Thousands of students cheat at universities

More than 8,000 caught in last five years

MORE THAN 8,000 Yorkshire students have been caught cheating in exams and coursework over the last five years, new figures show, as technological devices like smartwatches and online “essay mills” make it easier than ever.

A number of universities in the region have seen an increase in the number of students cheating in exams and coursework, with figures as high as 600 a year at some institutions. And as exam season comes to a close, figures show mobile phones and plagiarism are among the main ways for students to cheat.

Now some universities, including Sheffield Hallam, have revealed they are cracking down on the problem, with new measures being put in place to tackle the use of Bluetooth headsets and hidden wires in exams, alongside a text-matching service to detect online plagiarism. The figures obtained by The

Yorkshire Post under the Freedom of Information Act show that cheating is most prevalent in coursework – since 2012 a total of 7,673 students in Yorkshire were caught out – with most universities listing plagiarism as the main factor. The figures were lower when it came to exams – 403 cheated – where mobile phones caused the most problems, with devices ringing in exams and students caught using them or having them in their possession.

A spokesperson for vice-chancellors’ group Universities UK said: “Universities take plagiarism and cheating extremely seriously. Submitting work written by someone else is cheating and devalues the efforts of students who work hard to achieve their degrees. Universities have severe penalties for students found to be submitting work that is not their own.

“Such academic misconduct is a breach of an institution’s disciplinary regulations and can result in students, in serious cases, being expelled from the university.

“With information now so readily available online, it has become increasingly important to engage with students from day one to underline the implications of cheating.

“University support services are also there to help vulnerable students struggling with anxiety and stress around coursework and deadlines. The higher education sector has already done a lot of work in this area and universities have become more experienced in detecting and dealing with such forms of cheating.”

It comes as the Government continues to crack down on the use of essay mills – which customwrite work for students for payment – by proposing tough penalties on those who use them.

Jo Johnson, the universities minister, has asked student bodies and institutions to draw up guidance to help combat “contract plagiarism”, in which tens of thousands of students are believed to be buying essays for hundreds of pounds a time.

Vice president of the National Union of Students (higher education) Sorana Vieru said: “It’s important to remember that the vast majority of students don’t engage in academic malpractice at all.”

7,673 The number of Yorkshire students who have been caught cheating on their coursework since 2012.

A LEADING Yorkshire university has told how it requires students to remove watches and ditch their mobile phones before exams as part of a major crackdown on cheating.

Sheffield Hallam also employs a text-matching service to assess students’ work with online sources in an effort to tackle website plagiarism.

Now the institution is looking at how it can combat the use of hidden earpieces and wireless Bluetooth devices in exams as it attempts to keep up with fastpaced technology alongside other universities.

A total of 2,799 students have been caught cheating in their coursework at the university in the last five years – the highest in the region – with online plagiarism being listed as the main cause.

However, the university puts this down to having a sophisticated system in place, with its comprehensive measures meaning that less serious cases, like poor referencing, are identified, which make up the vast majority of incidents.

A spokesman for the university, which saw 162 pupils cheat in exams during the same period, said: “We tackle plagiarism through a combination of education, presentations and sanctions. We educate all students about plagiarism, providing advice and guidance to students on how to maintain academic conduct, particularly for those who are new to study at a UK university.

“We use text-matching services which are integrated within our Virtual Learning Environment.

“These show the percentage of a submission that matches other sources, including the internet, a range of electronic journals and its database of existing student papers from subscribing UK institutions.

“We also keep ahead of technologies and physical malpractice in the exam hall.

“We require students to remove their watches and place them in a plastic box under their desk along with their mobile phone during exams, and are currently assessing measures to protect against wireless earpieces and Bluetooth devices.”

The spokesman stressed that the university rarely found serious cases of deliberate cheating through plagiarism, though robust checks for this are in place and if detected the matter is treated “extremely seriously”.

“We have in place a range of sanctions for genuine plagiarism,” he said.

Leeds Beckett recorded the second highest figure in the region when it came to students cheating in coursework, with 2,260 caught out in the last five years.

The university is also cracking down on the problem, providing guidance and a range of resources to all students to educate them about good academic practice.

A university spokesperson said: “This includes a module on academic integrity available to all students, and students with an admitted or found case of unfair practice are advised to undertake the module to improve their understanding and avoid future offences.

“We have a robust system for investigating suspected cases of unfair practice and considering admitted or found cases in place, to ensure that instances of cheating, plagiarism and other forms of unfair practice are kept to a minimum.”

The university also uses a number of plagiarism detection tools, including text-matching software.

The spokesperson added: “We have not seen a significant increase in the number of proven cases of plagiarism or cheating in recent years and continue to work closely with our students to ensure they place pride in their work and achievements.

“We take all incidents of cheating, plagiarism and other forms of unfair practice extremely seriously. Maintaining the academic integrity of our awards and safeguarding against unfair practice is very important to us.”

We have in place a range of sanctions for genuine plagiarism. Spokesman for Sheffield Hallam University.