I think that cheating in both environments is unacceptable. It probably takes more creativity to discourage it online.
Assignments that include a percentage of open ended questions might stimulate more conversations and better collaboration then cheating to just find the correct answer.
Tanya,
Wow!, what an eye opener for the rookie, these discussions are really making me consider possibilities for cheating, I didn't know existed! I have been using the bank questions, hoping that there would be no collaboration between my online students, knowing that some of them see each other in the working environment. It is a self paced program, so they will take their quizzes and exams at different times, leading to answer sharing.
Definitely agree. We have been having this problem a little bit in one of my classes. The particular issue we were running into was plagiarism. Luckily we have instituted a "turnitin.com" account which has stopped this from being a problem.
Cheating will always exist, but we should always be concerned about cheating. A cheating student is not learning. Many courses have prerequisites. If a student is cheating in a class and not learning the material, the next class is likely to be even harder for them to learn. If other students see a get away with cheating they might be tempted to cheat as well.
It is important to confront cheating students to let them know it is not acceptable. There may be cultures where certain forms of cheating are acceptable.
Jeff
Tonya,
Open ended questions can teach critical thinking!
Shelly Crider
Kyle,
We have to love turnitin.com. It is good to let the students know that you use this as this keeps them on their toes!
Shelly Crider
Jeff,
Nice post. Cheating will always exist!
Shelly Crider
Whether we are talking about an online or an on-ground course cheating in the classroom should always be a concern.However as we can all imagine managing this for an on-ground course is much easier then for an online course.
Suggestions:
1 - Design the course material receiving grades in such a fashion that one would need to integrate information from multiple areas in order to provide a correct answer.
2 - Give the students different questions to answer.
3 - Timed tests also make it hard to receive a good grade if one has not already studied the material.
Just a few thoughts for trying to combat the issue, but I certainly do not think it can be eliminated.
Dawn Huber
Yes cheating can be a problem, and Cheaters only hurt themselves, it will catch up with them in the end. I think a clear understanding of what cheating is and why you do not want to do it is the best course. I like proactive vs. reactive. My students get it when I tell them, why they need to be able to speak well and how unfair it would be for them to take someone's image with out proper citing.
Dawn ,
These are all very good suggestions!! You can always add a project as well!
Shelly Crider
Tara,
Cheaters just really do not know how much they do hurt themselves.
Shelly Crider
Yes this is very true. Cheating is cheating and I often find that discovering cheating in an online environment is often time easier than on ground. You have the internet and turn it in at your fingertips as you grade.
EL 101 Forum 2
Cheating really doesn’t matter in online classes. Online classes are easy and do not take discipline or an internal motor to be successful online. With that said, yes cheat should not be tolerated. Students are receiving a viable and accredited degree…the legitimacy of that degree cannot be questioned. The main defense to cheating is turnitin.com.
What makes online courses successful is the interaction within the class through live or recorded chats and discussion boards. Cheating is not really considered on the boards or chats because there is an exchange of ideas. There is fluidity. Projects and papers are automatically checked with turnitin. Quizzes can be proctored.
Cory,
There are times when we, as investigators, do find it a bit easy to find the same document!
Shelly Crider
Daniel,
Some will find learning institutions easy whether online or face to face. We do need to challege these students with a variety of assessment types.
Shelly Crider
Question: We should not be concerned about students cheating in an online environment; they may cheat in traditional classes as well. Do you agree or disagree? Explain your answer.
As others have discussed, the definition of cheating can vary, including plagiarism. In the classes I have recently taught, there have been no quizzes and discussion board posts and papers have been the only gradable submissions. Thus, plagiarism is really the only cheating that I believe can occur in this type of environment. With the relatively high quality (in my opinion) of the plagiarism software that we use, and through a good solid education for the student in regards to what the definition of plagiarism is how to avoid it, we can limit plagiarism to a great degree. If the students are able to really synthesize, rather than regurgitate, the material from a course, as well as related material from other sources, this will typically demonstrate a a good understanding of the applicable concept. In these cases, the opportunity for "cheating" is limited.
Todd
I think we should be worry about cheating in any form but I don't think online teaching creates much more opportunities to students.
Students may cheat in some assignments but we all can figure out how much they learned even with a simple discussion forums.
On the other hand, we should explain that online learning is student centered. They can cheat but this will be not us themselves. They will be cheating themselves with having diploma but learning nothing.
John
Cheating is characterized as defrauding and being dishonest. This should not be tolerated, period. It doesn’t matter if it’s an online or traditional class, as a person’s values and character are not bound by a classroom. Employer’s desire employees who are trustworthy and we want to mold students to be trustworthy individuals. Therefore, we should be concerned about cheating and discipline it appropriately.
Todd,
We do need to limit the opportunity for cheating.
Shelly Crider
John,
Good point....they cheat themselves...over and over.
Shelly Crider
