THEY’RE GAMING THE SYSTEM SIMPLY
SO THEY CAN GET THAT PASSING
GRADE.
>> MOST PEOPLE I KNOW ARE
CHEATING.
>> EVEN IN REALTIME, YOU CAN
GOOGLE THINGS ON YOUR PHONE.
>> MY GRADES ARE SO HIGH BECAUSE
I’M CHEATING, STRAIGHT UP.
>> Reporter: AT HOME, WITH
COMPUTERS BUT NO TEACHERS, SOME
STUDENTS ARE BREAKING THE RULES. >> I KNOW THAT A LOT OF MY
>> I KNOW THAT A LOT OF MY
FRIENDS HAVEUSED CHEG TO LOOK
UP ANSWERS.
>> Reporter: I’M PASTING INTO
THIS SEARCH BAR A QUESTION FROM
A CHEMISTRY ASSIGNMENT ONE OF
THE STUDENTS WE SPOKE TO GAVE TO
ME.
THAT QUESTION ALREADY RIGHT HERE
ON THE WEBSITE.
NOW, CHEGG IS SUPPOSED TO HELP
YOU LEARN, GIVING STEP BY STEP
SOLUTIONS.
THE PROBLEM IS, MOST STUDENTS
ARE JUST GOING TO THE ANSWER.
I KNOW NOTHING ABOUT CHEMISTRY,
BUT I WOULD HAVE GOTTEN THIS
RIGHT.
>> IT IS NOT AN IDEAL LEARNING
SITUATION, SO WHY IS IT TO BE AN
IDEAL TESTING SITUATION?
>> Reporter: HAVE YOUR STUDENTS
CHEATED?
>> THEY USE CHEGG BECAUSE THE
ANSWER IS WORD FROM WORD FROM
OTHER REPORT SHEETS.
>> Reporter: CHEGG SUBSCRIBERS
GREW BY ALMOST 70% LAST YEAR.
THE NUMBER OF QUESTIONS POSTED
TO THE SITE SKYROCKETED NEARLY
200% IN 2020, COMPARED TO THE
SAME PERIOD IN 2019.
AND SCHOOLS ARE NOTICING.
LAST SEMESTER, AN INVESTIGATION
AT TEXAS A&M FOUND MORE THAN 800
CASES OF ACADEMIC MISCONDUCT
AFTER A FACULTY MEMBER REALIZED
SOME STUDENTS WERE FINISHING
COMPLEX EXAMS ONLINE IN UNDER A
MINUTE.
CHEGG WAS ONE OF THE ONLINE
RESOURCES USED, A UNIVERSITY
OFFICIAL TOLD NBC.
BUT CHEGG ISN’T THE ONLY OPTION.
ANDREW LABBOT SAYS GOOGLE HAS
THE ANSWERS, TOO.
>> A LOT OF MY FRIENDS
PERSONALLY, WE’RE LOOKING TO GET
THE ANSWER AND COPY AND PASTE
THE ANSWER TO GET THE POINTS.
>> Reporter: WHICH IS A VERSION
OF CHEATING, RIGHT?
>> YEAH.
>> Reporter: IT SOUNDS LIKE I
COULD GET A 100% ON A COLLEGE
CALC TEST BECAUSE I COULD GOOGLE
THE PROBLEM AND GET THE ANSWER.
IS THAT TRUE?
>> VERY TRUE.
>> NOBODY IS GOING TO KNOW.
NOBODY IS GOING TO KNOW.
>> THEY’RE GOING TO KNOW.
>> Reporter: ON SOCIAL MEDIA,
TIKTOKERS HAVE POSTED TIPS ON
HOW TO GET AROUND A SCHOOL’S
ONLINE PROCTORING SYSTEM,
TRACKING THE TEST-TAKERS
ACTIVITY VIA WEBCAM.
SOME ARE STILL BUSTED.
>> WE CATCH THOSE EVERY SINGLE
DAY.
>> Reporter: PROCTOR U, ONE OF
THE SERVICES, SAYS IT’S SEEN A
700% INCREASE IN TEST BREACHES
ON THE PLATFORM.
>> WE’VE HAD PEOPLE FLY DRONES
BEHIND THEM TO TAKE PICTURES OF
TEST QUESTIONS.
>> Reporter: WHAT WOULD GET YOU
TO STOP?
>> IN-PERSON CLASSES.
ALL THE WAY.
>> Reporter: ALL THESE CHEATING
SCHEMES REALLY PART OF A LARGER
ISSUE.
STUDENTS HAVE STRUGGLED TO LEARN
THIS YEAR, AND THAT RAISES
QUESTIONS ABOUT THE IMPACT ON
FUTURE SEMESTERS.
>> WITH ONLINE, IT GOES IN ONE
EAR, OUT THE OTHER, AND YOU PASS
THE CLASS.
>> Reporter: DOES IT MAKE YOU
WORRIED ABOUT NEXT YEAR?
>> YES, A LOT.
I’LL BE DOING MORE GOOGLING,
WAIT A MINUTE, HOW DOES THIS
WORK?
WHAT IS THIS?
WHY IS THAT HAPPENING?
YOU’RE JUST LOOKING AT IT LIKE,
OH, NO.
WHAT DO I DO?
>> IN A STATEMENT TO NBC NEWS,
CHEGG SAYS IT IS COMMITTED TO
WORKING WITH FACULTY AND
INSTITUTIONS WHEN IT COMES TO
ACADEMIC INTEGRITY, AND CALLS
THE NUMBER OF PEOPLE WHO MISUSE
ITS PLATFORM A SMALL MINORITY.
CHEGG INTRODUCED HONOR SHIELD,
ASKING PROFESSORS TO UPLOAD
EXAMS SO IT CAN BLOCK ANSWERS TO
CERTAIN QUESTIONS AT CERTAIN
TIMES WHEN STUDENTS ARE TAKING
TESTS.
A GOOGLE SPOKESPERSON TELLS NBC
NEWS, QUOTE, WHILE IT IS
POSSIBLE THAT STUDENTS CAN CHAET
THEMSELVES BY CUTTING CORNERS ON
HOMEWORK, THE COMPANY GOPDEVELOP
EDUCATIONAL FEATURES, HELPING
PEOPLE LEARN CONCEPTS IN MATH
AND SCIENCE.
>> WOW, THIS IS AMAZING,
SAVANNAH.
WHAT ARE SCHOOLS DOING TO TRY TO
CURB THIS?
>> EXPERTS TOLD US IT IS
IMPORTANT FOR FACULTY TO CLEARLY
SET ACADEMIC INTEGRITY
EXPECTATIONS BECAUSE IT TAKES
AWAY ANY MORAL WIGGLE ROOM
STUDENTS MIGHT GIVE THEMSELVES.
TEXAS A&M SAYS THEY’RE MOVING
AWAY FROM USING TERMINOLOGY LIKE
"OPEN BOOK" OR "OPEN NOTE,"
THINGS THAT USED TO BE NORMAL.
INSTEAD, PROFESSORS ARE ADVISED
TO BE SPECIFIC ABOUT WHAT IS AND
ISN’T ALLOWED, BECAUSE,
OTHERWISE, OPEN NOTE COULD BE
TAKEN TO MEAN THE WHOLE
INTERNET.
>> GEEZ.
>> FOR SURE.
>> I MEAN, I KNOW THEY’RE
CHEATING AND THEY’RE TRYING
TO -- I’M NOT TRYING TO IMPUGN
THEIR INTELLIGENCE, BUT IS IT
THAT BRIGHT TO GO ON TV TO ADMIT
YOU’RE CHEATING?
>> YEAH, I KNOW.
IT’S SOMETHING WE WERE CONCERNED
ABOUT.
HE WAS VERY HONEST WITH US, AND
HE SAID, LOOK, IT IS SOMETHING
THAT MOST PEOPLE I KNOW ARE
DOING RIGHT NOW, JUST TO GET BY,
BECAUSE WE ARE NOT TAKING ANY OF