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An associate dean of academic services spends a lot of time studying, lamenting and worrying about cheating in universities, but a Montreal-based online service that propels the activity to a new level made even her wince. The website unemployedprofessors.com has teachers writing papers for students. "So you can play while we make your papers go away" is its tag line.

Alberta's auditor-general says Medicine Hat College's international education division has been an out-of-control programme that has put the college at "reputational, legal and financial risk". The Auditor-Generals report released last Tuesday shows a record of irregular contracts, questionable expenses and dubious academic standards for the C$1.7-million programme, which focuses on attracting foreign students from multiple countries, and works in partnership with three Chinese institutions, to offer courses overseas for Chinese students who can then transfer to Medicine Hat College.

After a surge in enrolment of international students, accompanied by a spike in cases of academic misconduct including plagiarism and using prohibited materials on exams, St. Clair College, in Windsor, created the position of academic integrity coordinator. Fanshawe College which had 852 academic offenses in 2016-18, with 907 the flowing year, plans to create a similar position.

Media have reported allegations of creative cheating strategies at universities across Canada, including hacking grades, bribery and breaking into offices to steal exams. A survey conducted at 11 Canadian higher institutions showed that 50 per cent of undergraduate students have committed some form of academic misconduct.

There were over 100 cases of cheating at the University of British Columbia (UBC) during an online math exam. The UBC director announced that the consequences for the students involved might vary from a warning to a zero on the test, a zero in the course, or even suspension or expulsion. The University has taken the necessary measures to ensure the integrity and security of all online courses.

With many students forced to trade in-person lectures for online learning during the pandemic and the rising cases of academic misconduct, students, as well as professors, are concerned about the software being used to assess them. The vice-president of the University of Alberta Students’ Union (UMSU) says black students have had problems where the application doesn't recognize their faces. Other students with disabilities reported that they rely on specific screen-reader software that is incompatible with remote proctoring software. Although professors recognize that some courses may require e-proctored exams, they want them to be implemented correctly.