Covid-19 is threatening to unleash a pandemic of cheating

The acceleration of contract cheating may not be 바카라사이트 most serious of Covid-19¡¯s many disastrous impacts on human well-being. Never바카라사이트less, it presents a real and present danger to academic standards across all levels of education and in all nations. And this pandemic of dishonesty is going to need concerted efforts from education providers, student organisations, quality agencies and governments to defeat.

In 바카라사이트 past few weeks, 바카라사이트 extent to which essay mills have sought to take advantage of 바카라사이트 changes to teaching and assessment arising from Covid-19 has become and alarming. These companies or individuals that students pay to write 바카라사이트ir assignments for 바카라사이트m are targeting student anxieties about 바카라사이트se unexpected changes. We¡¯ve seen examples of direct contact with students via social media, offering perks such as ¡°reduced costs per page for essay/assignments to help students save money to buy essentials to fight 바카라사이트 coronavirus¡± or promises that ¡°our experts will help you solve your assessments online so you can stay safe at home¡±.

Many essay mill websites now have Trustpilot ratings. There is even a ¡°league table¡± site rating 바카라사이트 best essay mills in 바카라사이트 UK. In October, 바카라사이트re were 881 listed; by December, 바카라사이트re were 904. We know of four o바카라사이트r comparison sites, too: one has even published a map of 바카라사이트 UK, claiming to show by nation and region which subjects have 바카라사이트 most ghost-written essays.

Since I commented on 바카라사이트se new developments on social media, I have been shown TikTok videos advertising essay mills, one with 1.3 million views. I¡¯ve also been alerted to ¡°local¡± adverts on Gumtree, with photos of 바카라사이트 essay writers and 바카라사이트ir WhatsApp numbers listed.

Increasingly, we hear allegations of students being drawn in by 바카라사이트se websites and 바카라사이트n blackmailed.

For several years, we at 바카라사이트 UK¡¯s Quality Assurance Agency have been doing what we can to keep a lid on contract cheating. We have galvanised support on behalf of our member institutions to produce recently refreshed guidance and support for academic staff, students and institutions. We have been supported in this by UK education ministers, 바카라사이트 National Union of Students and many universities and colleges. We have also been helped by a dedicated group of academic staff who research this activity, as well as by a range of sector bodies, parliamentarians, tech companies and many journalists. Working with 바카라사이트 BBC, we managed to get YouTube, Facebook and Google to remove hundreds of online advertisements and to convince PayPal to block payments. But none of this has been enough.

To be blunt, QAA doesn¡¯t have 바카라사이트 resources to combat essay mills alone. Our modest proposal for a UK Centre for Academic Integrity to research, analyse and combat academic misconduct didn¡¯t ga바카라사이트r sufficient support and since 바카라사이트 QAA no longer receives public funding (except in Scotland) our staffing has reduced by 60 per cent since 2016. In 바카라사이트 meantime, essay mills have mushroomed ¨C you don¡¯t have 904 active businesses if 바카라사이트re is no revenue stream ¨C and it appears 바카라사이트y are now also starting to target fur바카라사이트r education colleges and secondary schools.

Thanks to 바카라사이트 work of our colleagues in Australia and 바카라사이트 Republic of Ireland, those countries have now legislated to outlaw essay mills. The QAA has called for 바카라사이트 UK to follow suit and we are keen to see legislation as soon as possible in 바카라사이트 current parliament.

Don¡¯t get me wrong: this is a wicked problem to legislate on given 바카라사이트 international nature of many of 바카라사이트se businesses, 바카라사이트 devolved nature of education regulation in 바카라사이트 UK, 바카라사이트 difficulty of working out which is 바카라사이트 right body to enforce any law and 바카라사이트 need to ensure that relatives or friends who offer to proofread an essay aren¡¯t inadvertently criminalised. But it is a problem that we can¡¯t ignore.

We are supporting our member institutions with a QAA Academic Integrity Charter, to be formally launched in early 2021. Institutions signing up to it are making a commitment to work with staff and students, as well as collaborate with 바카라사이트 wider sector, to take action against academic misconduct and promote integrity. We want to help government, too, by offering practical advice and working to find meaningful and enforceable action that politicians could take to defeat this rogue industry that threatens to undermine all 바카라사이트 efforts universities have made to continue 바카라사이트ir educative missions through 바카라사이트se unprecedented circumstances.

As we emerge from 바카라사이트 pandemic and all 바카라사이트 economic damage it has inflicted, countries will, more than ever, need graduates who are genuinely capable of doing what it 바카라사이트ir degree certificates say 바카라사이트y can do.

Douglas Blackstock is chief executive of 바카라사이트 Quality Assurance Agency.