Cheating in college has become very rampant in this 21st century. And what’s disturbing is what schools are doing about it. It’s almost like schools aren’t doing enough to curb this ugly practice in most colleges.In this article we will see can college detect cheating or not.
College can detect cheating. In fact, it is very easy for colleges to detect cheating, regardless of how the techniques the students decide to deploy.
Why do students cheat?
Given the outcome of various surveys, we have discovered a few reasons why students cheat intentionally
- Lack of effort and poor preparation for tests and examinations
- When there are no rules or code of conduct clearly stated.
- No severe punishment for cheaters.
- Faculties permit it, either intentionally or otherwise.
- Because other students who cheat get away with it, and chances of being caught are low
- Students who involve in cheating get better grades than those who don’t.
- Because of peer pressure
- When the emphasis is on grades instead of understanding the course
- Academic pressure
- Time pressure from having part or full-time jobs
There are also a few reasons why students, especially younger ones, cheat unintentionally. They include:
- Not understanding the school’s copyright policy.
- No adequate knowledge of how to do proper citing and referencing.
- No proper orientation on how to do group work online, and sometimes homework
Common ways students cheat
There are various ways through which students cheat, either intentionally or not. We have listed the most common among college and high school students.
- Falsification of scores and documents
- Copying texts from various sources
- Downloading papers from the web
- Having parents and guardians do the work for them.
- Hiring machinery to write exams for them
- Copying homework and essays
- Using phones to browse answers during tests or exams
- Writing texts on pieces of paper and taking them into the exam hall
- Taking photos of questions during the test and posting them online
- Calling a person outside the hall to solve questions and send them back to them
- Saving tips on the phone for use during the examination
- Using earbuds or smart devices hidden in long or clothing while listening to a pre-recorded lecture note.
One of the most common forms of cheating today is when students copy each other’s work – test or exam script.
Cheating can hurt both the college and students
Even though students have found various ways to get away with cheating, the result is not always pleasing for both the students and the school.
- Cheating leaves a negative footprint on your academic history. It can get your name in the school’s black book.
- Cheating can create a bad reputation for the colleges involved.
- Cheating can make a student lose a scholarship
- In some cases, cheating can attract legal consequences
- Cheating in school brings embarrassment and can make students lose a loose sense of independence
- Cheating can lead to total expulsion from college
- A school that does nothing about cheating is indirectly grooming sets of lazy students to be released into society after graduation.
What can colleges do to prevent or catch cheating?
Here are some ways proprietors and professors can either prevent or detect cheating.
- Tweak assignment and exam questions:
Teachers should change course assignments and tweak question details so that each student has a different question from every other person. Teachers can create multiple versions of tests or exams without informing the student
- Educating students on the importance of writing independently
Educators should carry out constant sensitization to remind students exam code of conduct and the dangers of cheating.
- More emphasis should be on learning instead of grades
Teachers in high schools and colleges should ensure that students don’t go into a test or exam just for their grades. Beyond giving lesson notes, educators should explain how each lesson can be applied in the future instead. Instructors should also praise the efforts of students and not their grades.
- Physical checks before an exam
Examiners can do body searches on students before they enter the exam room. There should be a random check for student ID to detect imposters who want to write for another student. Electronic devices should be banned from exam rooms if not in the classroom or the school.
- Using software to detect discrepancies
Schools can also use services like turnltln.com to check for plagiarized work. They can also use handwriting analysis to detect if one person or several students did an assignment.
- Exam room measures
Backpacks and lecture notes should be kept in the exam room corner to avoid easy access to notebooks. Additionally, teaching assistants should be brought monitor exams and walk around the exam hall to prevent students from communicating with themselves.
The sitting arrangement of students should be such that it becomes difficult for anyone to try to copy. Teachers should also be familiar with possible physical tricks like coughing or tapping.
- Creating anti-cheating pledges
Schools can have students sign the pledge before they begin any test or exam. These pledges define class rules as it concerns academic honesty and cheating. It will also make the students accountable for breaking or not breaking the pledge.
Conclusion
Cheating in college is condemnable. Students should be taught to desist from cheating, whether paying for custom assignments, plagiarism, or gaining illegal access to academic resources. No student goes to college to cheat in examinations. Therefore, students should also be educated on how to earn good grades legally.
FAQ’s
- What are alternatives to cheating?
Instead of cheating, students can learn the material, study hard for exams, create study groups, get a tutor or consult their professor for extra lesson hours.
- Why do people cheat?
Students cheat because they aren’t prepared enough; they want good grades and aren’t prepared enough.
- What are the consequences of cheating in college?
Cheating policies can differ depending on the college, but the expected consequences of cheating include failing the exam, repeating class, and expulsion.
