Remote cheating leads to 'corona degrees' in Greece

Shuttered for over a year because of the COVID-19 pandemic, Greek universities are now grappling with a surge in online exam cheating giving rise to a new reality: the "corona degree".

Both professors and students candidly admit that examination safeguards are practically impossible to enforce in a remote-learning environment with hundreds of participants simultaneously online.

"In jest, we call the degrees to be awarded this season 'corona degrees'," says John Mylopoulos, a professor of environmental engineering and former rector of Thessaloniki's Aristotelio University.

"Remote learning is supposed to be a supplementary education tool. When it completely subsumes teaching, problems begin," he told AFP. 

Sofia, a 20-year-old psychology student at Aristotelio, says that "last summer, I took two exams on behalf of two of my friends and nobody realised."

"I logged in using their computers and personal registration codes. There was no requirement for an open camera during the exam. My two friends received a nearly perfect score without opening a book," she told AFP.

Many professors have been surprised to see even long-term students who haven't set foot in a university campus for...