BU Students Using Online Cheating Sites

Now to a different kind of college cheating scandal. This one involves just one school right here in Boston, and it's BU. Apparently, they're investigating allegations of students cheating on their online exams while they've been stuck at home because of the pandemic. NBC 10's Caroline Connolly reports.

With remote learning now up and running at Boston University, a new challenge has come up: cheating off campus.

These are all services that facilitate, you know, Fraud, cheating.

Cybersecurity expert Robert Siciliano says it's no surprise given the many search tools on the internet, specifically this one, Chegg. The website offers online tutoring and homework help with a monthly membership, but some students can use it to scheme by posting questions like from a test that they need answered. At FBU, the chemistry department is now investigating one of its classes after seeing unusually high grades on a recent test. A professor writing to students that quote We have learned that some of you have used various means, including websites such as Chegg, to get help during the quizzes given remotely. Doing so is a clear violation of the academic conduct code.

That is a, a, an unfortunately very common way in which students today, whether they're high school or, or colleges and universities, are passing tests by getting third parties to either take the test for them or provide them with all the answers.

Siciliano says schools should be taking steps to prevent problems, like using online proctors or requiring keystroke recognition. BU says now the incident is under investigation. Now, TED did send us a statement saying they're cooperating with Boston University to identify any student potentially involved in all of this. They go on to say that they remove any kind of content flagged by a school or professor and will ban anyone who violates their policies. In Boston, I'm Caroline Conley, NBC 10 Boston.