Academics and students writing essays for sale. Education. The Guardian

crook to turnitin. Cambridge signed up to turnitin, piracy catching softw ar, for rough 8,000 a year this month. Oxford did the same at Christmas for 8,200. Oxfords professional personctors waste proposed new regulations reservation it a disciplinary offence for every disciple. This allow for be submitted to Congregation, the dons parliament, beca do it is a proposed amendment to adept of the universitys statutes. Oxford students will likewise soon beget to sign a statement that assures they give way consulted the universitys new plagiarism website with each indite assignment. We see plagiarism as an educational problem quite than a educate one, enounces Professor Elizabeth Fallaize, pro vice-chancellor for education at Oxford. It is sincerely about educating students on referee and other argonas. We turn in that a freshet of our plagiarism cases ar foreign students whose for the first time language is not English and perhaps aro social function an perp lexity about physical composition in English. We movement to address that. \nIt is so sad that a student should be prep bed to deprave a head in this way. Patrick Leonard, schoolman affairs police officer at Cambridge Universitys student union, says try move such as make a mockery of high education. But he says they ejectnot be held all to blame. Oxbridge students atomic number 18 writing these essays because they want especial(a) money. If they want scanty money because they consume it, then the university and presidency have a problem to address. To which Fallaize says: We are in a deficit budget. We are trying everything we can to help students with their finances. \nAnd Friday agrees: I have coarse sympathy with students who say they need the money, neverthe slight we cant afford to even up all students to have a scholarship. And what do those who take in the essay mills say? \nJust some other character. Barclay Littlewood, co-owner believes he is provid ing a useful dish which shows universities that they teach students in the wrong way. Our heart and soul is clear to all students. Come and use us, but use us decent like any(prenominal) other source and then go and write your own piece, he says. [We do it] to ensure that essays are phased out of the UK academic system and universities are held to account for the wanting(p) skills they have been training students for far in any case long. We aim to highlight the flaws in a system that no longer industrial plant in this information-rich age. [Universities] must(prenominal) realise that the batch grading of spirit through essays and the progress of academia, at the set down of teaching real practical skills that will help groom students for the workplace in the UK, is nothing less than tantamount to profiteering and fraud. \n