Three Ways Students Cheat Online

[WilliamW]

Sometimes students cheat, here's three ways we do it
Posted by Suzanne Craig Main Feature, News Thursday, January 27th, 2011

Online classes are growing increasingly popular, so too are the chances to abuse the honor system. After all, there isn/t any instructor sitting to watch, or hovering over suspicious characters. While this list might seem rudimentary to a particularly clever student, these are the three main ways students can cheat online classes:

1. Group testing

This is one common enough most students don't even consider it cheating. Students still have to do some of the work, so it's not like the entire class is just being skipped over. When it comes to take home or online tests and quizzes, many instructors say 'Do not work together!"

Right. Each person in the group does sections of problems correctly, then swaps them with the group to get the test done. This doesn't work as well for English classes where there is reading, essays and definite plagiarism detection worries. But with math, technical subjects and terminology courses where there are only so many ways to write the same thing, this method of cheating is clean and easy.

2. Fair trade agreements

In this case, it is most beneficial if you have taken an online class yourself and need to take another one. The ideal symbiotic relationship would be you taking a class again for someone else and your trade partner taking the class you don't want to do in exchange, preferably one they have already taken. Another, harder route: You do two of one class and someone else does two of another, each of you signed on once as yourself, and once as the other person. Half the studying involved, but a fair amount of writing, typing and anti-plagiarism detection efforts.

3. Pay your friend -- or your neighbor

Pay someone. Find someone who has already taken the class, say, English 102. There are a lot of online options. Generally, the person should have good grades, wants to make some easy cash and be reasonably good at altering documents so plagiarism detectors don't go off. After all, they already have the essays and know most of the material -- why not make some money for it? Depending on the individual asked, the going rate for a class is anywhere from $50- a few hundred bucks, depending on the material studied and the actual work involved.


Have you ever cheated online?
Nope, I'm honest Abe. (68%, 23 Votes)
Yes, I've taken an individual quiz or test with a group. (18%, 6 Votes)
Yes, I paid someone to take an online class for me. (12%, 4 Votes)
Yes, I swapped online classes with someone. (2%, 1 Votes)
Total Voters: 34


Do you think cheating in an online class is immoral?
Yes (65%, 20 Votes)
No (35%, 11 Votes)
Total Voters: 31


What do you think should be done to people caught cheating for the first time?
They should get one warning. (73%, 22 Votes)
They should be expelled. (27%, 8 Votes)
Nothing should happen to them. (0%, 0 Votes)
Total Voters: 30

Student voices: Would you pay someone to take your online class for you?


Aron Lupton, 20, kinesiology, sophomore, Nampa
"If I didn't really like the class, I would think about it."


Andrea Korn, 23, English, senior, Boise
"I'm good at English, so I wouldn't need anyone to take it for me -- (but) professors should expect that we can look up answers online if they tell us to take an online test."


Cassie Tipton, 22, physical education, senior, Buhl
"I have done group testing. Might as well use your resources if you have them."


Zac Broadie, 27, radiology, sophomore, Hailey
"There is no need for someone to take it for you if you have your book."