A Del Mar resident's Web site encouraging students to post their midterm and final exams online is generating debate at UC San Diego and other schools about academic integrity, cheating and copyright violations.
The site, www.PostYourTest.com, says it is not a tool for cheating, but one that offers exams for others to use as study aids. Users are not charged for the service; profits are generated from advertising.
PEGGY PEATTIE / Union-Tribune
Demir Oral, who lives in Del Mar, said the idea for his Web site, www.PostYourTest.com, took root as he was coming out of a college exam.
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Recently, the site's creator solicited students from the University of California San Diego at a local shopping center and on campus, offering $5 Starbucks gift cards in exchange for new posts.
“For us, the site raised concerns about some students gaining copies of exams that were not for public distribution,” said Jim Posakony, chairman of UCSD's Academic Senate. “The senate was very worried about academic integrity and concerns about possible cheating or unfair advantage given to some students over others who don't know about the site. Also, a lot of faculty were worried that exams plus the answer keys are being posted on public Web sites without their knowledge.”
There are at least 500 tests on the site from schools such as Harvard, Notre Dame, Rice, and St. Louis universities. But the majority of posts are from UCSD, where the creator, Demir Oral, once took a summer physics course.
Professors often hand back tests so students can understand their grades, Posakony said, but not with the intention that they be used for mass distribution. The university's legal counsel has concluded that professors own the copyright of the exam, sparking concerns about potential copyright violations, Posakony said.
In years past, students have sporadically gotten ahold of old tests from friends. Fraternities and sororities have been known to stockpile them. Some professors regularly change their tests.
Oral, 23, is a graduate of St. Louis University who studied management information systems. By day, he works as a Web developer.
He said the idea for the site took root as he was coming out of a college exam.
“I overheard two other students talking about an exam they took previously, and one mentioned to the other, 'If I didn't see the previous test for this microeconomics test, I wouldn't have done as well. The professor structured the questions pretty much the same way.' I thought every student should have access to this. It shouldn't be for the lucky few.”
PostYourTest.com debuted in November, but it didn't get off the ground until a few months ago. Students can post tests anonymously.
Oral isn't surprised that his business has generated ethical debate.
“Personally, I don't really think that studying from past exams is cheating,” he said. “In fact, I've had professors give back past exams for a study tool. . . . But I'm sure some people do see it as cheating.”
Even if professors don't change their tests, it's not cheating – it's a good study aid, he said.
“As long as that student intends to study from it rather than taking it into the classroom and copying the answers,” he said. “I've seen students have the same test, and they still study real hard from that test and other notes.”
Senior Joy Holmstrom, a pre-dental major at UCSD, thinks the site is a good idea.
“A lot of people, if their friends have had the same class – they get the tests from them,” she said. “And some teachers don't hand the tests back.”
Senior Jessica Hagbery, a general biology major, hadn't heard of the site.
“But that's bad because if there are people who have heard of it they definitely have had an advantage,” she said. “I would definitely check it out just so I could get an edge.”
Professors who didn't want tests posted had been able to add their names to the site's “banned list.” And professors from UCSD, San Diego State University, University of San Diego, and Palomar and Grossmont community colleges had been rapidly adding their names to that list as they became more aware of the site.
Oral is no longer taking new names for the “banned list,” but is still honoring requests by professors who contact the site wanting their tests removed.
Posakony said UCSD's approach to the site was to inform other faculty members about its existence. UCSD created a form for professors to fill out in-house that could be submitted collectively to PostYourTest.com.
“We feel that we've taken care of the immediate, short-term concern,” Posakony said. “But we still have a concern that PostYourTest.com is soliciting students to provide exams and answer keys and not verifying with the students or professor that the student has the permission to give the exam. The point is that PostYourTest.com is soliciting students in engaging in copyright violations.”
Not all faculty members take issue with the site.
Chemistry professor Michael Sailor was unaware that one of his tests had been posted on the site, but he said he doesn't mind. Sailor said he regularly hands back tests and assumes they get passed around.
“If a student goes on the site and finds 500 problems they think will be relevant to the test, and they learn how to do them cold, then great. They've learned something,” he said.
Sailor said of faculty members who don't change their tests: “Frankly, I think that's being intellectually lazy. They want to write one exam their whole career and teach the same material and give the same test.”
Sherry Saavedra: (619) 542-4598; sherry.saavedra@uniontrib.com
