You can never be 100% sure. However, there are certain steps we can take. Examples would be an on-line plagiarism checker, weekly phone calls to students,and paying attention when grading to look for similarities in content and other features.
You have some very good suggestions Ron. With continued improvement with technology will come additional tools to ensure students aren't cheating. However, I agree that someone that is motivated will find a way around it. Unfortunately, unethical people will continue to be unethical.
I have been teaching online for 5 years and have experimented with a few methods to discourage and/or identify students cheating...however there is still no foolproof method for a 100% online course.
First, for an online course with essays my school utilizes Turnitin.com. Since we began using this service 4 years ago we have witnessed a dramatic decline in plagiarism. Of course we still conduct seminars to educate students about plagiarism, recycle papers, recycling resources, etc.
Second, and this is not always possible, an on-campus testing center that can verify ID's of students for online assessments is effective, although this is problematic for students traveling abroad or distance learners.
Third, with new emerging technologies we will see/are seeing biometric devices that can verify student ID's and minimize cheating [fingerprint scanners, etc, that are standard on many laptops or via USB for desktops]. This is probably the most viable option moving forward – although as my father often said, "When the good guys build a 10' wall the bad guys build a 12' ladder."
Thanks for sharing the website Adam. I appreciate the tip!
I think as an online instructor it is our responsibility to do our best to prevent cheating among students, however, this can be easier said than done.
One website I like to use to guard against plagiarism is www.plagiarismdetect.com. I have found this website extremely useful.
Best of luck with your first online class Kathryn! I hope this class has provided you with some helpful information.
I will be teaching my first online class, and have thought about the possibility of students cheating. You brought up a great suggestion...and one that as a teacher we should be doing anyway! Thanks Shenetha!
Great suggestions Shenetha! Thanks for sharing.
I think you bring up some great points Ashley. Bottom line is cheating doesn't pay off in the long run and not only the students that cheat may be the ones that suffer.
I like the suggestion about quizzes during online chat sessions! I hadn't thought of that one! Thanks for sharing Charlotte.
It frustrates me as well that you know someone who is doing the degree for someone else! I would like to think that he will be exposed one day when he gets a job because of the degree and the employer quickly finds out he doesn't have the skills that he claimed to have because of the degree!
I struggle with this issue about online learning as well and it is why (in my opinion) it took time for online learning to make it to the traditional sector of higher education. But the perks that online learning provides students have helped to increase its acceptance.
I think the best you can do is keep your eyes open for anything that look suspicious. Good luck with your first online class Melissa!
I would pay close attention to their assignments they submit and ask them a question in the discuss pertaining to the assignment submitted. Another way would be to request a one on one with all the students so one can see their level of knowledge on the subject.
Do you have ideas on how you would go about identifying an online student that is cheating Shenetha?
It sounds like you are saying that paying attention to your students and their styles is one of the keys to identifying cheating in an online environment. Is that correct Rick?
I am new to online teaching as well. I agree with you Rick, about a student being serious and rising to the occasion. I teach Graphic Design on ground right now, and it will be moved to online soon. I worry about students using other people's ideas or having other designers help them with their projects too much. I worry that in some cases it will not be caught. Once the student graduates and gets a job,the truth will come out. BUT...I worry how that makes the Online School look and how it will effect other graduates of the program that have given their all honestly.
I like both of those suggestions. I will be sure to try them. Thank you for the advice.
The instructor could limit the time to take an online text. Another suggestion would be to give quizzes periodically during online chat session.
This is my first time teaching an online class, because cheating is such a concern of mine. I like the idea of having a proctored exam, but what if that is not an option.
As a teacher, you do learn the writing styles of your students, but what if it is not them from the beginning.
An employee at my institution is currently working on her husband's masters. He has never done the work, she does all of it. This makes me absolutely furious as a person and an instructor.
How can you tell? Or do you leave it up to the conscience of the student? This is the reason I have waited so long to teach an online class.
Personally, I feel it is the teacher's responsibility to catch the student cheating. If not, it would take away the value of the course.
Certainly in a traditional classroom environment it is the teacher's responsibility to ensure all the students are completing their own work. In an online environment, there would be certain classes, such as composition classes, where a plagiarism checker could be used such as discussed above. However, I am not sure how an online instructor could be positive that a student is making their own posts in forums, other than being familiar enough with the student's writing style so that any obvious changes would send up a red flag.
