Cheating "On the Rise" in Canada

Plus, student paper at UGA opines on cheating and grade inflation. Plus, International Quick Bites from Japan, India and Australia.

Jan 17, 2023

Issue 181

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Cheating Increases at Canadian Institutions

CBC is out with a story this past week about an increase in cheating among Canadian institutions.

The article has several points worth sharing and leads with reporting from Western University in London, Ontario. Where, it says:

there were 430 instances of what have been called scholastic offences reported in the 2021-2022 school year, nearly double the number during the year before the pandemic, when classes going completely online increased the instances of cheating at Canadian colleges and universities.

Nearly double.

Also interesting from Western University is that:

Professors say they've already seen students using AI to get around having to complete assignments themselves

It quotes a Professor Stark at Western:

"We have a pretty good idea that at least some of our students are using this. Anecdotally, I can say that we've had a couple of instances where we've picked it up”

CBC continues that cheating is up at Queen's University, the University of Toronto, and at Fanshawe College. A member of Fanshawe’s academic integrity office told CBC:

"We definitely did see an increase in academic offences during the pandemic when we switched to online delivery and online testing”

If you’ve been following academic integrity at all or even accidentally scanned one issue of this marvelous newsletter, you know that cheating is increasing. Or at least that it has been since the nearly universal shift to remote, online learning formats in 2020.

And, so far at least, there’s been little to no evidence of a reversion to the pre-pandemic mean. In fact, some reliable data sources have shown a continued acceleration in misconduct.

Student Paper at University of Georgia: Cheating May be Linked to Increased GPAs

An opinion article at The Red & Black, the student newspaper at the University of Georgia, says that an increase in grades may be linked to cheating.

It says:

In the 1960s, the average college student had a GPA of 2.5 while today’s college student has an average GPA of about 3.1. Some theorize that the steady rise in grade point averages is due to grade inflation or the fact that colleges are going “easier” on their students than they did in the past.
However, there is also another potential factor that could account for this rise in GPA and competitiveness, not only at UGA but on campuses across the country. Cheating and academic dishonesty are currently rampant at many colleges and universities, especially with the increase in technology and online learning platforms.

I don’t know - maybe.

To which, I guess I’d say, so what? I think there are more and better reasons to be concerned with cheating than its theorized role in grade inflation.

Nonetheless, an article the raises the topic, reminds readers of school policy, interviews academic integrity officers and advocates following the rules - that’s probably a win.

And I do like this quote in the article from one of the school’s officials:

“If your answer [to cheating] is I just need to get a degree so I can get a job, you’re not here for the right reasons.”

Japan is cracking down on cheating in its college entrance exams by taking a harder line on cell phones, earphones and other items that could facilitate misconduct. The news report says bluntly that, “wearing earphones during the exam will be recognized as cheating” and that if students are caught cheating, police will be notified.
In India, the Maharashtra State Board of Secondary and Higher Secondary Education is asking for suggestions on how to stop cheating. So, if you have any…
Also in India, 50 people have been arrested for cheating on what I think is an exam for jobs at a power company. Though, it’s entirely possible I’m wrong about that. The 50 arrests - that’s right. I think.
A group in Australia is the latest to say they’ve developed a tool to catch ChatGPT text. That makes, by my count, five. Meanwhile, Turnitin has released a sneak peek at their own ChatGPT tool that will be out soon.