Yes, we as educations should be concerned with cheating. If cheating is allowed in a program, the overall academic integrity of the school will come into question. Reputation is based partly on an institution’s academic integrity.
Cheating is cheating. It doesn't matter whether it occurs in an online setting or in an on-ground setting. However, cheating in online settings is different from cheating in the traditional sense. In a traditional setting, cheating includes, obtaining information from a book or note or other materials that are disallowed during examinations and stealing answers from fellow students.
In an online setting, assignments are mostly based on real-world situations. Hence, the word "Project" is often used by Information Technology departments to describe assignments. Cheating in online settings include failure to properly attribute materials used for an assignment, submitting works that have been previously submitted by another student, paying for papers, and having someone other than the student in a program do assignments for the student.
I think we should apply the same concern to onground cheating as to online cheating. But I agree, we should not be more concerned about this issue occurring online, just deal with it with the same rigor as might be expected in a traditional environment.
Jon,
I am a little confused about your question. Are you indicating that we should not care whether students cheat onlne or that we should not be more concerned about cheating online than we are concerned about cheating onground?
My answer to the second question is that cheating is no more or more less a serious issue online than it is onground. In either educational medium, cheating cheats the student out of an opportunity to learn and weakens the value of their degree.
Cheating or copying information from another student's paper occurs in both a traditional and online setting. Cheating is the same in both environments. Also, learners steal the words of authors in both environments and use them as their own. However, in an online learning environment, it is easier to catch copying because of software that checks for similar text on web sites.
Belinda
I disagree. Cheating is cheating, regardless as to whether it is in an online class or a face-to-face one. Cheating threatens the integrity of the class, and not treating it seriously can lead to a bad attitude on the part of the student involved in it.
We should be concerned with "cheating" regardless of the environment! Recently, I had a student submit an assignment that was plagiarized. It was not the same quality as her previous work, so I decided to "Google" the title of her paper and, sure enough, the paper popped up on the Internet! I believe "cheaters" can come in "all shapes and sizes" and I don't think it has anything to do with "classroom" or "Internet" classes. A student who will cheat in the online atmosphere is just as likely to cheat in the classroom. But, that does not mean that it is "more likely" to occur in the online environment.
Tanya Vanderlinde
One of the places for which I teach indoctrinate students constantly about the penalties for cheating, how easy it is to catch (Turnitin), and the effects of cheating on themselves and other students. That is, it attempts to create a culture within which cheating is frowned on, or at least about which there's considerable anxiety on the part of students. I actually think that helps to stem some of the practice of relying on paper-writing services or other easily accessed sources for work other than their own.
Again, cheating is cheating. In my experience it seems that online students are more oblivious - they figure that if it is out there on the internet then they can use it. The problem is that they do not know enough about copyright. I do have several sites I send them to, although you can't require them to do the learning lessons available. Sometimes it is simply a matter of time with them - they have to get it done, don't understand the assignment, or the assignment is too high level in terms of instructing them what to do.
Donna
Cheating is cheating. Opportunities to cheat abound, both onground and online.
The best that I have found is to reduce the Quiz and Exam element (outdated at best anyway) and require more writing. Then use the Turnitin.com function, even thought there are ways to get around that also. Getting around Turnitin.com takes a pretty sophisticated student.
Great thoughts - thanks for sharing. I agree, nothing is 100%, but I do think we should make it as difficult as possible.
Jon
I have read a lot of impressive responses to this issue and felt compelled to remark upon the validity of the debate. People will find a way to cheat anything if they are motivated to. If there is malicious intent then a way will be found. I believe that the honor system is all that can be relied on. If attention is paid to the merits of learning the material because it may benefit them in the career field over simply passing a course to get their degree we have done all we can. At this point it becomes a matter of honor, and while I personally can’t understand the mindset of malevolent individuals, there are some out there. We can only safeguard as many things as possible to ‘keep an honest person honest’, but there will always be a way for those inclined to get over.
Cheating is a major issue in online and traditional issues. I think a lot of the issue is the moral/ethical perception of the students. Doing take home tests together is ok based on their opinions. I have also had married couples and parent child combinations in the same course and it is apparent that they do the work together or one does it and both submit. We have to try and discuss moral/ethics in our classes more rather than try to make it too hard to cheat. I try to express the downsides to cheating, long term effects, and the morals/ethics that you need for the chosen career path. Hopefully they will make the right choice in both online and traditional formats.
Stacy
Joe,
I'm not suggesting that we do that! I would hope that we could use some other/different assessment methods to give use variety, and to make it as difficult as possible to cheat.
Jon
I agree - it is definitely something to consider as you create your classes - Jon
Gardner,
It can happen, but there are tools that designers and instructor can use to discourage this or make it harder.
Jon
Jon,
Students can cheat as they may email each other during an exam for answers. However, without the exams being graded, they are taking a chance on what is correct and not correct from their fellow classmate. The same applies to onground classes. In the online environment, you have no way of disciplining the offender or detecting if they are cheating.
I strongly disagree. Academic honesty and integrity should be among the top precedence of faculty regardless of classroom setting – traditional or online. As a faculty I feel a strong need to address such issues in a manner that will point the student in the right direction and encourage them to learn how to appropriately paraphrase, reference or quote information.
I think you all missed the point. Is cheating the same? As what, actually learning, doing the work? Of course not. Cheating is getting something you want without doing the actual work. Is research cheating? Only if you pass off someones work as your own. There is no debate that cheating happens and will continue to. But how does one cheat in an online environment? Thats a better question in my mind.
