Published: March 18, 2008 09:31 pm         

ISU faculty member finds test answers for sale on eBay

TERRE HAUTE — Carolyn Burns, a nursing faculty member at Indiana State University, was stunned when she learned that test questions and answers she might use on her nursing exams were for sale on eBay.

She was equally upset when she contacted eBay and learned that the company does not have a security system in place to monitor for the sale of prohibited items, including teacher edition texts and accompanying test banks.

A test bank is typically on a compact disc and has test questions and answers that faculty can use on an exam.

In January, Burns wrote to Meg Whitman, eBay CEO. She stated that she is a frequent user of eBay and values its services, “However, I have a very serious concern regarding the inability of your company to control the selling of prohibited items,” she wrote.

eBay uses a “community watch” approach and relies on its users to tell them if a prohibited item is for sale, Burns learned.

“The problem with this approach is that by the time a report is made and a review is done the item has already been sold,” Burns said.

eBay did not respond to e-mails sent Friday and Tuesday by the Tribune-Star, nor did it return telephone calls made Friday and Tuesday seeking a response to Burns’ concerns.

Burns recently became aware of the problem when she was asked to release the titles of some of her textbooks early so students could buy them online.

Out of curiosity, she did her own search and found the teacher edition book as well as the test bank she uses for one of her classes available for sale on eBay. Burns reported it to eBay, but it sold for $71 within two hours.

Upon further review, she found additional teacher edition texts and testing materials online, including materials from other disciplines. “This made me sick to my stomach,” she wrote to Whitman, the eBay CEO.

Burns contacted eBay, and an e-mail response she received stated, “In order to keep eBay a safe and fun place to trade, we rely on members like you to bring such items to our attention.”

In her letter to Whitman, Burns wrote, “It is hard for me to fathom that a company as big as eBay does not have a system in place to monitor what materials go up for sale. Is it all about the money? Does academic honesty and integrity count for anything anymore?”

After writing her letter to the eBay CEO, Burns received a response from the office of the president. It stated, “Because millions of listings are available on eBay, we are unable to review every listing posted. eBay often relies on reports from members to help us maintain the safety and security of our community. If we find that an item or listing violates our policy, we take appropriate action.”

Violations for selling teacher edition textbooks can include a listing cancellation; forfeit of eBay fees on canceled listings; limits on account privileges and account suspension, according to eBay.

Other prohibited or restricted items on eBay include firearms, weapons, electronic surveillance equipment, human body parts and remains, drugs and alcohol.

eBay’s response to Burns went on to say, “Even if the listing has ended with a winning bidder, when the item is reviewed we will remove the listing from the site. The sale of the item will also be canceled and we will alert the winning bidder to either not pay for the item or apply for a refund.”

The letter encouraged Burns to continue to report the sale of test banks.

Burns says that as an educator, she remains concerned that eBay’s “community watch” approach to overseeing prohibited and restricted items is inadequate.

“Your company is allowing students to bid or ‘Buy It Now’ on items that will help them cheat their way through college,” she wrote to Whitman.

Burns also referred to copyright issues. “These test banks are bootlegged and I am sure the publishers of the textbook companies would not be pleased to know their material is up for sale to the highest bidder,” she wrote to Whitman.

Burns concluded her letter by stating, “I feel eBay is doing a great disservice to the American educational system by not hiring individuals to thoroughly police the selling of teacher edition textbooks, test banks and resources.”

Burns said she’s writing an article about her findings for an academic nursing publication; she has also contacted professional organizations for nursing educators.

In addition, she has contacted the publishers of the nursing textbooks, and one in particular is taking steps to prevent the pirating of their testing materials. “They’re trying to find new ways of making it more difficult for people to access test banks,” Burns said.

She said that some students may choose to cheat their way through college, but there will be a day of reckoning when they take their state exam.

To become a licensed nurse in Indiana, nursing graduates must have the knowledge to pass it. “You can’t cheat on state boards,” she said. It’s a computerized exam that pulls from a data bank of thousands of possible questions, she said.

“You have to know all your material,” Burns said.

Burns also has contacted appropriate officials at ISU who deal with the issue of cheating and academic integrity.

Burns learned of the problem in December, and she alerted other ISU nursing faculty. “I told them your test banks and books are for sale. Go to this link,” she said.

Faculty now are pulling from other resources and being more creative in how they put together their exams, she said. They also spoke to students about the importance of academic integrity.



Sue Loughlin can be reached at (812) 231-4235 or sue.loughlin@tribstar.com.