I disagree that we should not be concerned. Cheating still exists in an online environment, but it exists in different ways. If a student can find a quiz or exam online, they may use it to cheat for a better score. If a student can find the topic of a paper online, they may plagiarize the paper for a better grade.
We should be concerned about cheating because it goes against the academic integrity of both the student and the instructor. What does it say about us if we allow it?
It is our responsibility as educators to create quizzes and exams that are not duplicated time and time again. We should also require students to write papers about different (but related) topics when requiring essays.
Simon,
It can be harder to catch a student in the act, but we should always lets students know we are on the lookout!
Shelly Crider
Gregory,
You might add to your "must reads" some stories of people who have not completed their own work and what happens to them.
Shelly Crider
Niki,
We all have an off day now and then. A do over gives the opportunity to really think about your work. You do not always get a second chance in the real world.
Shelly Crider
Niki,
There are times when I have to double check my own work to make sure I have covered all my ends as well!!
Shelly Crider
James,
Good point....it is so important for instructors to let students know right from the start why your class is important to them. I teach a Microsoft Word class and I have several students who do not see the need....big discussion question for me!
Shelly Crider
We should definitely be concerned, either way. In the courses I have facilitated, academic integrity is often compromised when students fail to cite their resources in research projects or papers. Recently, I had a student copy, word-for-word, content from a web page which she claimed as her own work. Using the Turn-It-In application showed that her work was 90%plagiarized. As a student in her final term of her degree program, she definitely knew the importance and requirement of properly citing references. Had she been allowed to move forward, she never would have learned the lesson of integrity and submitting original work.
From what I've seen, "cheating" usually takes the form of plagiarism in online classes, usually from an internet source or from another student. As long as we consider ourselves to be an institution with high academic standards, I think we should be very concerned about this. I have seen first hand that plagiarism is very common in online environments. The good news is, we have some very effective tools to combat this such as the TurnitIn service which can be used to identify incidents of plagiarism. Many students do not even understand the full meaning of what this is, so educating students on plagiarism is an essential step.
Academic integrity is always an imperative online and in on-ground classrooms. I have had traditional classroom instructors tell me it is easier to cheat online. I do not agree. Cheating can be easy in either delivery method if the course design and instructor does not pay attention to and teach the importance of academic integrity
The cheating can be with plagiarism or students sharing answers or work. I have had students use another’s paper in online and on ground situations. Also, I have had situations where a student copies information from another paper or fails to properly reference source material.
In all cases it is important to explain to students the school and class policies, teach academic integrity, use tools to look for plagiarism. Some students do accidentally plagiarize (such as not properly citing or referencing, etc.) and I treat these situations as a learning moment.
I could not disagree more with this statement. I happen to know that this is an area that has been a focus of Accreditation groups over the past few years, at least with regard to Academic Honesty/Integrity and Plagiarism. Many online schools have tightened their policies and practices in this area. Some schools even have students submit a Letter/Certificate of Academic Integrity(or something similar) with their assignments -- this not only acts as a reminder of the importance of academic honesty for students, but also serves as a way for schools to help ensure students cannot simply say "I didn't know that" when something happens. But it is important to also understand that things like plagiarism can happen unintentionally such as students relying on way too much material from the textbook instead of their own contributions -- in these cases students should be guided to help them understand that we don't want to see them regurgitate or reiterate what is in the textbook or article they researched (we can read that ourselves), but that we want to see demonstration of critical thought processes on their part using these materials.
Thanks, Jim
We should be concerned about cheating in the online environment but the game has certainly changed. Because of the nature of online learning, deliverables have had to be modified and cheaters have had to adjust. Thank goodness for resources like TurnItIn!
I disagree. We should always be concerned about cheating. The purpose of the class is to learn and demonstrate proficiency all the way up to mastery. While it is possible to learn a little by the process of cheating, I suppose, the student does not gain the full value of the learning process.
Study is designed to be a type of risk/reward system. Those that push themselves and do the work get rewarded. Someone who has skirted the process should not enjoy the same benefits.
Cheating is cheating.
Julie Ann,
This is a great, but sad, example. This happens to many of us!
Shelly Crider
Deborah,
There are times I have had students who did not know the meaning of integrity....we cannot take for granted anything!
Shelly Crider
James,
We do tend to hear "I didn't know that" often.
Shelly Crider
Stephen
Yes we should. Cheating is not acceptable in any part of our life....school or the workforce.
Shelly Crider
Randy,
Exactly..."skirting" the process leaves a bad taste in everyone's mouth.
Shelly Crider
Cheating is a very interesting topic. The first thing we have to do to understand what the answer to this question should be is to define what is cheating. In many Eastern cultures, using the material from the instructor directly without any editing is a form of flattery to the instructor. In fact, it is not considered cheating at all.
In our Western educational model, we emphasize individual effort versus collective effort. Thus, for us in the West, cheating means that we do the same thing that in the East would be perfectly acceptable. What this means is that cheating is a relative term.
Now I'm not saying that cheating is right or wrong. But what I am saying is that cheating is culturally defined. Besides, we as human beings are great thieves. If we see an idea, we make a copy of it. If we hear a clever joke, we tell it to others as if it is our own. How many people here have ever told a joke knowing that the Joker the witty phrase the one said actually came from someone else? I'm sure that we all have done it. So you see, cheating is relative.
Shelly,
As instructors,teachers,professors and educations, we should always express concern (self-contained) about students possibly cheating, especially in an online environment. Not because they can't do the work but sometimes life happens or procrastination, assignments are due (like yesterday) and technology is just a click (with a few keystrokes away). There isn't anything "NEW" for topics to discuss so if we always check the students work and express questions directed towards their personal insight on a topic. It lets them know that you are attentive to what they are writing and it places them at ease if you advise them that they are on track or not (then guiding them on the proper way to get there). This concept is not any different than traditional classes if the students are not prepared and the facilitator is not attentive. So some key factors are to review and communicate with the student to alleviate or reduce the probability of cheating.
Michael Stone
Donald,
Another good point......cheating is all around us, we have to define what it is to us and our class.
Shelly Crider
