From hiring online class tutors to using someone else’s essay and passing it as your own, there are many ways online students cheat. Students’ cheating an exam isn’t new – it’s as old as the hills. But online courses have been taking the flak for encouraging academic dishonesty. A lack of face to face interaction makes cheating easier for students who’re inclined to it, claim some. But have we ever explored beyond this superficial view and wondered why online students cheat? What makes them hire class help online
1. There’s a disconnect between student interest and assessment:
Do presidents and prime ministers write their speeches? Does the fact that they don’t make them less effective? Then why are we assessing a student’s grade based on his ability to write eloquently? When we don’t expect all sociology majors or political scientists to write research papers, why do we force them all to write long essays? Let’s face it; writing is not everyone’s cup of tea; in fact, it’s not something that most people enjoy. Students would rather pay a tutor to ghostwrite their essays than face the inconvenience of doing it themselves. And that is why we don’t mind helping people who call us to ask, ‘Can I pay someone to take my online class?’
2. Academic Apathy:
When Ed Dante made a revelation about how online students cheat their way to success, there was a lot of frenzied response from professors who were skeptical about the author’s claims and even denied that such a practice even existed. Barring some online colleges that are genuinely trying to reach out to students using the online platform, a vast majority of colleges don’t care about such practices. Websites like CourseHelp911 are a consequence of this apathy and certainly not the cause. If it’s not us, someone else will cater to the needs of students who’re looking to circumvent an inefficient education system.
3. We need to review the education system that’s now being dictated by bureaucrats:
It’s time we reassess our higher education system and honestly evaluate if it’s serving its intended purpose. People attend college to acquire knowledge and skills that help them find a job in the relevant field. But this isn’t really what happens. The curriculum is more often than not dictated by administrative groups that think they know best what students ought to be taught rather than allowing a student to decide what he’d like to learn. In short, education is now being managed by bureaucrats who have become detached from reality and have no idea about what’s relevant to the industry. And that is probably why we have so many students who spend thousands of dollars on a degree and then go on to work in an industry that’s completely unrelated to their original field. When there’s a mismatch between expectations and reality why should you blame the student for asking a tutor, ‘Can you take my online class for me?’
