Edubirdie is an online essay writing service that connects students who need help with their school assignments to freelance writers who can complete the work. One key aspect of Edubirdie’s business model is utilizing teachers as writers on their platform. While Edubirdie markets the teaching experience of these writers as a benefit, their role also presents certain ethical considerations.
Who are Edubirdie teachers?
Edubirdie teachers are individuals who work as freelance writers on the Edubirdie platform and who also have experience working as an educator. Typically, these are current or former K-12 teachers, but it can also include those with experience teaching at the post-secondary level. Edubirdie requires all writers to have at minimum a bachelor’s degree, but being a teacher provides additional qualifications that Edubirdie emphasizes to students.
Teachers sign up on Edubirdie just like any other freelance writer. They set their own hourly rates and subject matter expertise. Edubirdie then promotes them as having classroom experience grading papers and understanding assignment requirements firsthand. Many teachers use Edubirdie as a way to earn extra income on their own schedule, either as a side gig or following retirement from the classroom.
Benefits of hiring an Edubirdie teacher
From a student perspective, there are some potential advantages to hiring an Edubirdie teacher over a non-educator writer:
Subject matter expertise: As a current or former teacher, they have deeper knowledge of curricular content, especially at the K-12 level in core subjects like English, math, science, and social studies. This makes them well-qualified to complete classroom assignments.
Understanding of expectations: With experience grading student work, an Edubirdie teacher better understands what a teacher wants to see from an essay, report, problem set, or other scholastic tasks. They know how to meet assignment guidelines and demonstrate learning.
Feedback ability: In addition to just completing assignments, some Edubirdie teachers offer revision help or tutoring. Their pedagogical training allows them to provide constructive criticism and guidance for improvement.
Timeliness: As educators, Edubirdie teachers are used to working on deadlines. They can often complete and deliver assignments more quickly than writers without a teaching background.
-Credentials reassurance: For students leery of online writing services, knowing their work will be done by a professional with a teaching certification or degree can help alleviate integrity concerns.
Potential ethical issues
While Edubirdie teachers offer certain advantages, their role also presents some ethical considerations both for the teachers and the overall academic honesty of using such a service:
Academic dishonesty: At its core, using Edubirdie involves having another person complete an assignment in the student’s name, violating standards of authorship and independent work. While intentions may be good, it ultimately facilitates cheating.
Conflict of interest: As education professionals, there is an inherent conflict for teachers to assist with coursework in a way that does the intellectual work for students. It can undermine values of learning and merit-based evaluation.
Enabling poor study habits: Relying on Edubirdie repeats can discourage students from developing independent time management and problem-solving skills. It enables procrastination and last-minute writing without true comprehension.
Unfair grading advantage: If a student submits work done by an Edubirdie teacher unbeknownst to their actual teacher, it risks receivingbetter evaluation and higher marks than peers who did theassignment themselves.
Potential plagiarism: While Edubirdie assignments are typically original, Education professionals are trained in academic integrity and understanding what qualifies as plagiarism. Self-plagiarism or copied content present risks.
Legal/licensing concerns: In many places, working for an essay mill that enables cheating could jeopardize a teacher’s certification or position depending on school policies. It’s a professional risk.
Unethical monetization of credentials: Some argue that packaging teaching experience as a selling point for contract cheating work is an unethical commercialization of credentials gained from public service as educators.
Overall, while the intent may be to help students, most experts agree that Edubirdie teachers undermine values of academic honesty and independent learning. While individuals have freedom of work choice, their participation provides legitimacy that helps normalize academic dishonesty. It presents a serious ethical lapse compared to alternatives like private tutoring that don’t enable or conceal cheating.