Cheating in an online class
Because you don't "see" students completing their work in an online class, how can you be sure they aren't having someone else do the work for them? What can you do to prevent cheating from happening in your online class?
Hello,there are tools out there where you can have the paper work scan the written paper to see what is original and what's not. In addition, you can also tell when their work is not written in their own words and all of it could be sited.
Yes, there are several software products out there that can be used to detect when a student is plagiarizing. Hopefully you have access to one of them.
How do you know if a student is doing their own work (for example posting on the discussion board) instead of having someone else do it for them? Does it matter?
Thanks for sharing your ideas Lisa!
You can use programs like turnitin.com to check for plagiarism. You can also assign proctored exams that are weighted more heavily than other assessments so that students must present ID before taking the exam. Also, as a Composition teacher, I would say that you begin to learn the tone of your student's writing and can often identify their style.
I am new to online teaching, and have also thought about this. I do agree that you learn each student's individual writing style as they progress. In my opinion, if a student is serious about their education, they will rise to the occasion and make every effort to absorb the material instead of trying to "speed through" or cheat their way through.
Great points Jessica. Thanks for sharing!
Thanks for your comments Rick. Do you think it is your responsibility as the teacher to "catch" students that might be cheating in their online class?
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.
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.
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.
The instructor could limit the time to take an online text. Another suggestion would be to give quizzes periodically during online chat session.
I like both of those suggestions. I will be sure to try them. Thank you for the advice.
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.
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?
Do you have ideas on how you would go about identifying an online student that is cheating Shenetha?
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.
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 like the suggestion about quizzes during online chat sessions! I hadn't thought of that one! Thanks for sharing Charlotte.
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.
Great suggestions Shenetha! Thanks for sharing.
