University students break the rules for a host of reasons – some make a bad decision under pressure at 3 a.m., others insist they were just helping a classmate. But at some Canadian schools, an alarming number of the accused share one characteristic: they came from abroad to study here.
The disproportionate number of international students accused of plagiarism or cheating on exams is raising red flags in university administrations and legal aid offices. It also raises questions as to whether schools should be doing more for stressed-out foreign students who are grappling with new educational standards, often while coping with a language barrier.
With governments and universities across Canada increasing their efforts to recruit more students from abroad, and some opening branch campuses abroad, there is a growing desire to understand why so many new arrivals are getting a failing grade in academic integrity.
Most Canadian universities do not track academic offences by a student’s country of origin, which makes definitive measures of the problem difficult. But those on the front lines of the universities’ support services and legal aid clinics are certain that a significantly higher proportion of international students are getting in trouble.
The imbalance is striking at Downtown Legal Services, the University of Toronto legal aid clinic that assists students charged with academic offences, said staff lawyer Karen Bellinger.
“I would say, anecdotally, that well over 50 per cent of [clients] are international students,” she said. This group makes up about 12 per cent of the total student body at U of T.
After perceiving a similar trend, the University of Windsor began keeping track three years ago. A 2008-2009 report from Academic Integrity Officer Danielle Istl shows one in 82 international students was accused of academic misconduct, compared with one in 300 domestic students. Both numbers decreased the next year, but the percentage of international students accused was still more than three times higher.
International students facing discipline most commonly say they were reared in drastically different learning styles, burdened with expectations from families that have invested heavily in them, or lacked the confidence to shape and convey ideas in English. Some cheat for the same reasons as anyone – a lack of understanding or attention to what is allowed, especially in grey areas like group work, or a desire to boost flagging marks – but schools increasingly realize cultural barriers can put them at greater risk of academic dishonesty, intentional or not.
Karan, who did not want his last name published, is a recent international graduate of U of T’s Faculty of Arts and Science, and admits he was let off with a warning over apparent plagiarism after copying text from lecture slides word-for-word in a paper. In India, he had relied on reproducing the words of his teachers and rote learning to succeed in India, and was taken aback by the emphasis placed on critical analysis and proper citation of sources in Canada.
“Basically [the professor] said I didn’t cite at all,” said Karan. “Back home, we listen to our teachers, and basically mug everything they say. The more you write your answers exactly the way they say it, the better chance you have of getting an A.”
Then there’s the weight of expectations carried by many students who have crossed continents and oceans to study, paying high international fees.
“I think most students don’t plan on cheating ... it just happens,” Karan said. “Often times, parents back home will be spending a lot of money to send you abroad, and the hope is that with this Canadian degree, you will get a better job back home or sponsor your parents to move.”
