British Universities' cheating epidemic

**Falcon** · 03-06-2011, 01:22 AM

In my time, this was your one and only chance at a degree, in terms of time and money.

What makes kids these days think they could risk cheating:
- high tech methods?
- laughable punishment?
- availability of alternative career options should they get caught?

shocking.

A survey of more than 80 universities has revealed that academic misconduct is soaring at institutions across the country.

See the full list of cheating incidents at British universities

More than 17,000 incidents of cheating were recorded by universities in the 2009-10 academic year – up at least 50 per cent in four years.

But the true figure will be far higher because many were only able to provide details of the most serious cases and let lecturers deal with less serious offences.

Only a handful of students were expelled for their misdemeanours among those universities which disclosed how cheats were punished.

http://www.telegraph.co.uk/education...versities.html

Glad to see Rolls Royce Cambridge only allow 1 miscreant though our hallowed doors last year

**Mailman** · 03-06-2011, 04:48 PM

Glad to see Rolls Royce Cambridge only allow 1 miscreant though our hallowed doors last year

Erm. . . only one dat dey ketch

http://www.telegraph.co.uk/education...-cheating.html

**Falcon** · 03-06-2011, 08:40 PM

A member of the University Council, the principal executive and policy making body of the university, said: "It stands to reason that those students who are performing less well, will resort to more underhand means to get by."

Who was this from the Council? The janitor? Ending a sentence with 'by', probably made the earth shake at Kings.
Anyhow MM, it is obvious this survey was done BY some quacks at Oxford!!

**kemist** · 03-07-2011, 03:43 AM

Cheating is more of an act of desperation than of malicious intent. The modern UG student generally expects maximum results from minimal input. Perhaps when they discover that's not possible, they get desperate at the last minute (?)

It is also partly due to the attitude of the student towards higher education - a degree is seen as just a means to getting a good job (or A job).
It is no longer also seen as a means of expanding ones knowledge base, satisfying curiosity, challenging theories etc so genuine interest in the subject may not be an attribute of the modern student.
Added to that is the 'hype' that universities/colleges are THE 'liming' spots.

So while students may have the clear objective of getting a degree, getting an education may not be their top priority. It is therefore not surprising that students will try to take short cuts or beat the system.

**Solachica** · 03-07-2011, 09:23 AM

Kem, I agree. Cheating is act of desperation.

But in ah univ like uwi, I never felt I was 'expanding ones knowledge base, satisfying curiosity, challenging theories etc' . It felt to me just like secondary sch where I just gave them back wht they gave to me, just to pass and tht is all tht they wanted, nothing outside the box.

**kemist** · 03-07-2011, 11:10 AM

Sola, the problem is two-way; The way in which the university (especially those who have the semester system) tests their students, and the students' attitude coming into university (i.e their perception of what tertiary ed should be, is usually misguided).

The university experience should be very different to high school. Over here, secondary schools 'teaches' students how to pass exams, and the students bring that 'training' with them into university.

The 1st year of university is usually the 'maturation year', where students (young adults) adapt to tertiary ed, and then face it full blast from second year. But, it is very difficult for them to adapt to tertiary level education, because the system (examination method) does not encourage them to mature academically (if they are not encouraged to change, then why should they right?). In a place where most of the material is supposed to be self-taught (hence the expression 'reading a course') there is not really supposed to be a fixed syllabus to limit what one should read, but only guidelines to what (fundamentals) should be covered at a particular level. It is sad to say that lecture notes have become the main repository of knowledge for students and many students don't even know how to utilize the library resources properly.

The examination system also encourages students to keep their habits from secondary school. So students are still just focusing on passing exams - e.g. trying to predict 'what coming' for exams based on past papers and only studying those topics- therein lies the problem of selective learning; doing minimal and hoping to achieve maximum results.

Expanding ones knowledge base, satisfying curiosity, challenging theories etc, is and has always been the responsibility of the student to seek for themselves at the tertiary level. The role of the lecturer in developing those attributes, is mainly to give that initial spark (we cant teach someone who is not interested in learning). Lecture sessions, tutorials and assignments are used to help set off that spark. However, academic activities are only seen in two ways - marks or no marks. If an activity/assignment carries no marks, it is ignored by the masses. Unless an attendance role is recorded in class, there will be mass absenteeism. The students' priorities does not seem to be about getting the maximum out of their tertiary ed experience.

**Solachica** · 03-07-2011, 11:43 AM

Well I've seen where when a roll is taken their friends write their name in for them.
I was never challenged to do anything more except by one lecturer and he remains my favourite to this day

So tht is why 1st year grades aren't taken into consideration?
I didn't need any more maturing nah, I was already a mature student when I started

thts why I can't understand the chirren. One day I just got fed up and wished for the day it wud end.

**kemist** · 03-07-2011, 12:24 PM

Well I've seen where when a roll is taken their friends write their name in for them.

I've seen that as well.

So tht is why 1st year grades aren't taken into consideration?

yep. a big chunk of 1st year is just a re-hash of A-levels. It is about covering the fundamentals, to establish a foundation. The degree truly begins in the second year.

**Solachica** · 03-07-2011, 12:37 PM

Ohho. Ah learning something everyday

**amzz** · 03-07-2011, 07:23 PM

Originally Posted by kemist

I've seen that as well.

yep. a big chunk of 1st year is just a re-hash of A-levels. It is about covering the fundamentals, to establish a foundation. The degree truly begins in the second year.

no point in doing A's then

ppl cheat when they aren't really interested in learning and they doh know what they want to learn or what profession they want to be in

**indie** · 03-07-2011, 08:21 PM

Originally Posted by kemist

I've seen that as well.

yep. a big chunk of 1st year is just a re-hash of A-levels. It is about covering the fundamentals, to establish a foundation. The degree truly begins in the second year.

Same with me - first year grades are not considered - but still some ah dem chirren doh mature

**kemist** · 03-08-2011, 07:04 AM

Originally Posted by amzz

no point in doing A's then

Maybe for some subject areas.

I know that some tertiary ed institutes offers places to students after O-levels, so they skip A's.

Part of A-level training is also about maturation, both in academics and age. The average student is 16 when they have finished O-levels. So they will be 18 when they finish A's. In academics it prepares one to cope with the much higher volume of work encountered at the tertiary level.

If there is an important practical component to the subject (like in the natural sciences), then A-levels cannot be skipped, since certain practical skills needs to be developed at an early age.