policy with clear guidance for staff and students can help reduce the prevalence of any inappropriate academic behavior. A key element is providing staff with access to all of the latest research and best practices surrounding academic integrity. Working with academic integrity specialists could assist with developing national or international networks of support that share best practices.
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Also Refer : How To Spot University Fooling?
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