I am not sure why there is additional concern with cheating in an online environment. This can be a problem in any school and students can purchase papers and submit them to a ground campus just the same as an online course.
Cheating online is actually easier than in a traditional classroom, so I completely disagree. Students can do a quick google search and simply copy and paste their answers into a discussion forum, or a Word file.
Sara
Shelly, yes this is one those trick questions that has a really easy response. Plagiarism certainly has to be dealt with harshly if it proven to be the stealing of someone else's work with the complete intention of doing so. We have those that blatantly do so and those who simply did not know enough about APA citations and misunderstand how to follow APA. We really need to first understand why students cheat and then develop a response to prevent such actions. Most importantly, we have to have prevention techniques like fully posting clear APA guidelines in the main classrooms, chats and discussions, and then even mentioning ways to improve APA in their papers to make them aware.
Lyn, it is true that life provides us little time to achieve our objectives but at some point the student has to approach life ethically. So in this we graduate students who will represent the school standards in an ethical manner. So yes I do agree with you.
I hope that everyone responding to this disagrees with the statement! There are definitely reasons why students cheat, but I can't think of any that are acceptable. And like a lot of the other participants have said, it doesn't matter if the course is on-line or on-ground. It is
I might even say that we should be more vigilant about cheating online because it seems like it would be easier to do. I worked for an institution that required the students, even in online classes, to take their exams in testing centers to make sure there was no cheating going on. When I protested this while teaching an online class, I was told that there was just no way to tell if the students would actually be the ones sitting down to take exams if the exam was administered online. Someone could pay someone else to take an online exam for them. While this is absurd to me, I didn't protest further because I could see their point.
Anyhow, I definitely think we should be just as concerned with cheating in any environment, and as others have said, do our best to shut it down because allowing it just absolutely sends the wrong message.
Here's my take on this. If a student is smart enough to get away with it, then let them have it because those abilities they possess to work the system will serve them well in the "real world". Do not misinterpret my meaning though. I do my absolute best to ensure that this does not happen in my courses, but if they can get it past me then they deserve it. How's that? :-)
Lillian,
If a student wishes to cheat, they will find a way no matter where they are at.
Shelly Crider
Andrew,
Oh so true! Not all students know they are plagiarizing simply due to the fact they have misunderstood the citation guidelines.
Shelly Crider
I'm with you. I know there are some programs that can let the instructor know when a learner is cheating.
Just because a students hands you an assignment in class doesn't mean they wrote it. Same as online, just because they submitted it does mean they wrote it! Possiblity of both papers being cheated.
Cheating in any form should not be accepted. The instructor should always encourage the students to be honest appreciating their plus points and accepting their deficiencies. This is what learning is all about.
Josh,
I cannot think of a reason cheating is a good thing!
Shelly Crider
Will,
I like it! There is something to be said about creativity, however, we need to guide down the right track as well.
Shelly Crider
Dr. Thomas,
Possibly from the same website or same author!!
Shelly Crider
Cheating is cheating no matter what the learning environment. Whether students cheat in a traditional classroom setting is not relevant to whether students cheat when their online. Every effort should be made to eliminate cheating. Cheating comes in many forms, to include obtaining answers for exams and plagiarism, to name but two methods of academic dishonesty.
William ,
Learning environment, work environment, social environment........
Shelly Crider
I teach at an accredited university. We take academic honesty very seriously whether it occurs in a traditional classroom or an online classroom. Students earn grades in both types of classrooms. Cheating devalues our program and institution.
I’m having hard time thinking of a situation where an educator would NOT be concerned about cheating.
So yes I think its critical this is reinforced in many different areas of the classroom. If we achieve visibility on this we end up seeing less of these violations from the class as a whole.
Cheating is the same! However having said that with adult learners and the"on-line" format you get out of the course what you put into it. Therefore - the real looser is, as always, the cheater. Policing "on-line" cheating would seem to me, at least, difficult. I know we can limit testing times, and build in other safeguards. Once again, the true test is when the learner (student) must apply the skills learned - or not.
Hi Lyn—Cheaters find all kinds of ways to justify their actions.
Restating your question… “are we LESS likely to cheat if we perceive value…?â€. I’d like to a study results.
It’s been my experience that people cheat partly because they feel pressure to accomplish a task but have competing goals (which creates time constraints).
Tony
