They’re not deliberately ambiguous about what they do :
Stuck with a boring and overly complicated assignment? No need to rack your brains! OkEssay.org got you covered.
Tell us what you need, pay, and get the assignment done. Simple as the ABCs.
On their order form they ask whether you want a 2:2 standard (budget price)
2:1 normal price
1st – double price.
It actually looks very dodgy and I wouldn’t be surprised if it was a scam or at least a rip off.
Maybe ALDin HE could write to the HE Minister? Surely these companies are a threat to academic standards (in more ways than one)?
Business is business? That would make an interesting Business Studies assignment – maybe we could ‘commission’ OKEssay to help us write it?
Mike Wray
Learning Support Team Manager
York St John University
Lord Mayor’s Walk
York
YO31 7EX
01904 876540
From: learning development in higher education network [mailto:[log in to unmask]] On Behalf Of Stephen Gow
Sent: 27 April 2016 11:33
Dear all,
A shocking case, my Dad was in London last week and mentioned this to me, I think there will be a lot of complaints and it will be taken down soon.
It's certainly unethical but they have probably been smart enough not to break the law: The advert (see below) doesn't mention what they do, just the grammatically incorrect question "Got essay due tomorrow?". Also there website mentions: "OkEssay is a UK-based essay writing service where students can professional help with their academic assignments." Jesus, it looks like they may need a proof-reader (students can professional help). They are deliberately ambiguous about what they do.
I've had a few cases of essay writing this year and note the following pattern, which I am sure many of you are familiar with:
· A suspiciously good essay from a struggling student (harder to tell with anonymous assignments)
· Native level English writing which stands out, when you have a cohort of International students
· An eclectic bibliography which doesn't cover what you've covered in class
· An intelligent attempt at the essay but way off topic and with references to a wide range of unrelated work which are tenuously linked to the question
· Turnitin doesn't help text-matching isn't an issue (the companies obviously have access to a text-matching software package and promise a 'plagiarism free' essay.)
Anything I have missed or ideas for how to deal with this?
Regards,
Stephen
On 27 April 2016 at 11:13, LENT Neil <[log in to unmask]> wrote:
I too have just looked at their site. I presume the blatant nature of their advertising indicates that this practice is lawful?
Cheers,
Neil
Dr Neil Lent SFHEA
Lecturer in University Learning and Teaching
Institute for Academic Development University of Edinburgh
1 Morgan Lane
Edinburgh
EH8 8FP
Tel: 0131 651 7199
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From: learning development in higher education network [mailto:[log in to unmask]] On Behalf Of Kim Shahabudin
Sent: 27 April 2016 11:09
To: [log in to unmask]
Subject: Re: essay mills officially advertising on the London Underground
Wow. Just looked at OKEssay's website. I was going to say that it's quite difficult to get a complaint to stick against these people because they usually claim that they're just providing models for students to learn from and they expressly say that students should not submit other people's work as their own. But OKEssay are quite astonishingly blatant about their purpose.
Scary stuff.
Kim
Dr Kim Shahabudin, SFHEA, Study Adviser, Study Advice & Maths Support
1st Floor, University of Reading Library, Whiteknights, PO Box 223, Reading, RG6 6AE
( 0118 378 4242/4614 : www.reading.ac.uk/studyadvice twitter: @unirdg_study
Please note that I now work part-time and am not usually on campus on Mondays.
From: learning development in higher education network [[log in to unmask]] on behalf of Heather Campbell [[log in to unmask]]
Sent: 27 April 2016 10:02
To: [log in to unmask]
Subject: Re: essay mills officially advertising on the London UndergroundHi Janette,
There is an advert for OKessay at Stepney Green tube station and I know that there has been talk on twitter among QMUL colleagues about putting in a complaint to ASA. Seems like OKessay are targeting stations near universities.
Best wishes,
Heather
Dr Heather Campbell
Learning Development Assistant
Learning Development, Student Services Directorate
Mile End Library
Queen Mary, University of London
Mile End Road, London
E1 4NS
Tel: 020 7882 3778
Email: [log in to unmask] | [log in to unmask]
www.learningdevelopment.qmul.ac.uk | www.thinkingwriting.qmul.ac.uk
@QMULLD qmul.learning.development
From: learning development in higher education network [mailto:[log in to unmask]] On Behalf Of Janette Myers
Sent: 27 April 2016 09:52
To: [log in to unmask]
Subject: essay mills officially advertising on the London Underground
Dear All
I’ve been really shocked to see an essay mill, OKessay.co.uk officially advertising on posters on the London Underground. We all know it happens and have seen fly posters, but this seems to say it’s an acceptable thing to do. I got a photo of one today at South Kensington and intend to report it to the Advertising Standards Authority, they are near universities, there’s one at Euston, so if you work at a London HEI have a look at your nearest station. I know they measure the number of complaints, so wondered if anyone else wanted to make a separate one, citing the one at South Kensington, this is the link https://www.asa.org.uk/Consumers/How-to-complain.aspx and whether ALDinHE could complain as an association which would carry more weight?
Regards
Janette
I work at SGUL Tues-Thurs
Dr Janette Myers SFHEA
Senior Lecturer in Student Learning and Support,
Institute of Medical and Biomedical Education,
6th floor Hunter Wing,
St George's, University of London
Cranmer Terrace
London
SW17 0RE
020 8725 0616
The University of Edinburgh is a charitable body, registered in
Scotland, with registration number SC005336.
--
Stephen Gow
Academic Integrity Coordinator
Academic Support Office
Harry Fairhurst Building, Room LFA/132
University of York
Heslington
YORK
YO10 5DD
01904 321135
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