With the rise of college online classes over the last few years I have seen another type of industry rise as well. These would be so called online “tutors” that students hire.
Am I allowed to hire a tutor?
Yes. Many times, it starts out legitimately. The student needs help with certain parts of a course and they hire one of these tutors to help.
Should I allow a tutor access to my student portals?
No. This is where legitimate tutoring can turn into an academic integrity violation. A tutor may tell the student that they would like their log on credentials so that they can view the assignment instructions. This is the first mistake a student makes and at many schools, providing your log on credentials to another person, especially someone outside the school, is itself an honor or conduct code violation.
Once this so-called tutor can access a student’s account and course portal, the tutor then suggests that for just a little more money, the tutor can complete the work and then post the work to the student’s account. If you gave them access and then this happens, terminate the relationship, and run. If you say yes to this suggestion, things can turn bad quickly.
If a tutor does my work and posts it will my professor find out?
Maybe.
- The instructor may see that the IP address posting the work is not the same address as the one the student had been using and many times, these addresses are located overseas.
- Another scenario is that the tutor continues to ask for more and more money, essentially blackmailing the student. When the student refuses to pay, the tutor emails the course instructor with evidence that the student has been cheating.
The result of either situation, depending on what type of program the student is enrolled in, can be expulsion.
So should I hire a tutor?
Getting help from legitimate tutors is fine. However, never provide anyone your log on credentials and if a tutor asks for such, it may be time to end that relationship. And of course, it goes without saying that a student should never pay someone to do their work for them. This is considered academic fraud and is the most serious honor code violation a student can be accused of committing.
Can you help me defend my academic integrity violation?
Yes, I help students across the country defend themselves against disciplinary action in college and can act as their advisor. Call today for help defending an academic integrity violation at school.
Richard Asselta is a defense lawyer for students facing academic integrity violations throughout the United States.