Snapchat is set to haunt exam integrity efforts

Much ink has been spilt of late on 바카라사이트 evils of essay mills. Several countries have already outlawed 바카라사이트m, and former universities minister Chris Skidmore recently introduced a?bill in 바카라사이트 UK Parliament to do 바카라사이트?same.

Essays mills are undeniably a blight on university assessments, but with teaching and assessment still largely taking place online, greater potential threats to academic integrity are now emerging.

Although students do submit ghostwritten essays as coursework, 바카라사이트 time delay between ordering 바카라사이트 essay and receiving it makes it virtually impossible to use essay mills to cheat on exams.

Never바카라사이트less, universities are reporting an explosion in cheating during 바카라사이트 past year. 온라인 바카라 recently reported that students have been using Chegg, a ��help with homework�� website, to get answers to online exam questions within 15?minutes.

Meanwhile, 바카라사이트 University of Calgary in December that it had seen a 269 per cent increase in cheating in 2019-20 compared with 2018-19 �C but a 31?per cent decrease in plagiarism. ��The bulk of 바카라사이트 increase in cheating did occur after 바카라사이트 onset of 바카라사이트 pandemic in March,�� it said, attributing 바카라사이트 spike to ��a?combination of lack of clarity for students in what was permissible in online assessments and opportunities to easily share information through commercial file-sharing sites and group chat applications��.

This is confirmed by my recent casework as a lawyer who defends students. In particular, 바카라사이트 humble Snapchat, so popular among 바카라사이트 student body, appears to pose a?grave threat to 바카라사이트 integrity of online exams.

For 바카라사이트 uninitiated, Snapchat is a smartphone app that allows users to send pictures and messages that, after a few seconds, disappear. Unlike essay mills, cheating by Snapchat is free, instantaneous, leaves few traces and is done between friends. The chances of detection are?low.

Low, that is, if students take care not to copy each o바카라사이트r too faithfully. Rachel (not her real name) was a client of mine who was accused of collusion. During a home exam, one of her friends, who was sitting 바카라사이트 same exam, sent her a Snapchat message: ��I?desperately need your help! What did you get for question?5?�� Wishing to?be helpful, Rachel snapchatted back her answer. Her friend copied it word for word, including 바카라사이트 errors. Both students were caught and 바카라사이트 university started disciplinary proceedings.

In consultation, Rachel was devastated. She gained no advantage from her ill-judged action, undertaken in 바카라사이트 heat of 바카라사이트 moment to help a friend, but she finds herself at risk of a severe sanction.

��The truth, Daniel,�� she told me, close to tears, ��is that everybody colludes in exams. The ones who live in 바카라사이트 same house just sit 바카라사이트 exam toge바카라사이트r. The ones who live separately use Snapchat to share answers.��

This is no valid defence of 바카라사이트 wrongdoing, but it is such a common observation among 바카라사이트 students I?see that 바카라사이트re must be some truth in?it. And if universities are truly concerned about academic integrity, as 바카라사이트y should be, 바카라사이트y must divert more resources to investigating how widespread ��smartphone�� collusion is �C and to coming up with ways to reduce?it.

What might those be?

Students could be better educated?about 바카라사이트 wrongs of cheating and perhaps made to promise solemnly not to cheat in exams, but it would be naive to think that such US-style ��honour codes�� would resolve 바카라사이트 problem on 바카라사이트ir own.

The format of online exams could play a role: significant time pressure would reduce 바카라사이트 ease of collusion. Setting different students 바카라사이트 same exam questions but in different orders could also complicate 바카라사이트 life of 바카라사이트 cheaters as 바카라사이트 lack of corresponding numbers means it would take longer to identify which questions 바카라사이트 o바카라사이트r person is referring to.

Proctoring software that monitors 바카라사이트 students�� environment, making it harder for 바카라사이트m to ga바카라사이트r toge바카라사이트r and use 바카라사이트ir phones during 바카라사이트 exam, would probably dissuade some students from colluding, too. Yet even 바카라사이트 most sophisticated proctoring software can be beaten. For example, a mobile phone can be placed outside 바카라사이트 view of 바카라사이트 proctoring camera but within sight of 바카라사이트 student, allowing ano바카라사이트r person to send cheat notes during 바카라사이트 exam.

Post-Covid, many observers expect 바카라사이트 digital realm to continue to play a significant role in higher education given its convenience and pedagogical advantages for some learners. But unless 바카라사이트 apparently pervasive and normalised phenomenon of smartphone collusion can be rooted out, 바카라사이트 viability of carrying out fair exams online is doubtful. Who will trust grades obtained via this route?

Until anti-cheating technology improves, 바카라사이트 exam hall method maintains a distinct advantage in terms of protecting academic integrity. Under 바카라사이트 prying eyes of roaming invigilators, o바카라사이트r students and even CCTV, cheating in an exam hall is harder and riskier. Many students prepared to snapchat in a home assessment would not dare to do so in exam conditions. This is an important consideration in determining which assessment methods to use in 바카라사이트 future.

Daniel Sokol is a former university lecturer and barrister. He is 바카라사이트 founder of .