Examination malpractice among university students, Aa case study of Makerere University in the shadows of COVID-19

Abstract

The study examines the factors leading to examination malpractice among university students in the shadows of COVID- 19 at Makerere University. It was guided by the major objective of assessing the factors leading to examination malpractice among university students in the shadows of COVID- 19, the specific objectives were to find out the state of examination malpractice- , to establish the factors leading to examination malpractice- , to find out the perceptions of students towards examination malpractices and to recommend measures and strategies that can be undertaken to deal with examination malpractices at Makerere University in the post COVID-19 era. A case study design was used where both quantitative and qualitative methods of data collection were used. Purposive sampling was used for the key informants and random sampling was used for the 50 respondents and as a result data was acquired through interviews. The findings indicated that examination malpractice escalated in the advent of COVID – 19 and this was as a result of online examinations and on campus examinations that were held when the lockdown was lifted. The findings revealed that entering an examination without valid documentation, plagiarism, impersonation, cheating in an examination to mention but a few are a malpractice. The findings also revealed that these malpractices are attributed to different factors such as desire to pass, laziness of students, inadequate preparation to mention but a few. There is therefore need for Makerere University as an institution of higher learning to intervene before the situation gets out of hand.