Is it possible that universities care more about so called 'real' assessments than students do - if accreditation loses its currency, given that everything can be found on the internet - then what would be their role....?
John I think you've nailed it!
Celia
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From: "Lea, John ([log in to unmask])" <[log in to unmask]>
To: [log in to unmask],
Date: 11/01/2016 05:53 AM
Subject: Re: Essay Mills (and contract cheating in general - BBC news article)
Sent by: "Online forum for SEDA, the Staff & Educational Development Association" <[log in to unmask]>
Let’s imagine that a student has so much money that they can afford to get all their assignments done by ghost-writers (assuming there are no presentations or exams – sounds like the ingenious can get round those as well, though),
and those ghost-writers are so good that the student ends up with a first. Is there any evidence out there that these students can then go on and hold down high status jobs?
If so, it would confirm the suspicion that always seems to have been around that there is some kind of fundamental mismatch between assessment and competence, and that HE is more about credentialising rather than qualifying, and/or
more to do with general rite de passage and affirming social status.
I remember stories about students returning to India and putting BA (Oxon) (failed) next to their names. Maybe this was an urban myth, but if there is any grain of truth in that it seems to speak to the idea that `being’ at university
is more important than `doing’ at university.
Best
John
John Lea
From: Online forum for SEDA, the Staff & Educational Development Association <[log in to unmask]> on behalf of Newton P. <[log in to unmask]>
Sent: 31 October 2016 15:37
To: [log in to unmask]
Subject: Re: Essay Mills (and contract cheating in general - BBC news article)
Hi all
There is much to share on this issue, and I agree yes it is one of significant, and increasing concern. I have run numerous workshops on it and am happy to do more if folks would like one as part of a staff development day (for example). I am part of a few
projects aimed at tackling it and in the New Year we will have some new information to share. In the meantime tho I recommend the recent QAA report on the issue (after you have answered our survey!)
http://www.qaa.ac.uk/publications/information-and-guidance/publication?PubID=3107#.WBdk6rPSmn8
Phil
________________________________________
From: Online forum for SEDA, the Staff & Educational Development Association [[log in to unmask]] on behalf of Jason Davies [[log in to unmask]]
Sent: 31 October 2016 11:30
To: [log in to unmask]
Subject: Re: Essay Mills (and contract cheating in general - BBC news article)
Hello Mark (and everyone)
Thanks for mentioning this. I found this Radio 4 piece on Box of
Broadcasts, if your institution has it
(https://learningonscreen.ac.uk/ondemand/index.php/prog/0C6F0F6B?bcast=121592124).
If the link doesn't work, it's the PM programme on 5th May 2016 and from
just before 45 minutes in.
I'm listening to it right now but I recommend people try to get hold of
the recording: it tells of students getting sucked into this via
legitimate tutoring, parental tutoring and so on. It's very unclear when
a line is actually crossed, as it seems to start with tutoring and
comments on essays. Later down the line, students can't face dropping
from 70% on a 'helped' essay to fails. Another interesting point: in
many cases the interviewee says a lot of submitted work is about 50-50
in terms of who did what (he and the student).
He also said that in some areas he guesses about 50% of students are
doing this which means it's in danger of being a critical mass (ie you
suffer if you don't, like in sports with doping).
It's less than 15 minutes long but very worrying!
On 28 Oct 2016, at 12:35, Mark Goodliff wrote:
> Given the recent SEDA thread where assessment design (e.g. 2 day open
> exams) was mentioned in relation to cheating, and the request below, I
> was reminded of a BBC Radio 4 feature from earlier this year, where
> someone who writes to order was interviewed.
>
> It’s not on IPlayer any more, but a quick search revealed that
> there’s a written article from the same story on the BBC website.
> Worth a read (albeit an uncomfortable one) for anyone curious about
> this issue. http://www.bbc.co.uk/news/magazine-36276324
>
