Cheating Via the Internet at College

Electron Barrage writes, "An anonymous professor writes that last year about half of the seniors at his US university were suspected of cheating, mostly due to the Internet and community sites such as Wikipedia. He guesses that perhaps 25%-30% were actually guilty, a huge increase from earlier levels. According to this professor, it's nearly impossible for the universities to keep up with the new forms of cheating enabled by the Net. Will academic institutions learn to deal with this new reality? It sounds a little dubious from this professor's viewpoint." The article mentions the anti-cheating services Turn It In and iThenticate (while decrying their expense), but expresses worry over the new countermeasure represented by Student of Fortune.

Comments

Education wants to be free

[Anonymous Coward]

The problem is, of course, not so-called "cheating", but the failure of the educational system to adjust to technological reality. The same holds true of these institutions expending so much effort and funding on stopping so-called "piracy" on their networks.

The inability of our universities and other types of schooling systems to adapt to the free exchange of information that modern connectivity makes possible is a result of the outdated ideas that these systems continue to perpetuate.

The notion that medieval methodologies like education using "teachers", "classrooms", and "textbooks", for example, has never really been questioned. This is because the state-funded educational methods by which most young people gain knowledge today has a vested interest in self-perpetuation.

What is needed is of course a reevaluation of what would be the most effective way of disseminating knowledge amongst the popluation, one that takes full advantage of all technological innovations available today.

This will of course require real school choice, and the abolition of hidebound educational methods. We are trying to build a 21st-century society with medieval insititutions. Something has to give. A free market in schooling, with all schools run as for-profit corporations, would give our society the dynamic, competitive, adaptive educational system we need. Imagine what would be possible if our schools were able to meed students' needs as effectively as modern corporations cater to the need of the consumer. Imagine a generation of children learning calculus as efficiently as Apple innovates the iPod. The possibilities are limitless.

We also need to lower the age for strippers and porn actresses to 17. Give the dropouts a chance to make some decent scratch before their looks go to hell.

Re:I go to school to learn....

[Chaffar]

I go to school to learn not to cheat, those cheating just screw themselves over in the long run. They may get a job and realize they can't cheat at that and don't know anything.

In case you didn't know, what you learn in school/university will hardly ever be useful in a work environment. Furthermore, you'll be surprised juste how far a good liar and cheater can go in life, not because he'll lie and cheat his way through, but also because he'll be good at catching other people's lies. Not that I condone such behaviour; but you must be aware of it or end up getting turned down at job interviews because you kept on boasting your amazing grades you got through hard work, when they don't really give a sh*t.

Re:It happens, but not often, and not well...

[CAIMLAS]

Only the cheaters are lazy. The people who cheat the cheaters get away scot free.

And your gf isn't the brightest bulb in the bunch, is she? I mean, a teacher - someone who's been through college herself - can't recognize the basic functionality of computing software? Or do education majors play with blocks all day, as the stereotype goes?