To report this girl to her university?

[no1understands]

I am a private tutor, working with A level and degree students. This academic year, I have had enquiry after enquiry from university students asking me to do their coursework for them. I always say no, I'll help, point you in the right direction, do an assignment outline but I will not do the assignment for them. They show no interest! I feel like saying 'so, you are telling me you aren't prepared to put in ANY effort whatsoever to get your degree?' One girl said she has got someone to do her coursework for 2 years but now he can't do it, she's looking for someone else. She told me what uni it was and I've had others from there asking the same thing. I feel like ringing the university and telling them what's happening. I need more students to make my business viable. I feel like just doing the coursework for a wad of cash but when it comes down to it, I can't because I'm so angry with them! I feel like I should do something!

Please note that the article quoted by Jessie was from an American ghostwriter and the comments were made by American academics. They do not mean that a British university cannot chuck out or fail students for plagiarism- we do so every year.

There is a robust procedure to follow and the decision does not rest in the hands of the people who are responsible for the funding. It would never occur to me to enquire into a student's financial obligations before reporting them and once I have reported them their names are on the files.

Gramercy, it's not true that the institutions do nothing. We had a PhD student recently who 'decided to leave' even though she was self-funded (and so valuable to the university money-wise). Actually, she was told she would get dragged in front of a disciplinary committee for plagarism, which she had been warned about several times. So, it was best all round that she pursued a different career.

My husband also teaches and he certainly has has students receive 0% for a plagarised assigment (of the cut and pasted out of Google variety).

It's harder to catch people submitting other's work because if it's well-written, it won't set off any alarm bells. It might at Masters/PhD level though as most supervisors do know the level of their students, and their intellectual ability, and if it's clear they have suddenly gone into another league, I would (and have) asked questions. Plus, they are very unlikely to survive a viva and be able to have an academic career if they actually use other people's stuff. It's at undergraduate level that it's a problem, and one excellent reason, as others have said, for retaining exams as a large chunk of the marks.

Yes, as an international student myself, I can report that no one seems to give a rat's ass about how much I'm paying in fees

I actually think students prepared to submit other people's work is probably a tiny minority, judging by the poorly written stuff I get. If they've paid for it, they've been robbed!

Please please please report them

Please note that the article quoted by Jessie was from an American ghostwriter and the comments were made by American academics. They do not mean that a British university cannot chuck out or fail students for plagiarism- we do so every year.

In my experience (having taught and attended both; I am also the child of two professors), major universities in the US are far, far tougher on issues of plagarism and cheating.
I think, too, that the relative recency of the fee-paying system here has created some confusion on the part of the universities. Obviously, paying fees only entitles a student to the opportunity to learn - not a guarantee of a degree. But some UK students and universities are forgetting this.

Please gather as much evidence as you can and report them. Basically they are liars and cheats and do not deserve any sympathy or excuses.

cory the procedure exists but after 10 years as a student and 10 years as an academic at what would be considered decent universities (Reading, Hull, Leeds, Keele), I haven't seen a single student chucked out for plagiarism. The worst they have received is a mark of 0% with the opportunity to resubmit for repeat offenders!

How many students do you see expelled a year due to plagiarism?

boo, one of my brother's housemates was 'asked to leave' for plagiarism at Leeds in 2008. Perhaps it's hushed up more in some places than others?

brdgrl thanks for the info. Really useful. It seems that there are different procedures at different universities. I really hope that girl gets caught out, if, as she says, she's managed to get through 2 years not doing any work!