The Shadow Scholar

Discussion in 'General Distance Learning Discussions' started by Hortonka, Nov 21, 2010.

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  1. Hortonka

    Hortonka New Member

  2. airtorn

    airtorn Moderator

    I am not shocked at all. A quick web search show multiple sites advertising for this type of service.

    Is it dishonest? Absolutely.

    Does it happen? Absolutely.
     
  3. SurfDoctor

    SurfDoctor Moderator

    Chilling; I knew this kind of thing happens all of the time, but this piece really drove it home for me. The scary thing is the fact that there is no way to stop it. We have a bunch of frauds getting graduate degrees that they didn't earn. Thanks for sharing this article. It makes me feel ill, but I'm glad to have read it.
     
  4. Cyber

    Cyber New Member

    Very interesting read. The sad part is that these cheats are probably the ones with the best paying jobs, and there is reward for cheating their way through their degrees, and getting promotions upon program completion. A clear example of the saying: success does not come by how hard you work. Rather, it comes by how good you are in "gaming the system" (whatever system that may be). Sooner or later, the truth always comes out and nature takes its rightful course (nature always has a way of refusing to be cheated), however. Like the african proverb: Everyday can belong to the thief. One day will certainly belong to the owner.
     
  5. JBjunior

    JBjunior Active Member

    It is horrible but has been happening from high school on for some people for probably a century. If employers can't notice that the people they hire can't put together a sentence (extreme example in the article) then they should take a long hard look at their hiring practices. Hopefully experience is/becomes the highest priority and the people who don't earn their degrees are proven to be the idiots they are.
     
  6. SurfDoctor

    SurfDoctor Moderator

    That's a good point. It's probably one of the reasons that experience is more important in landing a job than the degree is. Lot's of idiots out there with degrees.
     
  7. Maniac Craniac

    Maniac Craniac Moderator Staff Member

    There are also lots of idiots out there with experience.
     
  8. Kizmet

    Kizmet Moderator

    There are employers (mine is one) that require you to write a short essay when you show up for your initial interview. The expectation is that it will be gramatically correct, correct spelling and will reflect some depth of understanding of the issues related to the position you are seeking. I've heard that some people absolutely freak when they're told they must do this as a part of the hiring process.
     
  9. SurfDoctor

    SurfDoctor Moderator

    This is a brilliant practice and one that I would wager will come into play more and more often. It's a fairly good antidote to the cheating phenomenon.
     
  10. Maniac Craniac

    Maniac Craniac Moderator Staff Member

    People will cheat on these, too.
     
  11. JBjunior

    JBjunior Active Member

    Sounds like a good idea to me as well.
     
  12. ChiSquare

    ChiSquare New Member

    Once I get an "exam" with engineering problems to solve before getting the job.

    But then there is another issue: if you have a friend already working in that company, he can warn you about that part of the hiring process and even show you the type of problems/essays from his own experience. So with a day or two of preparing you can score better than people that have better knowledge, but have no clue about that element of the hiring process.
     
  13. Kizmet

    Kizmet Moderator

    Yes, there's always a way to cheat; if you're that sort of person.
    :nono:
     
  14. ChiSquare

    ChiSquare New Member

    Is that a cheating? Or is it similar to sharing information about hiring process in particular company (common questions, expectations on interview etc.)?

    In my opinion, right thing to do would be to inform all candidates in advance about this testing, and then perhaps to make testing harder. That testing should not be used for any kind of ranking, just for checking of literacy and some basic important knowledge, Pass/Fail.
     
  15. SteveFoerster

    SteveFoerster Resident Gadfly Staff Member

    Well, on the bright side, at least by definition that person has already shown they can collaborate well with their prospective co-workers! :wink:

    -=Steve=-
     
  16. SurfDoctor

    SurfDoctor Moderator

    Unless they make it impossible by requiring that the essay be written right there on the spot. This is something that I think employers should do. It might not be a bad idea in universities, as well, professors could then compare these essays to longer term papers by the student to match voice and writing style and to catch a few cheaters.
     
  17. Chip

    Chip Administrator

    I just finished reading a wonderful book (I think I posted about it elsewhere) called The Cheating Culture. The author did pretty exhaustive research dating back almost a century, and makes a pretty strong case that while cheating has been around forever, it has come to epidemic proportions in the last 30-40 years.

    I don't agree that it isn't possible to detect. Simply require in-class essays, then compare the writing in the in-class work with the papers turned in. There are some pretty sophisticated language analysis tools that can pinpoint differences and predict the likelihood that two documents are written by the same person.

    Likewise, require students to discuss their topics in class, or with a TA or the professor. It will be pretty clear who knows their shit and who doesn't.

    The bigger problem is that many schools turn a blind eye to cheating and plagiarism, and/or rich, lazy kids whose parents threaten to sue at the drop of a hat, and the schools simply fold and let the students get away with it. Many professors tell of getting little to no support from faculty when they attempt to deal with plagiarism.

    One solution would be for a handful of schools to set zero tolerance standards and strong honor codes -- and then vigorously enforce them -- and establish a new standard. Many of the Ivy League schools have refused to adopt honor codes saying they are "unnecessary" when the real reason is the schools know that the cheating mentality is so ingrained in their culture that it would be impossible to enforce.

    I don't know how it is now, but when I was at Oberlin, the school felt so strongly about the honor code that a representative from the Honor Committee spoke at every 100 level class at the beginning of each year, explaining the honor code, the importance of it, and the teeth behind it. According to The Cheating Culture, such programs (combined with rigorous enforcement; Oberlin expelled or suspended a dozen students a year or so when I was there) are surprisingly effective at deterring cheating.
     
  18. Ted Heiks

    Ted Heiks Moderator and Distinguished Senior Member

    ??????????
     
  19. AUTiger00

    AUTiger00 New Member

    In regards to honor codes, the only ones I know of that are adhered to by the student body are the ones at the service academies and Washington & Lee University.
     
  20. Griffin

    Griffin Crazy About Psychology

    These are definitely the ones with the best-paying jobs. Legit, good, undergrad-level papers from native speakers are about $30 per page (usually with free referencing). Crappy ones from ESL writers start at $10 per page. For some people it is worth it to "offload their workload" for their high-priced Executive MBA program. You can also get scholarship and college essays made, just in case you don't want to pretend you like Ayn Rand or whatever. :tongue1:

    Okay, I fully support having someone proofread your paper for you before you turn it in. But paying top-dollar for custom papers is way over the line. Let's be honest -- anyone willing to pay probably $500++ a week on their writing assignments can't be reasoned with on this.

    PS: I don't actually believe that the article was written by an academic writer (as they are called). Too many things seem out of place.
     
    Last edited by a moderator: Nov 22, 2010

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