Independent University Newspaper
Copenhagen Business School

Popular searches:

Independent University Newspaper

Copenhagen Business School

Suspected exam cheating doubles

Students studying at library

(Photo by Anna Holte)

This year, CBS has received 307 reports of suspected cheating and plagiarism. Last year, the figure was 158. Wilbert van der Meer, Head of Education and Quality, has several explanations for the high number, including COVID-19 and not knowing the rules. He also announces that CBS will be introducing a mandatory course on academic integrity.

News |   02. Dec 2020

Anne Thora Lykkegaard

Journalist

Last year, CBS had 158 reported cases of exam cheating, but this year, the figure has double to 307 reports of suspected cheating and plagiarism, according to Wilbert van der Meer, Head of Education and Quality at CBS.

He attributes the many reports to not knowing the rules and changed exam forms as a result of COVID-19.

“It’s worth mentioning that CBS holds more than 100,000 exams every year and the level of suspected cheating is not alarming, but each case is one too much. From the reports we are getting, the majority have been inadvertent. It’s a result of being careless and not reading up on the rules. And this year, when things have been so different and formalities have been changed, there has perhaps been an extra need to read the rules,” says Wilbert van der Meer.

He explains that all the summer’s exams were online, and some students may have been tempted to cheat.

“It’s possible that some students, pressured by coronavirus, have felt tempted to work together with fellow students, although this was not permitted. They wouldn’t feel tempted to work together if they were in an exam hall where you have exam supervisors looking over your shoulder,” he says.

This fall, CBS ran a campaign on exam cheating on my.cbs.dk and on campus – “Do You Cheat In Exams Without Even Knowing?”- and the students have also, for the first time, been offered an online course on academic integrity, hosted by CBS Library

“This is not a wish to accuse the students of cheating, but simply a reminder for them to check that they know what they are doing. Cheating in exams can have grave consequences,” says Wilbert van der Meer and mentions warnings, having exam results annulled and being expelled from CBS as some of the repercussions.

This semester, the online course is just an offer for students, but starting from study start 2021, the course will be mandatory, explains Wilbert van der Meer.

“This course will become a study-start test that students will have to pass if they want to proceed. Passing will not be a problem, but we want to ensure that the students understand the rules and can answer questions about them,” he says.

The test will, for example, teach students how to work academically; how to cite others’ work, what you can reuse from others’ work, and how much you can reuse of your own work, others’ ideas and such.

“We have been planning on creating this course for some time, but the recent figures on suspected cheating confirm that the course is a good idea. Technological advances have both made it easier to cheat, but also easier to detect cheating, so it’s more important than ever that the students know what they can and cannot do,” says Wilbert van der Meer.

Comments

Leave a Reply

Your email address will not be published. Required fields are marked *

This site uses Akismet to reduce spam. Learn how your comment data is processed.

Suspected exam cheating doublesby

  • News

    Layoffs break the crucial trust between organisation and employee

    CBS is laying off a number of employees soon, which will affect our university in different ways. When employees are fired without having done anything wrong, it shatters the trust between the organisation and employees, while also taking a toll on productivity, according to a CBS expert. Layoffs also affect the ‘survivors’, who are forced to adapt to a changed workload and the loss of cherished colleagues.

  • News

    Here to help – at the touch of a button and at Campus Desk

    Exam anxiety? Lost student card? I’ve wedged my car between a Fiat 500 and a lamp post, can you help? You never know what you’ll be asked next. But that’s just how the Campus Desk team like it. And if they can’t fix your problem, they’ll know someone who can. CBS WIRE asked the team about the whole range of topics they advice on every day.

  • News

    Why so sudden? The CBS financial crisis explained

    Employees and union representatives have posed many questions in the wake of the 17 August announcement of a firing round. In this interview, University Director Arnold Boon explains how Senior Management has been working with the budget and a change of financial strategy since the fall of 2022, and why layoffs are now necessary.

  • Illustration: Ida Eriksen

    News

    Here’s what you need to know about the master’s reform

    The political parties behind the master’s reform have adjusted their original proposal to shorten or reorganize up to 50 percent of master’s programmes after pressure from CBS and the other Danish universities. Fewer shortened master’s and longer to implement changes are some important revisions to the reform. CBS’ president is pleased that the government and other parties behind the reform have listened to some of the critique given by the universities but raises concern about cutting more study places in bachelor’s programmes.

  • News

    CBS Quiz Time: Unraveling the success story

    A successful university environment such as CBS is often associated with academic pursuits, but campus life extends far beyond the classroom. At CBS Quiz Time, a student society motivated by creative thinking and social engagement, students join in a refreshing range of creativity, excitement, and social interaction. CBS WIRE talked to Celine Møller-Andersen to find out about the society’s vision, strategies and the factors that are driving its rapid expansion.

  • Gif of the week
  • Blog

    Uncertain times: Essential for business schools to understand their market

    The alliance of European business schools met at CBS in June to enhance recruitment strategies, stay informed on industry trends, and analyse where the global economy is heading. The CBS MBA Programmes shares some key take-aways from Associate Dean and Professor Jesper Rangvid’s presentation.

  • News

    Working hard all summer: Bachelor Admissions

    The employees in charge of bachelor admissions at CBS are a small exclusive team. They ensure the validity of diplomas and the fulfilment of entry requirements for bachelor’s degrees at CBS – and, not least, that the applicants get the necessary help to upload the right documentation and find their way around the application procedures.

Follow CBS students studying abroad

CBS WIRE collaborates with Videnskab.dk

Stay connected

Close