In November last year, Fairfax uncovered a massive university cheating scandal, alleging that ghostwriting service MyMaster turned in “900 fraudulent assignments” in 2014. The investigation revealed that 16 universities in NSW, including Macquarie University, University of Sydney, UTS, UNSW and University of Newcastle were all embroiled in the scandal, with students reportedly using the service to buy assignments in a bid to improve their grades.
SMH today reports that two students have been expelled from the University of Newcastle over cheating allegations in relation to the MyMaster service. Eight other students from the same university have been suspended, according to SMH, with 31 others under investigation.
Fairfax have also released data on the most-effected universities in the scandal, citing that Macquarie University in Sydney’s Northern suburbs recorded the highest number of student requests in 2014 to MyMaster for assignments, with 128 requests to the site reported. Among that statistic, assignments related to Marketing were the most sought after by Macquarie Uni students, with 32 requests reported. University of Newcastle followed Macquarie closely, with an overall 123 requests in 2014.
The investigations by each university are in varying degrees of progress, according to Fairfax, and MyMaster remains closed.
P’s make degrees, but plagiarism just makes you a jerk. Good riddance to those cheating the system.
A breakdown of the universities involved in the scandal and their number of reported requests for assignments in 2014 can be seen below, and also accessed interactively on SMH.
Via SMH.
