Excellent suggestion Rhonda. As a matter of fact, one institution for which we develop online courses have included its policy on integrity in their Syllabus; and it has repeated the relevant clauses before each Assignment and Exam. Students cannot access these course components unless they acknowleedge that they have read the policy on integrity.
Satrohan
Cheryl;
One of the items I cover in my traditional classroom is integrity, as a student and human being. If students are aware you charge them to uphold a higher standard 95% of the time they will live up to those expectations. One suggestin I can make is to preface the examination with an integrity statement .
Debra:
I share your expectation that adults taking online courses do so with a genuine purpose. This should be the case particularly when the courses are related to professions. It is very difficult to manage and prevent plagiarism in an online environment. Plagiarism is likely to be more common with younger students. All of the programs on which I have worked are graduate programs geared towards professions Some examples are Health Care Management, Educational Leadership,Criminal Justice, Insurance Management, Occupational Therapy, and Paralegal Studies. Most of the students who enroll in these programs are already in a profession. They pursue these higher degrees with a purpose to upgrade their skills and reach to higher positions in their profession; so they do dedicate a significant amount of effort towards learning. Having said all of this, proctored exams will remove all doubts from anyone's mind.
Satrohan
It is difficult to protect the integrity of on-line exminations. As on-line teaching continues to grow I believe the need to have proctored exams will grow as well. However, it is nice have the belief that the adults taking the on-line courses are taking them to gain the knowledge the course has to offer.
Cheryl:
In-class exams works well for students in the same locale. For students who reside in locations from which it is not convenient to travel to the school, proctored exams conducted at a facility in or close to their area are more practical. Proctored exams are also practical for international students.
Satrohan
