Sheryl,
Then if you throw in a split screen...that really helps the information flow!!
Shelly Crider
Andrea,
This is only cheating the students themselves if they rely on cheating to get by. The workplace will not allow the extra time or it will show in the interview.
Shelly Crider
Dan,
ouch....that is a huge percentage! I like the "trial run" aspect. Many students simply do not know what to cite.
Shelly Crider
I disagree. I find it easier for students to cheat in an online course because the availability of new tabs and access to information, as well as the ability to have another person log in and do your work or join you live to help you complete your work. Students can also take screen shots of exams and share. It is therefore vital to educate students not only about plagiarism but about ethics and the satisfaction of doing their work honestly and EARNING their degree.
I have to agree with Kristin. There are sufficient tools available to monitor work and determined if it was copied. If a student copies work, the school standard should be enforced quickly and privately. The entire class does not need to know that a student was reprimanded for cheating.
I teach an online course and I feel that cheating is even easier in a virtual environment. I use Turnitin software to check for copied content, but I know I don't catch everything. Also, the students can easily share with each other what the quiz or exam questions were, since all students take the exam at different times. Finally, I know they use the book for the online assessments, even though it asks them not to.
Just two weeks ago, my roommate logged into her online course at a university to participate in the instructor's asynchronous lecture presentation. The instructor began the lecture in a stern (seemingly angry) manner. He stated that most students in the class would not be happy with their grade on the first written assignment for the course.
He reported that, by using TurnItIn.com, he determined that 75% (!) of the students in class had plagiarized at least 50% of their submissions. These students' grades were, therefore, zero. The instructor then warned the students that there would be no opportunity to re-do the paper. The zero grade stood.
The following week at the beginning of his lecture, the instructor announced that he had reconsidered and would allow students to re-submit their papers (containing no evidence of plagiarism, mind you) and if done so in the next 3 days, he would grant them half-credit, or less if the paper was not completed correctly.
To help prevent this from happening, I recommend that part of every online course orientation include a module on plagiarism and copyright law, the proper citation of sources, and the instructor's expectations/rules regarding a student's failure to comply. Following that, perhaps a short (1-2 paragraphs?) research essay assignment at the start of the course could serve as a "trial run" so the instructor could point out any flaws in student ability or judgment early-on. Or perhaps a quiz that contains scenarios for students to judge would solidify the concepts, so there would be no excuses when future assignments are given.
Clarification of expectations from the start may not prevent the zeroes completely, but it would help combat the "I didn't know" excuse. I also think this issue is an important reason why most colleges require students to take ENGLISH 101 in their first semester, so that these issues can be nipped in the bud early-on, thus enabling students to succeed in subsequent classes, both on-ground and online.
Thoughts?
Dan
Simone,
And the fact that it really only hurts the student!
Shelly Crider
Keith,
Any type of writing helps with seeing what a student is actually retaining and if it is their own work.
Shelly Crider
William,
Cheating does nobody any good at all!
Shelly Crider
David,
I would like to think that true/false tests are a thing of the past.
Shelly Crider
From my experience, Cheating in an on-line environment is more a plagerism issue, than the old "leaning over the aisle, and seeing what the student next to you has for question number 5" type thing.
Services such as the "turn-it-in" web site, and others make the writing of papers more honest becuse of the comparitive software that it uses.
Cheating in an on-line test is harder to prevent becuase Students can be text-messaging, or e-chatting with other students, and there is virtually no way of detecting it.
If out true purpose is educating, then the old time-limit 50 question mid-terms may be a thing of the past , and the display of knowledge may have to be more essay or composition based efforts.
Cheating is cheating, online or on ground. it must be addressed and taken care of.
Absolutely we should be concerned. Although difficult to monitor, we should explain to students the importance of academic integrity. For the most part, all we can do is rely on the "honor system" which is basically trusting the student to be honest and sincere about their learning.
We should be very concerned! Online quizzes and tests can be easily taken by a third party. I think the discussion boards are one way to see if the student is really particiapting and is actually retaining information.
Brian,
So true...discipline the traditional classroom student and the online the same way. We all want to be treated fairly.
Shelly Crider
Hi Shelly,
I agree that there is a bottom line to dishonesty. Just because it happens online vs in a classroom makes no difference. If you cheat or line through life, the consequences will catch up eventually. Online classes have certain advantages over a live classroom, and that is not enough, the student should be disciplined.
Brian Weiler, R.ph
GENIEVE,
You are right. Little changes like scrambling the questions can make a big difference.
Shelly Crider
I believe that we should be concerned about whether the students on line are cheating. I believe it is actually easier since this is not done in a classroom setting where they are in plain view.Scrambling the questions , so that there are different versions is a way to cut down on cheating in the on line learning environment.
Geneive
Yes the person looking to take the easy road will always take it. This person will obtain the answers but will not really get it.you need to put in in order to get something out.
