JUST IN: Students use UV light to cheat in exams – KNUST research reveals
JUST IN: Students use UV light to cheat in exams – KNUST research reveals
Many students have traditionally utilized their skin or clothing to help in exam cheating.
In addition, most invigilators are aware of cheating using calculators, phones, and watches.
However, a research conducted by Kwame Nkrumah University of Science and Technology discovered one that evades the invigilators: the use of UV light.
UV pens require students to write their answers with an inkless pen on any document they are permitted to bring into the test hall.
The growth in academic dishonesty implies that students are devising new ways to cheat during exams.
This issue puts invigilators and academic stakeholders at a loss for words.
The research, which was published in the journal Educational Research International, attempted to investigate students’ test approaches.
The study discovered that students employed novel approaches such as seating arrangements, the usage of body parts, the use of foreign materials, and the use of technology.
The principal researcher, Dr. John Boulard Forkour, stated, “During the exam, all they did was beam or focus the red rays of the pen onto the surface; then, all the answers would emerge.”
“Most invigilators are aware of various technical gadgets that students use to cheat, but most are not aware of the UV light,” he added.
“They assume it’s just a regular pen,” one of the kids interviewed by the researchers stated. So, I occasionally tell some of the invigilators that it’s just a regular pen. I have a UV pen that comes with an inkless pen.
“All I have to do is jot down all of the perceived answers on a sheet in my mathematics set and mail it in.” Following that, I utilize the UV light to disclose the answers. “It’s simple, right?”
“To curb academic cheating, educational authorities should not only enhance institutional measures to prevent cheating, but also make a conscious effort to change students’ perceptions of cheating,” Dr. Forkour said.
