Exam Cheating Found To Be Pervasive At Unisa
The biggest university in South Africa has the difficult challenge of attempting to stop exam cheating. While there are a number of interventions that can be used to prevent cheating, online examination cheating has a unique set of difficulties.
Nearly 11,000 incidences of academic misconduct were recorded during the 2022 academic year, according to an independent review into the University of South Africa’s (Unisa) operations.
The Covid-19 pandemic’s effects, which required universities to relocate learning and exams online, are partially blamed for the rise in academic dishonesty.
“The increase in disciplinary cases is caused by students enlisting the help of third parties to complete examinations, assignments, or any coursework. Students are paying for services to complete an exam or assignment.”
At Unisa, there has been an increase in disciplinary cases involving students who have used outside help to finish coursework, exams, and other assignments. Individuals are being paid by students to finish their projects or tests.
When students are taking exams, Unisa uses proctoring technologies to keep an eye on what they are doing on their devices. Students might also be needed to check that the device they are using to complete an exam has a functional camera and the necessary screen-sharing permissions.
Students are also encouraged to upload recently taken pictures of themselves so they can be easily identified while they are participating in examinations. This also allows the university to ensure that the person completing an examination is registered to take the examination and not a third party.
The “Tutor”
According to a Unisa tutor who requested anonymity, they frequently finish homework “with” students.
“They complete the task, come to class, and we complete it together. When the student submits the work, it has already been corrected and approved by us.”
Additionally, they mention that helpless students should pay at least R300 each. They contend that inadequate support for kids leads to desperation.
A Student
Online exams have allegedly made cheating simpler, according to a second-year Bachelor of Arts student. They continue by saying that materials offering exam solutions for a fee are frequently sent to students. Even better, some texts guarantee to teach readers how to avoid utilising proctoring equipment.
Since the student started studying last year, they had gotten about 40 of these texts. The other information that Unisa has on her, they claim, makes them feel very uneasy.
They already know my ID number and home address. They are in possession of this data. And I just don’t feel comfortable with this information just floating around and being apparenty available.
University Professor
According to Professor Wayne Hugo of the University of KwaZulu-Natal, Unisa is not the only organisation engaging in this kind of deceit. At colleges that adopt distance learning, these difficulties are frequently made worse.
“that’s partly got to do with the fact that they’re doing it by distance and the support systems in distance learning aren’t as strong”
Hugo believes that students nationwide who are enrolled in undergraduate degrees up to doctoral levels engage in this kind of cheating.
Unisa’s Response
The measure that Unisa took to prevent academic dishonesty received support from the organisation. They also said that 95% of students who went through disciplinary proceedings were found guilty, proving that their efforts to take action against students accused of academic misconduct had been successful.
“To ensure academic integrity, the institution has taken proactive efforts and still makes use of proctoring systems including Moodle, IRIS, Turnitin, and the Invigilator App.”
They continued by saying that they constantly educate students about frauds involving bogus texts. In order for the South African Police Service to conduct an investigation, the university has also reported these texts.
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