Student Sues Syracuse University Over Misconduct Hearings

Plus, Bristol University (UK) says cheating is up and it has some atypical views on assessment. Plus, Honorlock raises $25 million.

Issue 22

Suspended Student Sues Syracuse

A Syracuse University student, suspended over accusations of cheating on three exams, filed a lawsuit against the university’s hearing process, the student newspaper reported.

The short version is that the accused student says he (incorrectly) thought the school would provide someone to represent his interests at the hearings. As a result, the student did not bring his own advocate or lawyer, although the school says the student was told he could. The legal challenge calls the school’s hearings “a kangaroo court.”

The student

is asking for SU to reverse its sanctions and remove any mention of the incident from his academic record.

The student is accused of colluding with another student during online exams, about which

The student said he was unaware collaboration on the take-home, open-book exams was prohibited.

Leaked Docs from Bristol University Afford Interesting Views on Cheating, Testing

An outlet called The Bristol Tab (UK) says it received leaked documents about cheating from Bristol University. What’s interesting about the documents is the candid assessment of cheating and some views that run counter to the popular narratives around assessment.

First, Bristol says directly that online assessments have caused an upswing in cheating:

In leaked documents, the university says that “online assessment has exacerbated collusion and breaches in academic integrity”

No kidding.

But counter to accepted wisdom, the Bristol documents say that most students (60%) find online exams “less stressful” than in person options and that students, by and large, do not like group or collaborative online work.

Another point that counters common wisdom is that, while the university is encouraging teachers to change the way they give assessments - substituting coursework for exams, for example - some teachers aren’t buying it:

the report does add that “large pockets of academics remain convinced that closed book exams are the only way to assess”

The report also says staff are struggling with the extra work of shifting assessment techniques.

Proctoring Company Honorlock Raises $25 Million

Despite criticism and overstated controversy, investors apparently still view remote test proctoring as a growth business, ponying up another $25 million for proctoring provider Honorlock. Overall, the company has raised nearly $40 million.

In the announcement, Honorlock describes its approach as using “artificial intelligence and human intelligence” to create “a feedback loop that’s scenario-driven.”

I confess, I have no idea what that means.

But what is clear is that Honorlock is doubling down on AI as a test proctoring solution, quoting an investor as saying

This market that we got really excited about, we just hadn’t seen a team that thought a lot about the students and was using AI technology to solve the problem

I think some would argue that AI is the problem. In any case, the bottom line is that proctoring companies seem to be doing well. For Honorlock

revenue grew 1,000 percent year over year as schools turned to the system for exam proctoring. The company added about 70 employees last year, reaching more than 100 employees total, and is planning on hiring another 70 or so employees this year. 

In the next “The Cheat Sheet” - an updated review of cheating incidents by institution. Plus, a look at Chegg’s fig leaf, “Honor Shield.” Share and subscribe below.