ESSAY-writing services look set to be outlawed
in the UK following the introduction of a new 10-minute rule bill
in the House of Commons this week. MP, the
former universities minister, has introduced the bill following
detailed discussions with academics and higher education bodies.
Turnitin,
a leading provider of academic integrity and assessment solutions
in UK universities, shared their insights as part of Mr
Skidmore’s investigation into the rise of essay mills, and have
since been thanked by Mr Skidmore for their evidence on what he
describes as the “corrosive effects” of contract
cheating.
Gill
Rowell, education manager at Turnitin, explained why the edtech
provider supports a prohibition on essay mills operating and
advertising in the UK: “Custom writing services increase the
prevalence of contract cheating, thereby diminishing the
significance of higher education degrees and jeopardising the
reputations of universities and
colleges.
“Essay
mills use clever marketing techniques to deliberately target
students who may be feeling anxious or vulnerable. This is
especially the case in the midst of the coronavirus pandemic,
which has seen students targeted with social media ads offering
special ‘coronavirus discounts’ from commercial writing
services.
“We
are therefore proud to stand alongside the National Union of
Students, JISC and numerous academics from across the country in
calling for essay mills to be outlawed, and strongly support Mr
Skidmore’s efforts to bring this bill through
Parliament.”
The
introduction of the Essay Mills (Prohibition) Bill comes as new
research from Imperial College London found a substantial rise in
the number of essay mills since the COVID-19 pandemic. During his
research ahead of the Bill, identified
932 essay mils currently operating in the UK, up from 881 as
recently as October.
The
bill has achieved cross-party support and received its first
reading this week. The second reading and debate is expected in
the coming weeks.
