Factors Leading To An Increase In Cheating Instances
The global pandemic has caused a significant upheaval in the quotidian course of life. Due to social distancing norms, it has become difficult to attend in-person classes at schools or colleges. It has led to the utilization of online mediums for educational purposes. Though the internet has given the scope of teaching students online, it has also created some problems.
The issue of cheating is the most pronounced problem in the era of online education. According to a leading non-profit newsroom, the instances of cheating in examinations have increased exponentially during COVID-19. The Hechinger Report published this news on August 7, 2020.
In the case of examinations prior to the pandemic, strict rules were being followed. The candidates were required to appear in-person for the assessment before the beginning of the examination. But when online tests were held due to the pandemic, well-known universities experienced cases of phony candidates. The phony candidates who were sitting in during the examination were not students of the university. Instead, a paid imposter sat in for a student during their online assessments. The students who have opted for such unethical practices are abusing the online education system blatantly.
A remote monitoring system has repeatedly found the incorrect people opting to take multiple university examinations in place for students. The monitor camera can create detailed lists of students for whom imposters take assessments in place of the real students.
This is one consequence of using an online interface to administer examinations. This well-documented case of cheating is not an uncommon instance.
Why Did Cheating Cases Increase During The Pandemic Period?
The most prominent reason for online cheating during this pandemic period is the lack of proper monitoring systems. The sudden shift to online classes and the need for cost-cutting has propelled universities to start virtual examinations. However, without the implementation of effective monitoring systems, several conventional educational processes have gone haywire.
On the one hand, there is massive pressure on educators to complete time-bound educational programs. On the other hand, neither funds nor time is available to opt for a security system.
Cheating has already been caught on camera in the past, but the number of cases still rose dramatically between April and June. Students are no longer monitored during examinations, and so the propensity to cheat and the score has become too palpable.
The current system regarding security and supervision during online examinations was not built to cater to thousands of online examinations. Unsupervised online examinations were carried out for financial reasons, but it hampered the quality of education.
Professors of reputable universities spoke out against rampant online cheating. But still, it hasn’t deterred students from sharing videos and answers. The shift to online education has risen to another form of cheating: the use of purchased assignments.
The companies that provide term papers and solutions to students have been working for a long time. But when the pandemic started, the businesses selling such papers and assignments started earning higher revenue.
The Tendency Of Buying Assignments Increased During The Pandemic
The considerable increase in revenue clearly shows that more students opt for purchasing assignments from such firms or freelance writers rather than completing the work themselves. Although less conventional, this is another form of cheating. One shouldn’t forget that assignments help to analyze the student's progress. Hence, submitting purchased papers defeats the assignment's primary purpose.
The grades obtained by submitting purchased assignments are of no value. If the student consistently opts to submit assignments written by third parties, the degree that a student earns is earned by using extremely unethical methods.
What Is The Importance Of A Plagiarism Checker?
The virtual medium's reliance on conducting classes and examinations is quite apparent in the current pandemic situation. All educational institutes had to shift from face-to-face teaching to online classes.
This paradigm shift has impacted the educational field in many ways. Teachers and students had to adapt to this new methodology. Virtual education is not a new concept but relying solely on the internet for completing educational programs is a new development.
Online educators are trying to keep the virtual programs transparent. Maintaining the ethical code of conduct is of paramount importance in the field of education. However, online assignments and examinations pose a severe challenge.
Cheating is not uncommon among students within primary education and higher education levels. Online examinations have made cheating a bit easier. The use of sources available on the internet often leads to cheating and plagiarism. Students often commit unintentional plagiarism while doing assignments.
It Is Important To Check For Plagiarism As It Has Increased With Online Assessments
Software developers have created sophisticated plagiarism checker software to stop the sporadic growth of plagiarism and cheating. AI anti-plagiarism software or online tools can check for hidden instances of plagiarism.
Intentional use of special characters for confounding the plagiarism report cannot fool the advanced algorithm of an AI plagiarism detector. The human reasoning ability, equipped with unique features, checks papers like a human instructor, all without the drawbacks of the human instructor. Hence, it reduces the cases of plagiarism in the academic arena.
Sophisticated anti-plagiarism software helps to eliminate instances of plagiarism. It is an essential tool in this overwhelming pandemic situation where online education is the only safe mode for conducting classes and examinations.
Conclusion
A high-quality plagiarism checker for a student is suitable for separating original content from plagiarized content. It is best to conduct a plagiarism test with a plagiarism detection tool to detect plagiarism, curbing unethical practices among students.
