Outsourcing College Coursework

During the election year a myriad of issues are tossed into the arena, including the state of the country's economy. One topic frequently mentioned is outsourcing. Yet, it is not the outsourcing of jobs that has me overly concerned, it is the outsourcing of education. Some US college students are going online to purchase term papers and other class assignments, and while some might see this as a sign of the times, I tend to see it as something more ominous.

A while back I joined Liveperson, an online advise chat forum. "Experts" offer anything from psychic readings, tutoring, personal coaching, computer help and much more. I'm always online, so I signed up offering computer help for several programs. Occasionally someone sends me a chat request, asking about one of the software programs I'm proficient in, and I can send them an answer. It earns me a couple bucks, and it is always nice to help others.

But a while back I received a chat request from a student who needed a term paper written. I asked him if it was for a college course, and it was. I explained I would be happy to help him, but he needed to do his own school work. He got a bit huffy, telling me that the entire purpose of Liveperson was to provide this type of service.

With sites like Copyscape, college professors can search the internet, looking for copy matching student reports. Yet, when the student pays for original work, it makes it more difficult to detect plagiarism. I understand that college students have been buying reports, long before the internet. Yet, now they are outsourcing their class work, often hiring report writers from other countries.

Ironically, after graduation, these same college students may be someday complaining, unable to get a job, due to outsourcing. And where are the jobs being outsourced? Possibly to the same countries that competed the college student's coursework.

There are other websites like Liveperson, and I'm sure other "experts" are more than willing to hire out their services to students.

Personally, when I was in college, I would have never hired someone to do my work. As it is, I occasionally have nightmares in which I really didn't finish school, my classes are incomplete, and my college diploma won't be legitimized until I complete the coursework. Sometimes I have the similar dream about high school, and returning to high school at 53 is not a pretty picture.

I can't help but wonder what those cheating college students will be dreaming about in thirty years.