Quote:Detecting Academic Dishonesty Online
NOVEMBER 17, 2010.

By SUE SHELLENBARGER
Q: With online courses growing in popularity, how do institutions know the work submitted has actually been done by the student who is enrolled? It would seem the arrangement is so anonymous that it creates opportunities for students to rely on other people.
—C.G., Lancaster, N.Y.

A: This is a topic of growing concern among regulators. Recent federal legislation requires colleges and universities with distance-learning programs to verify students' identity in order to ensure that the student enrolled is actually doing the work, says Mike Lambert, executive director of the Distance Education and Training Council, a Washington, D.C., nonprofit group that operates an accrediting commission for such programs. And earlier this year, the National Collegiate Athletic Association tightened requirements for accepting online and correspondence courses as high-school credit for college athletes, insisting that teachers interact regularly with students and provide feedback on assignments by phone, email, instant messaging and other means.

High-quality distance-learning programs give instructors many opportunities to interact with individual students and get a sense of their abilities, says Kenneth Hartman, academic director at Drexel University Online, Philadelphia. "The more touch points you have with your online students, the more familiar you'll become with their academic abilities, and the better you'll be at detecting academic dishonesty," says Dr. Hartman, who is also an online instructor. Also, most schools, colleges and universities use a combination of a log-on and password system for assignments, and require that tests be administered by proctors. Typically, the proctor, usually a school official, instructor or supervisor at a tutoring or testing center, verifies the student's identity by checking a government ID; oversees the student taking the exam, then sends it directly to the college or university. Other programs use Web cams for remote proctoring.

Early research comparing cheating rates in classroom instruction with online courses suggests it may not be happening as often as suspected. One study of 225 students at Friends University, a Christian university in Wichita, Kan., found students enrolled in online classes were actually less likely to cheat than those enrolled in traditional classroom courses. One possible reason is that students in online classes are more often allowed to work at their own pace, reducing the pressure to cheat to meet a test or paper deadline. Another possible reason is that professors may develop assignments and exams designed to reduce the opportunity to cheat; for example, they may assign personalized written assignments. Finally, more online learners are adults on a non-traditional path, taking college courses later in life; such students tend to cheat less, the research shows.

(12-04-2010, 02:28 AM)Don Dresden Wrote: One study of 225 students at Friends University, a Christian university in Wichita, Kan., found students enrolled in online classes were actually less likely to cheat than those enrolled in traditional classroom courses.

Quote:Finally, more online learners are adults on a non-traditional path, taking college courses later in life; such students tend to cheat less, the research shows.

(12-05-2010, 07:51 PM)ham Wrote: I do my homework, then take the exam...and wait to see...I didn't copy off anyone when I was in high school, go figure.