Researchers at Imperial College London (ICL) studied requests to Chegg, a US-based homework support website, and found students were using the site to ask for help with exam-style questions and receiving answers live, potentially within exam time limits, raising concerns about the credibility of online assessment.
ICL research, focused on requests submitted to Chegg by students in five subjects: computer science, mechanical engineering, electrical engineering, physics and chemistry. It compared the number of requests between April and August 2019 with the same period in 2020.
While it is not clear exactly how many students in the UK have used Chegg, the analysis found the number of requests had increased by 196.25%. This corresponds with the time when many courses moved to be delivered and assessed online.
The paper said: “The growing number of requests indicates that students are using Chegg for assessment and exam help frequently and in a way that is not considered permissible by universities.”
Former universities minister Chris Skidmore introduced a 10-minute rule bill in the Commons seeking to outlaw essay-writing services in the UK, saying they threaten to “damage academic integrity beyond repair”.
He said to The Guardian: “As students have been forced to study remotely from home, away from on-campus welfare and support, taking their studies and exams online, they are increasingly becoming prey to essay mills, whose number has increased dramatically as they seek to take advantage of the desperate situation many students face.”
The University of Sheffield has said there has not been a notable increase in academic conduct cases since March 2020.
Education office, Ellie Lynas said to Forge Press:
“The current circumstances have left more students struggling with their mental health than ever before and many essay writing services are exploiting and profiting from this stress. There needs to be more support for the introduction of legislation against essay mills to protect students from this exploitation, like Chris Skidmore’s recent bill. Countries which have already adopted a similar stance have already seen a positive impact.
She added: “If any student is struggling with academic pressure I would encourage them to to access support through the University support services and our Student Advice Centre.
“We have secured some vital academic protections this year which we are continuously reviewing as part of the Forgotten Students campaign which we hope will take some of the pressure off students.
“We urge students to continue to contact their academic rep or myself if they’re facing academic barriers so that we can amplify your voice and push for further support from the University.”
A spokesperson for the University of Sheffield said: “We understand the move to remote learning has been a challenging time for students. Our staff are working hard to make sure that we deliver an outstanding learning experience, communicating regularly with students to provide appropriate support and guidance, and to mitigate both the anxiety and the risks associated with remote assessments.
“At the University we take plagiarism and unfair means extremely seriously and students found to be using unfair means, such as essay mills or other on-line resources to gain advantage during assessments, will face disciplinary consequences.
“Essay mills seek to exploit students feeling vulnerable during the pandemic, so we encourage any student with concerns about their studies to contact their personal tutor and the Student Services Information Desk online for help and advice.”
Image: Alberto G
