University, Professors Sue File-Sharing Service
Plus, NYC's #2 cop probably cheated on his exams. Plus, meet Easy EDU.
Issue 117
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University of Toronto, Professors Sue File-Sharing “Tutoring” Company
Potentially big news in Canada this week that professors at the University of Toronto, and the university itself, have sued a company called Easy EDU for violating their copy rights by collecting, then selling course materials in ways that facilitate cheating.
If successful, it could rock the cheating business.
Easy EDU is based in Canada and seems to target foreign students, especially those from China. The announcement from the University describes the company as a “tutoring business.”
Boy, we’ve heard that before.
The press announcement says the company:
routinely copies, without authorization, lecture slides, course syllabuses, tests and exams and sells them in “coursepacks” to post-secondary students on its website
Sounds very, very familiar. As in, that’s exactly what most of the big cheating companies do. Course Hero is probably the best known example, though not nearly the only company to profit this way.
The press notes quote Heather Boon, the University’s vice-provost, faculty and academic life,
Our faculty spend hours creating materials for their courses that are often based on their leading-edge research
Adding,
We will not permit private companies to make money from the unauthorized sale of our professors’ copyrighted materials. We are also concerned that this company creates a perception that the university and the professors have authorized the use of these materials and partnered with this for-profit tutoring service. Nothing could be further from the truth.
First and foremost - congratulations to the University of Toronto and these professors - Robert Gazzale, Lisa Kramer, and Ai Taniguchi. I cannot tell you how great it is to see scholars and institutions do more than just talk about academic integrity.
Secondarily, but perhaps more significantly, this suit shows that schools and instructors can - and I would argue should - act to protect their own work and pressure unscrupulous cheating providers. As I’ve said repeatedly, and as the cheating companies themselves have warned, they may be vulnerable on these types of copyright-related challenges. Let’s hope this University of Toronto suit is the first of many.
Significantly, the school has asked for the return of materials, an injunction and for:
a full accounting and disgorgement of all revenues earned directly or indirectly from the sale of all products that contain university material, as well as an award of punitive and exemplary damages.
Fantastic.
There are two other bits from the announcement I’d like to share - though please go read the whole thing.
One is that the suit also alleges:
[Easy EDU] also infringed the professors’ moral rights by creating the impression within the educational community, and among students who have purchased Easy EDU’s services, that the professors and the university have endorsed the company to use their work.
Yes, yes, yes.
This is exactly why we see so many cheating companies trying so hard to draw professors and institutions into their orbits - to give the impression of endorsement, to confuse students.
Which leads to:
[the allegation] that Easy EDU also unfairly exploits students who, in good faith, pay significant fees for tutoring that can lead to life-altering consequences stemming from sanctions for academic misconduct. U of T alleges that in providing tutoring services, Easy EDU may in some cases be providing students with unauthorized academic assistance where it is not permitted, an offence under the university’s Code of Behaviour on Academic Matters. That can lead – and has led – to sanctions for academic misconduct and cheating, including suspensions.
Precisely. It’s not just that these companies are stealing and selling protected intellectual property, it’s that they’re using those items to entice and entrap students in cheating. The students suffer, honest students really suffer, the schools are cheated, and professors are victimized, all while companies and investors profit.
Again - and I cannot say this enough - good for the University of Toronto.
Will any American or British institutions or professors take this hint?
On Easy EDU
Though it’s tiny in comparison to other companies such as Chegg, Course Hero and Quizlet, the recently sued Easy EDU says that it:
completed the pre-A round of financing of tens of millions in early 2018; in 2019, it achieved a revenue of over 100 million, and announced in early 2020 that it has received nearly 10 million US dollars in Series A financing from Matrix Partners China.
The company website says it:
[has more than] 1,000 team members helping more than 300,000 clients across three continents.
Tens of millions of dollars in investment, hundreds of thousands of “clients” and more than $100 million in revenue as of 2019 - before online assessment and cheating skyrocketed. Welcome to Cheating, Inc.
NYC’s #2 Cop Probably Cheated on Exams
The NY Post has the story of Edward Caban, New York City’s second-in-command police officer who, the Post says, probably cheated on his Sergeant’s Exam many years ago.
From the story:
Investigators flagged the tests submitted by Caban and his two pals after they got the same four questions wrong, the same 94 questions correct and were found to be sitting in close proximity.
The story also says:
Caban was eventually found not guilty, with an NYPD judge acknowledging “very strong” evidence of answer sharing — but clearing the cops because the prosecution’s case lacked a smoking gun
But here’s the part I love from this:
The nine others who faced the internal trials were also cleared. At least 15 more were caught up in the probe, but Internal Affairs dropped their cases, finding the claims unfounded.
In other words, investigators suspected some 25 NYPD officers of cheating on their promotion exams. Not one was disciplined.
And now, one of them is the number two dog at the country’s largest police force.
Ghostwriters and Professional Exam Cheats See “Growing Demand”
An outlet called Today Online has the story of people who cheat for money. Not the big, corporate, investor-backed cheating, but the one-off, smaller time entrepreneurial cheating that still represents a major part of organized academic misconduct.
From the story:
On [e-commerce site] Carousell, a quick search shows dozens of listings purporting to offer ghostwriting services that run the gamut from assignments and essays to final-year projects and dissertations.
And:
As Covid-19 forced many exams to be taken online, ghostwriters have also been offering to complete online timed exams for students. They need only book a time slot and the ghostwriters will be able to complete it within the time limit.
One of the professional cheats, “Christine” told the paper:
Demand for her services grew by about 50 per cent in early 2020 and has been quite sustained over the two years since
And that:
With a team of about 10 to 15 other freelance writers, Christine said that her ghostwriting service now handles about 150 requests a month.
The piece is definitely worth reading as it’s insightful about the motivations of cheating providers and some students who use their services. It’s not cheating. It’s “student support” and what they do is not intended to be used for cheating - wink, wink.
The story also has some examples of cheating ads.
And I’ll end with this, also from the story:
Beyond holding online exams, some tertiary courses have also shifted towards grading students based on take-home assignments to replace in-person exams.
Christine said that this could be why more students are turning to ghostwriting services like hers.
This makes me want to scream because - as I’ve said for years now - shifting to “open book” and “take home” exams does not deter cheating. It only changes the type of cheating that happens. Open book, at-home assignments and exams aren’t solutions to cheating, they are invitations to it.