Cheating is truly an amazing phenomenon, almost universally common in our universities. First, one decides to spend 4 to 6 years of his life to study in University. Then scored and is engaged in anything except school. Coming session and the student decides to cheat on an exam, not to strain, but still get a diploma.

Which is then not worth absolutely nothing – as every employer already knows that blamed the universities totally and that reason alone is enough to devalue a diploma. And employer rights: in 2014, we conducted a survey of nearly 2,000 people, according to which 50% of the students top universities of blamed on half or more exams – and that’s not counting the “tips” friend, sitting at the same desk.

Why students cheat

Because they can. People, in General, always strive to avoid unnecessary effort that is incorporated in us initially. To condemn it is absolutely meaningless. If you write off – saves a lot of time and effort. Not written off – your degree still worth nothing due to the total prevalence of cheating others. Remains the only motivation to write and to teach – if pairs give knowledge, which in practice will be useful after graduation. But that’s what often in universities almost never meet.

How to deal with cheating students?

What is the solution? For starters, get expelled for cheating, as is done in Western universities. As soon as the risks of cheating exceed the benefits from it, to write off will be just silly. But this is not enough – one only coercion here is meaningless. So the students had motivation to learn, we need to drastically improve the relevance and quality of teaching academic subjects. And finally to ensure the right of students to choose their subjects in the framework of free choice of disciplines, and conduct an anonymous assessment of the teacher before writing the exam.

Historians say that the question of Alexander I on the situation in the country said laconically: “they Steal, sir!”. If you apply this phrase to the situation in higher education, the learning process can be expressed no less concisely: “Blamed!” The more that cheating in some kind of theft. However, not only blamed, but also entirely borrow the work of others, manipulated the results, etc. Why do students cheat? What are the dimensions of this phenomenon? What is its nature? It can be caused by? Where more is revealed and why?

In our country there has been no major study devoted to this problem. Although the numbers speak for themselves: almost everyone who studied in universities, or they themselves were actively students cheating on tests, wrote for other people papers, essays, term papers and theses, or have witnessed this phenomenon. Moreover, the population of the country refers to this very loyal, considering it’s almost the kind of student tradition (remember gaudiesque short film “Obsession”). Some even believe that cheating is developing some very important skills that in the future the person will certainly need.

Meanwhile, it is worth remembering the obvious negative aspects of this phenomenon.

First, the dishonest behavior of students greatly reduces the effectiveness of investing public and private resources in higher education. What is the sense to invest in learning if, in fact, he learns wrong, and the tests and exams “leaves” due to plagiarism, through deception and cunning?

Second, the decline in economic potential due to low qualification of trained personnel, the obstacle to economic development. Not surprising, since losers dropout, which is good, ought to be expelled from the University, however, receives a diploma and goes to work, little to her understanding.

Third, “the bad example is infectious”: according to foreign studies, widespread in the educational environment of academic cheating leads to the fact that highly motivated students are also beginning to use this practice in their studies.

It is interesting that the attitude to all this lawlessness the students themselves can best Express the degree of hardness expected in the case of being caught red-handed punishment. So, two-thirds believe that cheating or providing another summary, the teacher should be limited for the first time simply remark: “Like, good, go and sin no more!”

One in five is ready, it can reduce the final grade. Every tenth configured that if he gets caught, it expects a true “couple”. However, there are those who are convinced that the teacher should not have any way to respond to the facts of unfair treatment of students for studies or even, on the contrary, to allow them to use cheat sheets, “bombs”, books, etc. But there is only a few percent.

There is another very subtle point, which noted present at the event. If the teacher wants to hear from a student what he once read in lectures or given on the record at the workshop, the learner is required only to reproduce mechanically the desired. And it is easier to resort to a cheat sheet or a notebook with the lectures than to hammer down some amounts of information.

How to avoid academic dishonesty

Meanwhile, a creative teacher usually gives their students such tasks for which they must find the answer yourself, and for this they are allowed to use any available sources, including the Internet and the textbook. Because a ready answer is there is still there, and it needs to formulate itself. But this approach is very time consuming, though very effective.

As noted, commenting on the speech, scientific Director of the Center for monitoring the quality of education, it would be very interesting to find out whether there is a connection between dishonest behavior of students at the University and the subject on which they resort to cheating. Indeed, in some cases, teachers do not clearly understand: for the future mining engineer or Metallurgist is much more important core subjects strength of materials, technical drawing, theoretical mechanics, but all sorts of other, General, type safety, history, ecology, foreign language, etc. more than secondary, and there you can write off, not deadly.

But the main value of conducted research is still obvious: it allows you to understand what exactly should be changed in the system of higher education to improve its quality and efficiency. Because the fact of the anywhere learning system cheats is only a symptom that indicates the presence of the disease. And the disease is known to be treated.