I absolutely disagree with that statement. Cheating is an issue, whether online or in a traditional classroom. It should be addressed with the students to let them know that it’s not acceptable on any level. Many students don’t recognize that cheating only hurts them in the long run. It may provide an immediate good grade in that course but they are depriving themselves of the information that will probably be needed in future courses. It’s a little easier to fake it in the introductory courses but as they progress into their educational careers, they will be expected to provide more detailed discussion about the information and won’t be able to skirt around the topics.
many students are missing critical thinking skills, I like your idea.
I like how you state that...No merit, just reward.
Cheating is still cheating. The methods and techniques vary. I have been a student in On-line courses, and I (we) quickly learn how to make a note while studying. I make notes, but I pride myself in taking a test in the "raw" format, going in to an exam as if I am taking a national board exam. Either I know the material or I do not.
I have known students who have their more educated spouse take the exam on-line for them. Doing so reduces the educational experience to that of getting the prize from the bottom of the Cracker Jax(Trade Mark) Box. No merit, just reward.
Phil
After careful reflection, I am somewhat concerned about cheating in the online environment. As a United States History teacher I plan to provide stimulating discourse and provocative assignments designed to have my students think critically about a historical figure and/or a particular point in time. A future goal of mine is to teach the history of African-American sports as an online course. If I do my homework and design the course properly, I believe my students will benefit from the information presented and they may even have fun! An added benefit-there will be np reason to cheat as my students will be encouraged to bring their minds and their thoughts to the table.
We certainly read about cheating in the news enough to know that cheating is everywhere. It falls to how we will handle it when it happens.
The reality is that you will never stop cheating. If there is a will, there is a way. It is a lot like Laws; Laws are put in place to catch those that are criminals already, not to goven those that have a moral and ethical code. Those that want to cheat have already cheated and they are looking for the easy out. I am not saying that we shouldn't be concerned with cheating, as some might not know that they are. In this case, we identify, rectify, classify and re-educate. But for those that know they are cheating, go for it... They are only hurting themselves... Hopefully we have enough processes in place to capture those that are dishonest and when we do identify them then we have policies that we must follow.
You hit the nail on the head, William. I have even told my students that if they cheat and do not get caught, then that is on them. But, when they get out in the real world and need to complete a task, there may not be anyone to cheat from, which is why they need to learn the material.
Exactly....a student cheating in class will likely not do a great job in the workplace. I had a student just last week who had told me that another student had asked her to do his work for him....cheating is there.
Good point. The bad thing about plagerism is that many students simply do not know how to cite their work when they first enter college.
It's difficult to answer this question with a straight face...
Of course we must be concerned, cheating in any form is not to be condoned or taken lightly. The form of cheating (methodology) may be different; so should the expectations of the instructor.
With an in-class exam, the instructor can make sure studnts are not using notes,cheat-sheets, or copying. With on-line exams, unless they are proctored, no such expectations are realistic. The biggest risk factor for cheating on-line is plagerism. Whether students are doing on-line assignments, projects, or exams, programs such as Turnitin are a great tool for instructors to use.
As educators, we must always be vigilant about academic integrity. One of the major concerns about online education is the ability of a school to insure that students are doing their own work. Having policies and procedures in place that require students to identify themselves is one step toward toward that goal.
Plagarism is another major issue, especially when students obtain their information from Web-based sources. The internet is not a good place to learn about academic property. We require students to use a subscription-based online library and to properly cite all sources. Still, some instructors are better about enforcing these policies than others.
Ultimately, we are preparing students to be successful in the workplace. They need to actually learn the material and to be able to demonstrate their knowledge in practical applications. They will not be able to do so if they are cheating their way through the program.
that is so true. The rest of the class can have a bad feeling if nothing is really done to a cheating student.
As educators, we should be concerned about cheating as it affects the rest of the class as well as the cheater.
Its nice to say that "you are only hurting yourself" but overall class moral can be hit if there is suspicion that someone is cheating.
I also agree that reminding or informing the students what constitutes plaigerism would be helpful.
Not just students, but people in real jobs....if they want to take unsafe shortcuts....they will.
If a student wants to cheat then they will find a way. I do think it is important to safe guard against it and help them understand that the loss of the education by doing so will only catch them later.
We should be concerned about online students cheating to the same degree a ground-based student might cheat. Given this, I believe it actually may be easier to catch online cheaters with the software tools, programs like TurnItIn, and simply copying and pasting a sentence from the student's work into Google to see what comes up. A ground-based instructor could do the same with Google, but to my knowledge that is the only electronic tool they have. I do believe instructors have a better sense of their students as they get to know them and begin to recognize each students writing style and level of communication. I don't we should be more concerned about online students cheating more or less than ground-based students as they have access to the same resources.
Students should be discouraged from cheating in an online environment as this type of behavior is not tolerated in real world working environments.
