Professors Use Internet To Catch Online Cheaters

Employers are checking to avoid hiring "this kind" of student

Plagiarism and academic dishonesty seem easier now than ever. With the click of a mouse, pages of information can be copied onto a blank document and turned in for a grade the next day. A Spanish essay can be written in English and translated though a website in just seconds. A paper comparing the influence between the Romans and the Moors in Spain can easily be found and purchased.

What students often don't realize is that they are playing a game of Russian roulette that could affect the rest of their lives.

Donald Nieman, professor of history and dean of arts and sciences at Bowling Green State University, says he sees several dozen cases of plagiarism per semester and it is the largest form of academic cheating.

"What I see is probably only the tip of the iceberg," said Nieman.

This is because some professors choose to handle the situation themselves and not tell the university, thus giving the student a second chance.

"In freshman English, for instance, the professor may have the student go through and underline everything that is plagiarized to make a point," said Nieman.

Janice Paukin, a Spanish instructor at BGSU has also witnessed plagiarism and other forms of academic dishonesty in her classroom.

"The plagiarism I have encountered in class is due mostly to translating compositions, and bad ones at that," said Paukin. "For example, one student was trying to say that his ideal mate would want to have a few children. Unfortunately, he said that she would want young goats [kids] and small portions of them."

Paukin can usually tell what work belongs to a student. The reason is because the Internet translators often use words that are not in her student's vocabulary.

"Since I usually just have [a] short answer or short paragraph answers for regular homework, I don't get as many who use the Internet as those who use their friends to plagiarize," said Paukin. "I think there is some sort of peer pressure game happening there."

The Internet tool many students use to cheat is the same tool that many professors use to catch them. Professors who suspect plagiarism can type a few sentences into a search engine and find the source.

Tom Wymer, chair of the English department at BGSU, stated, "I can say, however, that while Internet sources have made it easier for students to cheat, such sources have also made it easier for them to be caught at it. As far as I can tell, the teaching profession is catching up with the new technology."

Wyner believes that academic dishonesty hurts the students in more ways than one, even if they are not caught. Many students do not realize that graduate schools and employers regularly check for instances of academic dishonesty in the files which the university keeps.

"Students run the risk of being caught and prospective employers do not want to hire this sort of student," said Nieman.

Some students who have successfully used the Internet to cheat regret doing so later. A graduating senior at BGSU still feels guilty about having downloaded a term paper from the Internet two years ago.

"I don't know what I would have done if I would have been caught," said the student who received a B for the paper she didn't write. "I knew the consequences, but that didn't stop me. Looking back, I feel bad. I took the easy way out and that isn't ethical."

© 2008, Young Money Media, LLC. All rights reserved.

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