Thousands of students are cheating their way to degrees
THOUSANDS of university students have been caught cheating in exams and coursework over the past two years.
Some have tried to use smart watches or notes scribbled on water bottle labels, or smuggled in fellow students’ work, statistics released by Scotland’s top academic institutions show.
Others concealed mathematic formulae within calculator covers, jotted down clues in the margins of permitted textbooks and hid notes in their pencil cases.
Dozens were disciplined for ‘academic misconduct’ after being found to have used online ‘ghostwriting’ services to turn out essays and coursework on their behalf.
A total of 3,337 students were caught cheating during the 2015-16 and 201617 academic years across 15 universities north of the Border.
The majority faced disciplinary action such as having marks reduced to zero, ordered to re-sit classes or even being dismissed.
As smartphones and online ‘essay mills’ make it easier to cheat, university bosses have disclosed that hundreds were caught using their mobiles during exams.
The figures, obtained under the Freedom of Information Act, have sparked calls for universities to tighten their exam room rules.
Scottish Tory education spokesman Liz Smith said: ‘It must be drilled into students that cheating of any sort is completely unacceptable. Trying to use a mobile phone or any other means to gain unfair advantage is a
‘Blatant act of dishonesty’
blatant act of dishonesty and the penalties must fully reflect that.’
The University of Glasgow recorded 757 instances of cheating, while Stirling University detected 537 cases of ‘academic misconduct’ and ‘exam infringements’.
Glasgow also recorded five instances in which a student was reprimanded for ‘questioning an invigilator’ or ‘acting aggressive towards an invigilator’ during exams.
The University of St Andrews, where Prince William and his wife Kate studied, recorded 240 incidents.
The Quality Assurance Agency for Higher Education (QAA) says 100 essay mill websites operate in the UK, charging from several hundred pounds for one essay to £6,750 for a PhD dissertation.
Many institutions use plagiarism detection software to combat the problem, while governing body Universities Scotland said academic institutions were doing everything within their powers to prevent cheating. A spokesman added: ‘Universities have made concerted efforts, such as deploying plagiarism detection software, to ensure that the sanctity of exams and coursework are upheld.’
A spokesman for Stirling University said: ‘We use plagiarism detection software and have robust processes in place to ensure that instances of academic misconduct are addressed.’