Students tired of using the lame, old "the-dog-ate-my-homework" excuse when handing in late assignments, may have a new option to consider.
A U.S. website purports to sell to students Word, Excel and PowerPoint files that have been intentionally corrupted.
A U.S. website purports to sell to students Word, Excel and PowerPoint files that have been intentionally corrupted.
A U.S. website, Corrupted-Files.com, purports to sell to students — for just $3.95 — Word, Excel and PowerPoint files that have been intentionally corrupted. "Don't hand in a garbage paper," the site exhorts. "Send a corrupted file instead!"
Here's how it works. After purchasing a compromised file, a student can rename it (e.g. Mike_Final-Paper, the site suggests) and send it as an e-mail attachment to his or her professor. It will take your professor "several hours if not days to notice your file is unfortunately corrupted," the site says, buying students some valuable extra time to finish an assignment.
The files come in various sizes, including two, five, 10, 30 and 40 pages, so students can select the size that best matches their assignment length. Or, if students have more specific needs, they can place a custom order for $8.95. Purchases can be paid for with a credit card or a PayPal account. The files are guaranteed not to open on a Mac or a PC.
The website doesn't identify its creator but the purported owner, who asked to remain anonymous, did reply to questions sent by GlobeCampus by e-mail. The site's developer said he or she created it in December as a lark while watching old Seinfeld reruns, possibly inspired by the antics of George Costanza, "the sad king of excuses."
"I actually never used a corrupted file in my college days (I'm 25)," the owner said. "My professors were all very wonderful people and I was very close with most of them so if I needed an extension, I was just honest with them and they were more than willing to help me out."
The site's developer acknowledged that the practice of using corrupted files many be ethically dubious, but argued that it wasn't "outright cheating." It's simply a better excuse that buys students more time to complete their assignments. The site discourages students from purchasing assignments online or from colleagues. He or she declined to disclose how lucrative the site is and said it was uncertain how much longer it would continue to operate.
Asked if professors are beginning to crack down on the practice, the site's owner said even if professors suspect that the file has been intentionally corrupted, they can't prove it. "A corrupted file happens to all of us. It's like a flat tire. It does happen."
As for whether Canadian students are using the site, he or she remarked ruefully that "Canadian students are too honest for Corrupted-Files.com. They would just ask their professors for an extension."
Danielle Istl, academic integrity officer at the University of Windsor, said she hadn't heard of professors having received corrupted files. But, she said, students do occasionally submit an incorrect attachment and later claim it was not the one they had intended to send. "We never really know whether that's true or if it's just to buy time," she said.
Ms. Istl said if students can demonstrate that they have a completed copy of the correct document and that it was last modified electronically before the due date, she gives them the benefit of the doubt.
Bloggers on a U.S. academic website admitted they had received corrupted files from students, although they couldn't be sure if it was intentional or not.
Ms. Istl said new technologies are making it harder for professors to keep up with cheaters. Surreptitious text messaging during exams, the use of pen-like devices that double as scanners and entering cheat sheets into programmable calculators and cell phones are just some of the newest gimmicks. Her job as an academic integrity officer is to help professors stay one step ahead of the cheaters.
Professors try to impress upon students that they are responsible for what they submit, whether that be a plagiarized document or a corrupted one, Ms. Istl said. So, she cautions students not to wait until the last minute to file their assignments, just in case there is a technical glitch.
As for Corrupted-Files.com, students interested in test-driving the service should act soon. The price is set to rise to $5.95 at the end of the month.
Special to The Globe and Mail
