Students are always meant to be creative and innovative. They need to be sharp, intelligent and smart. And they indeed are even if they are cheating.
Cheating has come a long way since probably its inception which was when the first school started. The tools of cheating have advanced by leaps and bounds as is the progress of Human race.
Cell Phones and Internet Play Role in Cheating
The availability and usage of cell phones and the Internet have made the students look for easier ways of taking exams. Both communication channels of cell phone and the Internet were created to help flow the information faster.
Take the example of doing research for a topic. The students take a photo of the material, instead of writing it down. So when it comes to facing a difficult paper to write, their friends take the photo of the solution and send to student needing it.
Similarly they do lots of research on the Internet and that’s the medium they turn to in case they find a tough nut to crack in the exams. Currently the cell phones have the facility to surf internet which had made the jobs of cheating easier.
Such a high technology usage has made schools and parents more vigilant. But are they really aware of the extent to which these are being used?
Along with this notion what has to be understood is the attitude of the students towards cheating. Below are few findings which are a real eye opener.
- Cell phones have been used, at least once, as a means of cheating by one third of teens.
- Internet has been used at some point for cheating by half of the teens
- Nearly two third of teens inform that either their friends or classmates are using cell phones for cheating.
- Sharing notes and answers on phones are not considered cheating by nearly one quarter of the students.
Parents and School Create Policies and Rules
The last finding is more perturbing than anything else. If students are not aware of the fact that they are cheating then parents and schools have a job on their hand. They need to make sure that teens understand where teens are making mistake.
It is even harder now to promote the usage of the Internet for research students. Schools need to combat cheating with a newer policies and rules. They need to make prudent decisions while framing the policies of cell phone usage.
More high-tech cheating – and rationalizing
