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WholeRen Education 1 WholeRen Education About WholeRen Education WholeRen Group, LLC was established in 2010. WholeRen is a multinational, professional education company which seeks to create and promote Sino-U.S. educational opportunities. We integrate a range of educational services from middle school, high school and college application assistance to academic emergency services, transfer assistance, on-going academic counseling, immersion classrooms, landing services, executive education programs, winter/summer camps, career planning and more. WholeRen was the first U.S. based agency assisting with placements of Chinese students from the U.S. and China to receive Certification from the American International Recruitment Council (AIRC). We have been invited to interview with mainstream media such as CCTV, CGTV, the New York Times, and the Wall Street Journal. We are among the most knowledgeable professionals regarding American and Chinese academic cultural differences and have a dedicated research team that pays close attention to the long-term development of students. The WholeRen Group Research Center devotes itself to research analysis on Chinese international students in America in order to provide accurate consultations based on first-hand data. If you are interested in learning more about WholeRen, we invite you to visit our website: https://www.wholeren.com/. Copyright © 2021 WholeRen Group, LLC Publishing All rights reserved. No part of this publication may be reproduced, distributed, or transmitted in any form or by any means, including photocopying, recording, or other electronic or mechanical methods, without the prior written permission of the publisher, except in the case of brief quotations embodied in critical reviews and certain other noncommercial uses permitted by copyright law. Any use of this report should be done with discretion and duly cited: WholeRen Group. 1 2021 WholeRen White Paper on Chinese International Student Dismissal and Consequences Abstract Over the last decade, the number of Chinese students studying abroad has continued to increase. With abundant educational resources and outstanding instructional quality, the United States continues to be the first choice for Chinese students looking to study abroad. There are more international students from China studying at U.S. universities than international students from any other country. In 2020, approximately 34.6% of international students studying in the United States are Chinese students.1Although many Chinese students wish to study in America, it can be a difficult journey. In accordance with the Family Educational Rights and Privacy Act (FERPA), the WholeRen Group Research Center compiled data from 9,620 dismissed Chinese international students who studied in the U.S. from 2013-2021 and utilized WholeRen’s services. A random sample of 800 cases from March 2020 to March 2021, representing the latest trends regarding academic dismissal, were selected to develop this report. The 8th edition of the White Paper on Chinese International Student Dismissal and Consequences (“2021 White Paper”) is the latest to our annual White Paper reports from 2014-2020. The COVID-19 pandemic deeply impacted every Chinese student studying abroad. The 2021 edition of the White Paper investigates Chinese international students who were dismissed from U.S. schools, analyzes why they were dismissed, and looks at changes and trends which led to their dismissals. The 2021 White Paper provides valuable data to international students, universities, governments, industry professionals, host families, and all those involved with Sino-U.S. educational exchange. The data from the past year showed that poor academic performance remains the primary reason for Chinese international student dismissal. During the COVID-19 pandemic, U.S. schools transitioned from normal inperson classes to online classes and relaxed the grading system accordingly. For example, many schools used Pass/ No Pass grading for online classes.. As a result of the relaxed grading system, students who were dismissed due to poor academic performance decreased compared to previous years. However, because of the online class setting, the internet made it very easy to cheat for students who lack self-discipline. We have observed that the number of students who were dismissed due to academic dishonesty spiked in the past year. The 2021 White Paper will focus on the reasons for academic dishonesty. 1 Institute of International Education. (2020). "Places of Origin." Open Doors Report on International Educational Exchange. Retrieved from https://opendoorsdata.org/data/international-students/all-places-of-origin/ 2 WholeRen Education Table of Contents Part 1 Background Overview 4 1.1 Overview of Chinese Students in America 4 1.2 Research Intent 7 Part 2 Data Analysis On Students Who Have Been Dismissed 8 2.1 Data Collection 8 2.2 Personal Data Analysis 9 2.2.1 Gender Distribution of Dismissed Students 9 2.2.2 Academic Level at Time of Dismissal 9 2.2.3 Ranking of Schools from which Students were Dismissed 11 2.2.4 Location of Student Dismissals 11 2.3 Analysis of Reasons for Student Dismissal 12 Academic Dishonesty 13 Poor Academic Performance 13 Behavioral Misconduct 14 Incomplete Understanding of Academic Policies 14 Part 3 Conclusion 15 References 16 Appendix 17 Extended Research: Academic Dishonesty Due to Challenges from COVID-19 17 Cheating 18 Plagiarism 18 Asking others to complete academic activity 19 Hiring others to take exam 19 Others 19 Examples of Dismissal Cases due to Academic Dishonesty 20 Examples of Turning Things Around After Dismissal 20 3 2021 WholeRen White Paper on Chinese International Student Dismissal and Consequences Part 1 Background Overview 1.1 Overview of Chinese Students in America Figure 1-1: 2014-2019 The Number of Chinese Students Studying Abroad (Unit: 10,000) The number of Chinese students studying abroad has gradually increased over the last decade and continues to rise. According to the statistics released by the Ministry of Education of the People’s Republic of China, the total number of Chinese students studying abroad in 2019 was more than 700,000, indicating an increase of 6.25% from 2018 (Figure 1-1).2 Figure 1-2: The Number of Chinese International Students Studying in Each Country 2 Jian Cao (2020, December 14). “2019 Nian Du Chu Guo Liu Xue Ren Yuan Qing Kuang Tong Ji”. In the Ministry of Education of the People's Republic of China. Retrieved from http://www.moe.gov.cn/jyb_xwfb/gzdt_gzdt/s5987/202012/t20201214_505447.html 4 WholeRen Education According to the latest data provided by UNESCO (Figure 1-2), Chinese students continue to study abroad globally. With a growing number of Chinese international students each year, the United States remains the most popular destination for Chinese students.3 Figure 1-3: The Number of Chinese International Students Studying in the U.S. The 2020 Open Doors Report on the International Educational Exchange reported China remained the largest source of international students in the United States in 2020-2021. This report found (Figure 1-3) that Chinese international students increased to 372,532 across undergraduate, graduate, non-degree, and optional practical training (OPT) programs. In 2020, the number increased by 2,984 from the previous year, but the growth rate appears to have slowed.4 Figure 1-4: The Number of Chinese Undergraduate and Graduate Students Studying in the U.S. 3 Global Flow of Tertiary-Level Students. (n.d.). In United Nations Educational, Scientific and Cultural Organization. Retrieved May 1, 2020, from UNESCO Institute For Statistics. 4 Institute of International Education. (2019). "Data by Region Fact Sheets." Open Doors Report on International Educational Exchange. Retrieved from https://www.iie.org/Research-and-Insights/Open-Doors/Fact-Sheets-and-Infographics/Data-by-Region-Fact-Sheets 5 2021 WholeRen White Paper on Chinese International Student Dismissal and Consequences We categorized the students based on their pursued degrees. Figure 1-4 shows that the number of Chinese international students attending undergraduate and graduate programs in the U.S. continues to increase every year. However, since 2018 the growth of Chinese international students studying at the undergraduate level has slowed and in 2020, the number of undergraduate students decreased by 720 as compared to 2019 for the first time. On the other hand, the number of international students at graduate level has grown steadily and increased by approximately 3,700 year over year. 5 Figure 1-5: 2020 Academic Level Distribution of Chinese International Students Studying in the U.S. Figure 1-5 highlights that in 2020, the majority of Chinese international students in the U.S. were undergraduate students, who comprised 39.77% of all Chinese international students in the U.S. Graduate students were the second largest group with 36.80% and 19.16% of students were participating in OPT programs with temporary employment. The remaining 4.27% of students were in non-degree programs including language programs and certificate programs. 6 5 Institute of International Education. (2019). "Place of Origin." Open Doors Report on International Educational Exchange. Retrieved from https://www.iie.org/en/Research-and-Insights/Open-Doors/Data/International-Students/Places-of-Origin 6 Institute of International Education. (2019). "Place of Origin." Open Doors Report on International Educational Exchange. Retrieved from https://www.iie.org/en/Research-and-Insights/Open-Doors/Data/International-Students/Places-of-Origin 6 WholeRen Education 1.2 Research Intent Despite the popularity of studying abroad, recent data have shown several of the challenges common to many Chinese international students such as a lack of independence and preparedness prior to arriving in the U.S. The COVID-19 pandemic brought additional challenges and burdens to Chinese international students academically and emotionally. When left unchecked, these issues have resulted in serious consequences such as academic probation, suspension, and even dismissal. The 2021 WholeRen White Paper continues the analysis of Chinese international students studying in the United States that previous White Papers began. Our research has found that one reason for Chinese international student dismissal in the U.S. was due to difficulties in adapting to their new environment. When students come to the U.S., they live far away from their family in a completely new environment with a different culture and education system. Thus, it is very likely that the challenges they face will have a negative impact on their academic performance or even lead to behavioral misconduct which, in turn, may lead to warnings or suspension. Once disciplinary action has been taken against them, these Chinese international students have been found to be at an even higher risk of misconduct or expulsion if they cannot get help. The WholeRen Group Research Center carefully monitors Chinese international students who have been dismissed from school. We continue to collect and analyze data from 2014 to 2021 regarding the causes of dismissal, individual student situations, and further development of these students after dismissal. One of our main focuses is whether or not students who were dismissed are able to continue studying and complete their course of study in the U.S. We hope that what we have learned from our findings can help students get back on track academically and avoid any additional setback. 7 2021 WholeRen White Paper on Chinese International Student Dismissal and Consequences Part 2 Data Analysis On Students Who Have Been Dismissed 2.1 Data Collection Data in this report is from WholeRen Group’s proprietary database. WholeRen Group was the first professional educational organization in the United States to provide second-chance opportunities for international students who had been dismissed. As such, this database is compiled by America’s only organization with an expertise in international students who have previously been dismissed and contains comprehensive information on the students and why they were forced to leave their schools. In the following sections, "we/us" will refer to the WholeRen Group Research Center. Following the previous 2014-2020 editions of the White Paper, we further continued to examine the age, duration of stay, school location, academic performance, school ranking, and other relevant pieces of information for students who had been dismissed in order to determine the root causes of dismissal. We aim to compile data over the years so that we might acquire a deeper understanding of high-risk international students and the challenges they face. From 2013 to 2021, WholeRen Group used our proprietary database to compile 9,620 cases of Chinese international students who were dismissed. Of these cases, 8,839 had complete data and were used. These complete cases represent 91.88% of the total cases. 864 cases occurred from March of 2010 to March of 2021 and 800 of them were randomly selected for the analysis in this report. In accordance with the scientific method, WholeRen meticulously collects and refines its data. The simulated entry shown below has been derived from specific cases in WholeRen Group’s database: [Sample Data Example] When collecting the data, we first obtained student Y’s basic personal information and academic information to produce the profile below: Full Name: Y Gender: Male Date of Birth: XX/XX/2000 Age at Time of Dismissal: 21 School Level at Time of Dismissal: Undergraduate Major: Finance Dismissing School: University of AA The rank of the Dismissing School: 39 Dismissing School’s Type: Public Dismissing School’s Location: CA GPA at Time of Dismissal: 3.2 Year Dismissed: 2020 Grade at Time of Dismissal: Second-year undergraduate Length of Stay in America Prior to Being Dismissed: 2 Years Reason for Dismissal: Academic dishonesty 8 WholeRen Education [Analysis Process] By analyzing the selected sample from WholeRen Group’s database, we aim to: 1. Conduct a descriptive analysis of student information 2. Classify and analyze the specific reasons why a student was dismissed 3. Compare and compile historical data and analyze longitudinal trends 4. Put forth a summary of the characteristics of the most vulnerable and high-risk academic demographics among Chinese students 5. Analyze current trends and highlight root causes for dismissal 2.2 Personal Data Analysis In the 2021 White Paper, we looked at the gender of students at the time of dismissal, degree being pursued, and reasons for dismissal. We then further analyzed the data to understand the trend Chinese international student dismissals. 2.2.1 Gender Distribution of Dismissed Students Figure 2-1: 2021 Dismissed Students Gender Distribution This year, we started by looking at the gender of dismissed students. In 2021(Figure 2-1) 55.3% of dismissed students were male while 44.7% were female. This is in line with the historical trends as male students are more vulnerable to academic dismissal and still make up the majority of dismissed students. 2.2.2 Academic Level at Time of Dismissal In this section, the academic level of students at time of dismissal was analyzed in order to observe which group of students are most likely to be dismissed. 9 2021 WholeRen White Paper on Chinese International Student Dismissal and Consequences Figure 2-2: 2021 Academic Level at Time of Dismissal As can be seen from Figure 2-2, 79.3% of the students in our sample who were dismissed in 2021 were at the undergraduate level, while 16.8% were at the graduate level and 2.8% were at the doctorate level. Only 1.1% were students in high school or younger. Undergraduate students remain the majority of dismissed Chinese international students in 2021. Figure 2-3: 2021 Academic Grade at Time of Dismissal If we further divide the groups based on their academic grade at the time of dismissal (Figure 2-3), the majority of students who were dismissed in 2021 are at undergraduate level, which is 79.3% of the total students who were dismissed. Among these students, freshmen have a relatively low dismissal level (13.5%). From sophomore to senior years, the levels of dismissed students are relatively similar (22.6%) and sophomore year is slightly higher than the junior and the senior. Dismissed students at the masters level is 16.8% (the second most after the undergraduate level). First year masters dismissal was 9.6%, higher than the 7.2% for second year dismissal level. 10 WholeRen Education 2.2.3 Ranking of Schools from which Students were Dismissed Figure 2-4: 2020 Ranking of Schools from which Students were Dismissed We analyzed the rankings (U.S. News & World Report) of the schools from which students were dismissed in 2021 and studied the relationship between school rankings and the number of dismissed students. As shown in Figure 2-4, 41.1% of dismissed students came from the top 50 universities in 2021. 29.9% of dismissed students came from schools ranked in the 51-100 range and 29.0% of dismissed students came from schools ranked beyond the top 100. 71.0% of students were dismissed from schools ranked 100 or better. 2.2.4 Location of Student Dismissals Figure 2-5: Location of Student Dismissals (Data from March 2020 to March 2021) Reviewing the map in Figure 2-5, we can see that dismissals happened frequently along the western coast, most prominently in California. A large number of cases also occurred on the East Coast (Massachusetts, New York, and Pennsylvania) as well as the Great Lakes region (including Ohio, Illinois, Indiana, Michigan, and others). The areas with the most serious cases are often economically developed, Chinese immigrant centers, and also popular destinations for Chinese students studying in America. In addition, the universities in these areas tend to be ranked higher than those in other locations. 11 2021 WholeRen White Paper on Chinese International Student Dismissal and Consequences 2.3 Analysis of Reasons for Student Dismissal By analyzing the data from 800 students who sought help from WholeRen Group regarding their dismissals between March 2020 and March 2021, we are able to take a closer look at the reasons behind student dismissals, including poor academic performance, academic dishonesty, behavioral misconduct, incomplete understanding of academic policies, and other reasons. As compared with the previous year (Figure 2-6), academic dishonesty is the main reason for academic dismissal and poor academic performance is the second (other reasons such as health condition and low class attendance account for only a small portion of the total students who were dismissed in 2021 and therefore not shown in Figure 2-7). Figure 2-6 2020 Distribution of Reasons for Student Dismissal Figure 2-7: 2021 Distribution of Reasons for Student Dismissal 12 WholeRen Education Academic Dishonesty In 2021, academic dishonesty continued to be the most common reason why Chinese international students were dismissed. 77.8% of dismissed Chinese international students were due to academic dishonesty, an increase of 36.2% from the previous year. The most common behaviors categorized as academic dishonesty include cheating on tests, impersonation, plagiarism, incorrect citations, application material fraud, and falsifying grades. Academic dishonesty can be divided into intentional or unintentional behavior. Intentional academic dishonesty most commonly manifests itself in the form of willingly cheating on homework or tests in order to pass a class. In recent years, taking exams or completing homework on behalf of someone else has become its own industry as many students are willing to pay for this kind of service. Since COVID-19 started, the majority of classes have been transitioned from in-person to online, and the temptation to cheat or copy someone else’s work is greater than before, resulting in increased cases of academic dishonesty. Unintentional academic dishonesty often occurs due to a lack of understanding with regard to the culture of academic integrity in the United States. Examples of this include incorrect citations when writing papers, not knowing the rules of online exams, being generally unfamiliar with habits regarding academic integrity, and not following the school’s academic code of conduct. Poor Academic Performance 17.5% of our student sample were dismissed because of poor academic performance (defined as when a student's GPA is lower than the school’s minimum requirement). American colleges and universities generally stipulate that undergraduates cannot have a total GPA under 2.0 and graduate students cannot have a GPA below 3.0. Most often, the first time a student has a low GPA, the school places the student on academic warning or probation. If academic performance does not improve or if the student has a low GPA for consecutive semesters, the school will likely suspend or dismiss the student. During the pandemic, because of the difficulties that students faced (especially international students), schools relaxed the minimum academic requirement. For example, many schools use Pass/No Pass grading for online classes. As a result of the relaxed grading system, many students who did not meet academic standards were able to continue their studies without academic suspension. Poor academic performance can also result from low attendance and health issues. Attendance issues occur mainly within younger students. For younger students, living alone in the United States means a lack of regulation from their parents, likely for the first time in their lives. This sudden independence can easily result in “slacking off” and not attending class as scheduled. If academic attendance and progress is irregular, U.S. customs may have reason to suspect that the student has ulterior motives for coming to the United States. 13 2021 WholeRen White Paper on Chinese International Student Dismissal and Consequences Health issues are another primary cause for their dismissal. Health issues encompass both physical and mental illnesses. Students with physical health issues may have difficulty in attending classes, and encounter problems with studying, resulting in poor academic performance and academic dismissal. On the other hand, international students face a great deal of pressure while studying in the United States which lead some to develop mental health issues that affect their studies and occasionally lead to their eventual dismissal. An inability to cope and lack of help-seeking behaviors result in physical and psychological stressors which can impact academic behaviors. Behavioral Misconduct Chinese international students who were dismissed due to behavioral misconduct account for 1.9% of our sample from the past year. Students who fall into this category violate school regulations or U.S. laws by bullying, fighting, engaging in violent behavior, drinking underage, driving under the influence, smoking marijuana, and/or racially discriminating. In America, if a student threatens public security, it is highly probable that in addition to facing dismissal, the student will be subject to a judicial trial and repatriation. Incomplete Understanding of Academic Policies Chinese international students who were dismissed due to an incomplete understanding of academic policies accounted for 2.8% of Chinese international students in our sample from 2020 to 2021. These students generally encountered problems such as not registering in time, not enrolling in required courses, and not taking enough credits. These are avoidable problems which unfortunately occur due to a student’s lack of understanding of school policies. American colleges and universities typically have orientations at the beginning of the academic year, when schools outline general rules and policies. However, missing information - whether due to a language barrier or inattention - can lead to difficulties for all students, including international students. Furthermore, some students do not realize the importance of such events and fail to attend orientation, putting them at a much greater risk for school policy violations. 14 WholeRen Education Part 3 Conclusion In summary, academic dishonesty and poor academic performance remain the largest reasons for dismissal. By analyzing trends of Chinese international student dismissal over the last seven years, we found that the number of students dismissed due to academic dishonesty has continuously increased, exceeding the number of students dismissed due to poor academic performance. American universities have always maintained strict academic policies and thus it is not surprising that international students who have not taken the time to familiarize themselves with such policies will encounter difficulties studying in the U.S. To avoid facing dismissal, Chinese international students need to understand the rules and regulations of American universities, especially with regard to academic integrity and plagiarism. Otherwise, they risk violating their institution’s code of conduct and even U.S. laws. Even if students are dismissed, with timely support they can still have the chance to return to their academics and apply for admission to universities in the United States. Though it can be very tempting for international students to seek "pay-to-stay" schools or illegal institutions to help them maintain their legal status in the U.S., legal options are readily available if a student seeks the appropriate support immediately. Illegal work authorization will also result in the termination of an I-20. If students need work or internships, they must conform with the school’s international student office regulations, and avoid taking on any illegal work. Otherwise, the student will develop a permanent record which will negatively impact their chances for future study in the United States. Universities recognize the good characteristics of students. As long as students can reflect after making mistakes, correct themselves, and improve their performance, many schools are willing to offer a second chance to every student. Students who have a record of academic dismissal can still return back to the right track after solving the root cause. The development of this White Paper benefited significantly from the input and support provided by the outstanding staff in the WholeRen Group Research Center and WholeRen Group. In particular, we thank Sa Guo, Yanan Zhang, and Bingjie Shi for their contributions and insights which greatly improved this manuscript. We are also grateful to J.Y. Chu for the comments and edits. 15 2021 WholeRen White Paper on Chinese International Student Dismissal and Consequences References [1] Institute of International Education. (2020). "All Places of Origin." Open Doors Report on International Educational Exchange. Retrieved from https://opendoorsdata.org/data/international-students/all-places-oforigin/ [2] Jian Cao (2020, December 14). “2019 Nian Du Chu Guo Liu Xue Ren Yuan Qing Kuang Tong Ji”. In the Ministry of Education of the People's Republic of China. Retrieved from http://www.moe.gov.cn/jyb_xwfb/gzdt_ gzdt/s5987/202012/t20201214_505447.html [3] Global Flow of Tertiary-Level Students. (n.d.). In United Nations Educational, Scientific and Cultural Organization. Retrieved May 1, 2020, from http://uis.unesco.org/en/uis-student-flow UNESCO Institute For Statistics.g [4] Institute of International Education. (2020). "All Place of Origin" Open Doors Report on International Educational Exchange. Retrieved from https://opendoorsdata.org/data/international-students/all-places-oforigin/ [5] Institute of International Education. (2020). "Academic Level and Places of Origin." Open Doors Report on International Educational Exchange. Retrieved from https://opendoorsdata.org/data/international-students/ academic-level-and-places-of-origin/ [6] Institute of International Education. (2020). "Academic Level and Places of Origin." Open Doors Report on International Educational Exchange. Retrieved from https://opendoorsdata.org/data/international-students/ academic-level-and-places-of-origin/ 16 WholeRen Education Appendix Extended Research: Academic Dishonesty Due to Challenges from COVID-19 Looking at the data from March 2020 to March 2021, we found that 77.8% of students were dismissed due to academic dishonesty. After analyzing the root causes of academic dishonesty, the results show that the major reason was related to how education was radically and suddenly changed due the COVID-19 pandemic. Since the explosion of COVID-19, universities have transitioned from in-person courses to online courses which required new ways of learning that students were underprepared for. The students in our data set did not adapt well to the new environment and were not able to stay focused on studying in the new artificial setting. More importantly, without supervision from instructors, students felt low risk of being caught for academic dishonesty. In the 2021 White Paper, we decided to focus on academic dishonesty and investigate the reasons of academic dishonesty, which includes cheating, plagiarism, receiving help from others for assignment or exam, etc. Figure 3-1 Types of academic dishonesty for students who were dismissed in 2020 17 2021 WholeRen White Paper on Chinese International Student Dismissal and Consequences Figure 3-2 Types of academic dishonesty for students who were dismissed in 2021 Cheating The proportion of students dismissed for cheating in 2020 was 46.9% which is highest among all academic dishonesty behaviors. Common cheating behavior includes working collaboratively during exams, purchasing or selling answers or other materials for exams, copying exams from others or allowing others to copy, using calculators, mobile devices, and other devices when not authorized to use them. Without supervision from instructors and with ready access to the internet, cheating was an easy option for students who lacked self-discipline. In order to ensure academic honesty, schools have developed and implemented new tools for identifying cheating and plagiarism with some schools collaborating with online service providers to monitor students’ academic behaviors. Through such monitoring due to the virtual learning environment, students who may have successfully cheated in the past (e.g., through sharing answers or collaborative work) were more likely ‘caught’ given such new technologies. Therefore, the number of students who were dismissed due to cheating has increased by 6.4% from the previous year. Plagiarism From March 2020 to March 2021, 40.1% of students who were dismissed were due to plagiarism. As compared to the previous period from March 2019 to March 2020, the proportion has slightly decreased from 44.2% to 40.1%. Although there might be slight differences in the definition of plagiarism among different universities, the most commonly seen behaviors are submitting others’ work as their own, copying others’ work, and improper use of citation. Among those behaviors, our study showed that improper use of citation frequently caused Chinese international students to violate academic integrity policies. If students are not familiar with how and when to use citations, it can easily be labeled academic dishonesty, albeit unintentionally. After transitioning to online courses after the pandemic, students were given more assignments and homework than usual. Because of time pressure and lack of self-discipline, plagiarism is becoming a growing problem which results in severe consequences. While a first plagiarism offense may lead to a warning or failing grades, the second offense is more likely to lead to a severe sanction, including but not limited to suspension and dismissal. 18 WholeRen Education Asking others to complete academic activity Asking others to complete their own assignment is another common reason for academic dishonesty, taking account for 8.3% of students who were dismissed due to academic dishonesty. This number is steady as compared to last year which was 8.6%. This year, again, it has become a hot topic within Chinese international students. Online courses are not suitable for all students. Therefore many students were not able to follow the progress of classes and fell behind. The growing industry of providers who will complete assignments on a students’ behalf aggressively advertise their success while also minimizing the consequences of academic dishonesty, attracting students who not only lack discipline but also, who have fallen behind and seek this solution out of desperation. Despite this industry purporting to ‘help’ students, it remains purely profit driven. The work they provide students has often been used somewhere else and submitted repeatedly. Sometimes several students may use the same service providers with the same writer and similar writing style. Without any original work, such offenses are easily detectable, and the consequences of hiring someone else is considered a severe academic integrity violation, often resulting in serious sanctions such as suspension and dismissal. Hiring others to take exam After analyzing the data in 2021, we found that 2.8% of students were dismissed due to hiring others to take exams. In 2020, roughly 1.0% of students were dismissed for the same reason. Similar to hiring others to complete assignments, it has its own industry. While it was not so popular in past years, the percentage increased significantly since the beginning of COVID-19. The students in our data set who were willing to pay for this service believed the chance of being caught would be much smaller for an online exam than an in-person exam. However, what students neglected to account for is how computer technology has advanced, and how instructors prepared for online learning can easily track IP addresses to ‘see’ the test taker and root out who is truly taking the exam. Just like with any other academic dishonesty violation, the consequences can be severe. Others Besides what has been mentioned above, other behaviors leading to academic dismissal include falsifying documents or sabotaging peers’ work, accounting for 1.9% of academic dishonesty dismissals. Falsifying documents can manifest itself in a number of ways, from the submission of fraudulent materials/transcripts to hiding aspects of one’s academic record, not being completely forthright during entrance interviews, submitting an application essay written by someone else, or submitting fake standardized testing scores or diplomas. Dishonesty in any way during the application procedure is unfair to other students and is in direct violation of all schools’ policy. Even if falsified application materials were submitted by the student’s agent/educational consultant, it becomes a serious problem for the student’s academic career and can lead to dismissal once discovered, possibly affecting students F-1 status. 19 2021 WholeRen White Paper on Chinese International Student Dismissal and Consequences Examples of Dismissal Cases due to Academic Dishonesty Case One: Academic Dishonesty Due to Unauthorized Collaboration Student X studied at a university in California. He was caught plagiarizing online resources during an online exam and was reported to the Office of Academic Conduct. Because it was his second academic dishonesty offense, he was facing a suspension from the university. As a result of the investigation, student X admitted that he did not realize the seriousness of academic dishonesty remains the same for online classes and risked violating academic integrity. Case Two: Failure to Graduate Due to Plagiarism Student M was a senior studying at a university located in New York, and he was caught for homework plagiarism. In particular, he was reported multiple times throughout the course for copying others’ ideas without using proper citation and submitting that work as his own. While it was not his intention to plagiarize, he was found in violation of academic honesty policies and this was noted on his permanent transcript. With an academic dishonesty sanction on file, it caused many uncertainties for his future graduate school study. This often happens when a student is not familiar with community academic policies/standards. Examples of Turning Things Around After Dismissal Case One: Getting back on Track After Dismissal due to Academic Dishonesty Student Y was an undergraduate at a Top 30 university. Because of not knowing the importance of academic honesty, he was suspended due to plagiarism and cheating during exams. After an in-depth discussion with Student Y about his situation, WholeRen analyzed the root causes of his academic performance issues and provided advice for his future academic career. During the conversation, he admitted his mistakes and resolved to do better. With WholeRen’s support, he transferred to another school to continue his studies. WholeRen also designed a detailed and personalized academic plan for him. Afterward, Student Y was able to apply for readmission and returned back to his original university to finish his studies. Case Two: Admitted by Top Ranked University after Suspension due to Academic Dishonesty Student Z initially studied at a Top 50 university in the U.S. During his study, he only achieved a GPA of 2.0 and was found to have engaged in academic dishonesty repeatedly. He was consequently suspended from the school for one year. After reaching out to WholeRen for help, he fully admitted his mistakes and understood the importance of academic honesty. Consequently, he was able to transfer to another college and continue his studies in the U.S. Following his transfer, he rectified his past mistakes and his study performance improved significantly, with all ‘A’ grades. In addition, he received support from WholeRen to prepare his graduate school application. With this support, he was successful in all of his classes. This laid the foundation for his successful admission to a well known university with a full scholarship (a school which had a higher ranking than his initial university). 20 WholeRen Education CONTACT US TEL:+1（412）756-3137 Email：info@wholeren.com Web：www.wholeren.com 21
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