Post by : Meena Ariff

Photo: Reuters

Nanyang Technological University (NTU) is forming a special panel with technology experts to review appeals from students who were punished for using online tools in their schoolwork.

NTU allows students to use some online tools for assignments, but they must clearly say which ones they use, make sure their work is correct, and give proper credit. A university spokesperson said NTU wants to teach students how to use technology wisely, correctly, and responsibly.

Recently, three students were accused of breaking these rules. The university met two of them to hear their appeals. One student’s appeal was accepted for review, but the other student’s appeal was rejected.

The first student shared online that she was accused of cheating after submitting her essay for a class about health and disease politics. Her teacher asked if she used online tools, so she showed a time-lapse video proving she typed her essay herself. However, she was punished for using a website called Study Crumb to arrange her list of sources in alphabetical order. Because of this, she got zero marks for the essay and a “D” grade for the subject.

She paid 40 Singapore dollars to appeal. During a two-hour meeting with the university, she explained how she used the website. One panel member later told her that Study Crumb was not considered a writing tool, and this issue would not be recorded on her permanent record.

Two other students in the same class also got zero marks. One student used Citation Machine and another online tool to organize her citations and find some basic background information. Her appeal was rejected because the class had clearly told students not to use any online tools for essay writing.

NTU explained that some teachers may choose to ban technology tools for certain assignments. In this class, a slide shown to students said that using online tools to write essays was not allowed, and those who broke the rule would get zero marks.

The third student was punished for using fake citations in his assignment. At first, he lost 10 marks, but later he received zero marks for the entire task. He accepted the decision and did not appeal. He said he only wanted to pass the subject because he had already found a job, but he was worried this problem might affect his reputation in the future.

NTU continues to remind students to follow all rules about using online tools and to always check with teachers if they are unsure.