Sydney universities crack down on cheating students

The Sydney Morning Herald 29 April 2016

Universities across Sydney are cracking down on cheating in tertiary assessment tasks after Fairfax Media revealed chronic misconduct across the sector, writes Eryk Bagshaw for The Sydney Morning Herald.

The University of Sydney, University of Technology Sydney and the University of New South Wales have all implemented strict new policies on assessments, which include the reintroduction of closed-book exams, question and answer sessions after assessments, a shift away from take-home assignments and a ban on wristwatches in exams.

The clampdown comes after a Fairfax Media investigation in 2014 revealed up to 1,000 students from 16 universities had hired the Sydney-based MyMaster company to ghost-write their assignments and sit online tests. In the wake of the investigation two university students were expelled and a further 70 faced severe penalties, with four having their degrees revoked from New South Wales' most prestigious universities after being identified in connection with the online essay writing company.
Full report on The Sydney Morning Herald site

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