In my understanding, the conveniences that make online education attractive also create new opportunities for academic dishonesty. I also think academic dishonesty frequently results from a combination of opportunity, culture, and desperation. Cheating not only diminishes learning but also devalues degrees and undermines institutional missions.
Reducing the incentives and opportunities for cheating improves student mastery of course material while increasing the value of online degrees and certifications. Course design, sense of community, and proctoring technology combine to limit the impact of cheating on assignments that are difficult to monitor and ensure that students are consistently and impartially observed during more high-stakes assessments.
Academic integrity is strongly correlated with a sense of community. Distance learners are particularly susceptible to feelings of isolation that weaken students’ attachment to academic honor codes and learning objectives. Despite the perception that community is difficult to cultivate online, discussion boards and collaborative projects – along with real-time (synchronous) sessions – can help foster a sense of camaraderie that makes honor codes and academic integrity proclamations more meaningful.
127 our experts are availableright now
Specific reminders and affirmative statements to uphold academic integrity can also be effective barriers to cheating, particularly when given prior to completing an assessment or turning in an assignment. The more students feel connected to one another, the less motivated they are to engage in deviant behavior.
Establishing clear boundaries for individual work and academic integrity provides a solid foundation for student success. The assumption that other students are cheating is a driving factor in many instances of academic dishonesty. Without a belief that others are competing on a level playing field, students feel pressured to cheat to keep up with their peers. Technological safeguards can prevent cheating by reassuring learners that testing conditions are consistently monitored for fairness.
Automated, remote proctoring is available at a low cost and allows every assessment to be proctored. When proctoring becomes a routine part of online quizzes, tests, and exams, students not only believe others are playing by the rules, but their attitudes toward online proctoring also improve.
Employing automated, remote proctoring early, and often, in online courses reinforces presumptions of academic integrity while allowing students to become familiar with this less intrusive technology during low stakes assessments. The more commonplace fully automated proctoring becomes, the fewer students believe their peers are cheating and the more comfortable they are being monitored remotely.
References
- The Relationship Between Academic Integrity and Online Course Outcomes: A Case Study
- Dishonest Understandings and Abuse Towards Academic Integrity
- Assessing and Preventing Academic Dishonesty in Online Courses
- Is high-stakes assessment bad for students’ morality? Moral licensing effects in cheating under two-stage examination systems
