The University of Toronto is suing a tutoring service for contract cheating and copyright infringement allegations. The company at stake, owned by a former student from the University of Toronto, is claimed to target Mandarin-speaking students with tutoring packages that include course materials, digital presentations, lecture notes and assignments. For over USD 1,000, students in need may even get sessions with a tutor, along with course materials. The company claims to help students overcome linguistic and cultural barriers, adapt more quickly to college life, and succeed academically.
The problem evolved when professors identified such course materials as their own and these have been used without their consent. Additionally, students were left with the impression that the company is associated with the University since it is using course materials that professors created, thus creating the illusion that they could recur to their services to get the support they needed, according to Heather Boon, a vice-provost at the University of Toronto. This raises concerns about academic integrity, as one student, who relied on the company’s service, was sanctioned by the university’s tribunal with a zero grade in a course and a five years suspension from the school, with implications for his student visa.
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● What are your views about this case?
● Do you think international students should be sanctioned for using such tutoring services?
● Do you think higher education institutions should provide tutoring services for students, particularly international students?
● What solutions do you propose to mitigate contract cheating?
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