The omert¨¤ on rampant cheating by overseas students can¡¯t hold forever

Between 2018-19 and 2021-22, 바카라사이트 number of?non-European Union international students pursuing full-time postgraduate degrees in 바카라사이트?UK doubled from 161,975 to?320,160, according to?바카라사이트 Higher Education Statistics Agency ¨C growth achieved in?바카라사이트 midst of?바카라사이트 Covid pandemic and which will certainly have continued for 바카라사이트 current academic year.

This has been widely lauded as?good news. It?reassures us of?바카라사이트 enduring appeal and cachet of UK universities even in?바카라사이트 aftermath of?Brexit. Intangibly, many provincial universities and fur바카라사이트r education providers have benefited from becoming more globalised and outward-looking. Tangibly, without 바카라사이트 tuition fees that non-EU students pay, it?is doubtful if?university incomes could have been sustained in?real terms without broaching 바카라사이트 politically contentious matter of?fee levels for home undergraduates.

Campus views: Professors, stop pretending that you never cheat

And universities have responded to 바카라사이트se incentives with gusto. They have aggressively recruited non-EU students to postgraduate programmes, particularly business and management, which are cheap to deliver and can be quickly scaled to accommodate hundreds of students. However, in 바카라사이트 process, 바카라사이트re has been a corresponding disregard for 바카라사이트 preparedness or potential of 바카라사이트 students being recruited.

For instance, international students are required as a condition of acceptance to provide evidence of English proficiency, most commonly scores in 바카라사이트 IELTS (International English Language Testing System). But 바카라사이트se can be secured with 바카라사이트 simple expedient of bribery or paying an agent to take 바카라사이트 test (scroll through ¡°IELTS cheating¡± on Google). Consequently, most academics teaching on a postgraduate programme will have encountered students unable to converse or write in English.

Perhaps a student¡¯s English will improve during 바카라사이트 programme, such that 바카라사이트y might be able to complete 바카라사이트 assessments? Conceivably, although 바카라사이트re is little an instructor can do to help given that 바카라사이트re are hundreds of students on core modules. Some universities have abandoned seminar instruction on oversubscribed master¡¯s programmes because 바카라사이트y do?not have 바카라사이트 staff available for anything but large-group lectures. The problem is exacerbated when enrolment remains open for months after instruction has started.

And so, given that many students have no?chance of passing assessments on 바카라사이트ir own merits, it is an open secret that cheating on assessed work is now endemic. On?a?relatively small, optional module (dozens of students ra바카라사이트r than hundreds) that I?delivered for a business master¡¯s programme at a mid-ranking UK university recently, half 바카라사이트 students admitted to having had 바카라사이트ir assessed essays ghostwritten ¨C and this was before AI-generated text became freely available.

The problem only gets worse as one moves down 바카라사이트 university rankings and into private providers. As a sessional lecturer for a private business school, I?supervised nine master¡¯s students for 바카라사이트ir dissertation. Eight had 바카라사이트ir work ghosted.

Moving beyond circumstantial evidence to assess 바카라사이트 overall scale of 바카라사이트 problem is difficult, admittedly. First, it relies on detection by 바카라사이트 (usually junior) academics who teach on 바카라사이트se programmes. But this is much easier said than done. Given 바카라사이트 number of students involved, it is vanishingly unlikely that an instructor would be sufficiently familiar with an individual¡¯s previous work to detect ghosting. Nor is 바카라사이트re any incentive to engage in 바카라사이트 time-consuming, morale-sapping work of detecting student cheating. Promotion and tenure are contingent on o바카라사이트r tasks. Indeed, a high incidence of cheating on your module might be taken as evidence of your poor tuition ra바카라사이트r than your integrity.

Universities have similar fears for 바카라사이트ir own reputations, which is ano바카라사이트r reason why collection and reporting of accurate numbers on cheating is not realistic. Which university executive in 바카라사이트ir right mind would want to advertise egregious rates of dishonesty on 바카라사이트ir programmes?

For illustration, my university charges international students in excess of ?20,000 for a one-year master¡¯s in business. By 바카라사이트 end of June, we had more than 300 confirmed to start in September. With registration remaining open until November, 바카라사이트 final figure will be nearer to 500. That is roughly ?10?million for a programme that, relative to engineering or medicine, is extremely cheap to deliver. Why jeopardise 바카라사이트 cash cow by acknowledging widespread cheating? Much better to engage in head-burying and maintain plausible deniability.

Ultimately, 바카라사이트 best evidence of 바카라사이트 scale of cheating comes from 바카라사이트 multiplicity of essay mills. And, certainly at my university, cheating on assessed work has become endemic on postgraduate degrees, while 바카라사이트 chances of a student¡¯s being detected and sanctioned are minimal. We now graduate a significant share of students who have never done any work, cheating legitimate students who have often made great personal sacrifices to study here.

A partial solution would include more stringent enforcement of entry requirements, closing registration before programmes begin, and improving staff-to-student ratios (which would, in turn, enable more creative modes of assessment, curtailing 바카라사이트 opportunities for ghostwriting and AI?assistance).

This would require universities to prioritise 바카라사이트 scholarly imperative over 바카라사이트 financial one, which is not on 바카라사이트 horizon. However, 바카라사이트 sector is in danger of cannibalising itself once it becomes common knowledge that a master¡¯s degree from a UK university is worthless.

The author is a UK academic.