The number of students caught cheating on exams skyrocketed during the pandemic. Several of these cases led to exclusion. If the students complain, it is the universities that must cover any legal expenses. – You are probably quite desperate in such a situation, so it is good to know that you will get help, says Emil Kristoffer Bakkejord, who is a student at UiT Norway’s Arctic University. In 2021, the Joint Appeal Board processed 302 cases. 287 of these cases dealt with cheating. In comparison, there were 163 cases that ended up on their desks in 2020. – The threshold for complaining may be a little lower, and when there are no restrictions it may slip a little and become more than necessary, says fellow student Sandra Heimdal Karlsen. According to an overview Khrono has made, the universities spent over NOK 8 million on this in 2021. That is more than twice as much as the previous year. Bakkejord believes the scheme is important, but understands that some may be critical of the use of resources. – But I still hope it will be the case that you get the help you need, he says. Wants unit price scheme NTNU has spent a total of 1.3 million in 2020 and 2021 on such expenses. They believe the scheme should be looked at more closely. Earlier this year, they sent a letter to the Ministry of Education, where they advocate a unit price scheme. – When a maximum number of hours has not been introduced and the public sector covers the expenses, there is reason to question whether this is the correct use of public funds, the letter states. Student Markus Strand at UiT believes that a unit price scheme would be unfair. – When it is the university that has accused you of cheating, I don’t think they should be able to say how often you can meet your lawyer, he says. Few complaints reach Senior Adviser at NTNU, Anne Marie Snekvik, says their experience is that some lawyers spend more time than is reasonable and necessary. – We also see a tendency for allegations to be put forward that in reality have little merit. The threshold for making a complaint is also low when the expenses are covered by the institution and the complaint cannot lead to stricter reactions than the first instance has decided, she says. Senior advisor at NTNU, Anne Marie Snekvik, points out that there are several cases where coverage from the public sector is limited to a maximum number of hours. Photo: Sølvi W. Normannsen / Universitetsavisa In 13 of the cases that came before the joint appeals board in 2021, the original decision from the universities was revoked in its entirety. This amounts to a cancellation percentage of 4 per cent. In comparison, the cancellation percentage was 12.5 in 2020 and 6.7 per cent in 2019. The Ministry of Education tells news that they have assessed the inquiry from NTNU. They do not want to introduce a unit price scheme. Believes new system will reduce legal certainty In its submission to the ministry, NTNU emphasizes that the processing time will be long. – A high number of complaints contributes to the overall processing time being long, which further increases the burden on the students who are waiting for their case to be processed. It is also not a given that legal certainty will be improved by spending more hours with a lawyer, they write. An unusually large number of students were caught cheating at Norwegian universities in 2021. They also believe that it may seem as if the students are given unrealistic expectations of what they can achieve with a complaint. In June, the Ministry of Education sent proposals for amendments to the Universities and Colleges Act and the Colleges Act out for consultation, but they have not included the input that came from NTNU. They believe that the rule on cost recovery of legal expenses is important for the students’ legal security, and believe that a unit price scheme will limit the right to cost recovery and will thus weaken the students’ legal security. Read the full response from the Ministry of Education and Science here: The Ministry of Education and Science has considered the inquiry from NTNU, but has chosen not to propose a unit price scheme in the consultation. The rule on cost coverage of legal expenses is important for the students’ legal security. A unit price scheme will limit the right to cost recovery and will thus weaken the students’ legal certainty. Based on the current situation, the Ministry cannot see that there is a reason to change the rules on cost recovery. We also point out that the right to cost recovery according to the Universities and Colleges Act is not unlimited. The fee can be reduced if more time has been spent than is reasonable and necessary. – Not a financial problem Dag Rune Olsen is rector at UiT Norway’s Arctic University. He believes that the scheme as it is today is important for the students. – Although cheating cases are not something we look at with positive eyes, we believe it is important that we contribute to the students’ legal certainty, he says. – Many of the students do not have the financial muscle to secure legal expertise in such matters. In 2021, UiT Norway’s Arctic University spent more than NOK 500,000 on this. So far this year, they have spent 300,000, reports iTromsø. Rector at UiT Norway’s Arctic University, Dag Rune Olsen, believes it is important to ensure students’ legal security. Photo: Dan Henrik Klausen / news – When it is the university that has to cover these expenses, can the threshold for accusing students of cheating be higher? – No, these are small matters and small sums. There is also no reason to believe that there will be many more cases in the coming years, so there is no reason to believe that this will become an economic problem, says Olsen. The headmaster believes they do not need more guidelines from the authorities on how to deal with such cases. But he thinks national coordination would have been a good idea, to ensure that all students are treated equally. Olsen believes it is most important to cover the expenses in cases where the sanctions for the students are the greatest, but does not rule out that it might be good to have a ceiling on how high the legal expenses can be. – It may have something to do with it, but in that case it must be investigated, he says.
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NTNU wants a new system – news Troms and Finnmark
