Student cheating should be addressed through a combination of ethics education, study assistance and exams that test deeper-level thinking rather than rote memorization, senior educators said in response to a recent spate of cheating cases at top universities.
Over the past week, three separate cases have come to light of university students sharing answers with each other and using their smartphones during midterm exams.
The three schools, including National Taiwan University, have promised investigations, but the apparent prevalence of the problem has given rise to debate about how to address the issue.
Students cheat for a high score, but they might end up losing even more, said former minister of education Wu Ching-ji (吳清基), who heads the Taiwan University of Education network of schools.
It might earn them a few points, but the students miss out on knowledge and risk losing the trust of their peers, he said.
If a cheating incident is uncovered during an application, it could also result in missed opportunities, he added.
Yet responsibility does not only fall on students’ shoulders, Wu said.
Schools must notify students early on if they are at risk of failing and provide remedial help to make sure that they do not turn to unethical means for a passing grade, he said.
School rules should be clearly defined to prevent cheating from becoming a trend, he added.
Those caught cheating should be given an opportunity to atone for their mistake, but if caught again, they should be failed, Wu said.
Fo Guang University chancellor Kirby Yang (楊朝祥) said that seen from a superficial point of view, students cheat to achieve higher test scores, but the underlying reasons go deeper.
If students are not interested in a course or subject, they would naturally be reluctant to study, he said.
It also shows that students are not cherishing the chance to pursue higher education, as they think it is easy to obtain academic credentials, Yang said, adding that time management is also an issue.
High-school schedules are strictly planned, but when students start college, they suddenly have to manage their schedule themselves, often leaving little time for studying, he said.
Add to this poor value judgement and a herd mentality, and students who see their peers cheating are also likely to succumb to the illusion that it does not matter, Yang said.
To help solve the problem, schools must rethink how they cover ethics in the classroom and teach time management skills to new students, he said.
Families should also be involved in fostering interest in academics, he added.
Yang also identified test design as a problem area, particularly its focus on rote memorization.
Questions should encourage deeper-level thinking and steer clear from answers that could be easily found on the Internet or copied from other students, he said.
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