Students at the University of Colorado Denver allegedly paid others to pass their online classes for them. The University is now looking into these cheating allegations after the issue has been making the rounds in the local news. Wealthy students from overseas are thought to have other people take their classes for them. A man who talked with a CBS Denver investigator revealed that a student has offered him up to $1,000 for each class he would successfully pass.
Dr. Pete Padilla, professor of Sociology at the University of Colorado Denver, reveals that students also approached him during his tenure at other universities, enticing him with a bribe. A student was eager to offer him $10,000 in exchange for a passing score.
While in previous years universities were solely troubled with plagiarism and in-class test cheating, today the integration of technology-aided examinations gives ample room for students to engage in more complex cheating. Many professors run their midterm and final exams through online programs and these are thought to be taken advantage of by students who have others impersonate them and pass their tests and classes for them. Many universities turn to companies that offer a basic layer of anti-cheating security. Universities employ plagiarism detection software and IP address verification ones in order to deter students from cheating. However, this seems insufficient.
Online tests need more advanced and rigorous proctoring that will safeguard the integrity of the examinations and the knowledge evaluated. Proctor Free is an advocate of rigorous online proctoring services that deters cheating. Online student authentication and environment monitoring ensure the exam-taker is none other than the student himself or herself and leave no doubt as to the exam’s credibility.
How can we contain cheating incidents if not with advanced proctoring technology? Do you think we can prevent academic misconduct with a stricter honor code and punitive action such as expulsion? Leave a comment and share your thoughts.
