Online Classes and CheatingPRESENTED BY JEFF BARBEE

Common Thoughts

Online courses are much easier to cheat in

Cheating happens much more often in online courses

They have little interaction with the instructor

Students often do not value online courses as much

Learning Outcomes

Understand the rate of cheating in an online course compared to a face-to-face course

Categorize the type of cheating that occurs in on-line courses

Assess if cheating is occurring in your class

Formulate a plan to reduce, if not eliminate cheating from happening

Who Takes Online Courses?

In 2011 the University of Phoenix Enrolled More Than 380,000 Students in Degree Programs

Programs From Associate Through Doctorate; Online, Traditional, or Combination

2.2% Non-Resident Aliens, 18.4% Black, 36.3% White; 68.9% Female

NCES Reported from 2000-2008 an Increase From 8% to 20% of Students Who Enrolled in an Online Course

The Future Outlook

A 2011 Survey of Chief Academic Officers Found that 65% View Online Learning as a Critical Part of Long Term Strategy

Student Attitudes

Small Difference in Views When Comparing Face-to-Face with Asynchronous Online Courses

Face-to-Face Usually preferred Large Drop off Compared to Synchronous

Online Courses Higher Drop Out Rate in Synchronous Courses

Why Do Students Cheat?

King, Guyette, and Piotrowski State the “Fraud Triangle” In Their Research (Pressure, Opportunity, Attitude)

Incentive/Pressure- To Earn A Good Grade

Opportunity- No One Is Watching

Rationalization/Attitude- Gives In To The “Everyone Is Doing It”

Lack of Class Support; I.E. Saturday Night, Finishing the Work

Your Cheating Ways

LazinessStressPoor Organizational and Time

Management SkillsCheating Being Viewed As “Easy”The Course Being DifficultCheating is Happening in the Class

Types of Cheating

CollusionDeceptionPlagiarismTechnology ManipulationMisrepresentation

Collusion

Organized Cheating

Knowingly Exchanging Information

Using Past Exams, Tests, or Quizzes

Deception

A student Acts Alone

Uses Work From Another Student Without Permission

Receiving Help When Not Allowed

Plagiarism

Claiming Credit For Work That Is Not Theirs

Copy and Pasting

Making Up A Reference List

Found More Often in Upper-Classmen

Technology Manipulation

“Having A Computer Crash”

Unauthorized Internet Usage/Sources; Most Often Found with Under-Classmen

Technology Failure

Intense Tech Savvy Student

Misrepresentation

Students Claim Work That Is Not Theirs

Students Use Someone Else To Complete The Course Work

Outsourcing

Where do we hear most about these cases?

Recent Chronicle ArticleWestern Carolina UniversityImplemented a Fake CourseInvited Students to CheatStudent Hired a Company to Complete Course

MOOCs

Harvard Studies Found Students Register Two Different Accounts

Purposely Fail Assignments to Find The Answers for Other Account

Data of 2 million Students from 115 Courses Used

1% of Students Used This Method

Students Who Had Earned 20 or More Certificates Through These Programs: 25% Cheated This Way

Athletics

According to the Chronicle, Last Year, the NCAA Was Investigating 20 cases of Academic Misconduct

18 Cases Were Division I

1 was Division II, 1 was Division III

One Example, Math Professor Logged On Students Account and Helped Students Complete Assignments

The Misconceptions

It is Easier to Cheat in Online Courses

Cheating Happens Much More Often in Online Courses

Online Courses Are Not Personable

The Truths about Online Courses

No Support of showing that cheating happens in on-line classes more than traditional courses

Studies did not show a clear evidence that it is easier to cheat in an on-line class

Instructors can have a presence in the course Age Difference and Views On Cheating Majority of Online Students also Attend Traditional

Classes

Preventing Cheating Explain Expectations, Be Clear Of What Is Expected Avoid Simple Answer Assessments (Yes/No Questions) Timed Exams Honesty Statements After Assessment Open Ended/Higher Level Thinking Questions Allow/Encourage The Use Of Course Materials Allow Multiple Attempts Change Tests Every Few Semesters

Make The Course Personable

Be Active in the CourseHave an Online Presence Allowing Students to Communicate in by

Written CommunicationPromote High Ethical Values

The Syllabus

The value online syllabi cannot be over stated

First and most important document

Sets the tone of the course

Tools To Help Catch Cheating

ReferencesBell, B.S., & Federman, J.E. (2013). E-Learning in Postsecondary Education. The Future of Children, 23(1),

165-185.

Black, E., Greaser, J., & Dawson, K. (2008) Academic Dishonesty In Traditional And Online Classrooms: Does The “Media Equations” Hold True? Journal of Asynchronous Learning Networks, 12(3-4), 23-30.

Galbraith, M.W., & Jones, M.S. (2010). Understanding Incivility in Online Teaching. Journal of Adult

Education, 39(2), 1-10. King, C.G., Guyette, R.W. &Piotrowski, C. (2009). Online Exams and Cheating: An Empirical Analysis of

Business Students’ Views. The Journal of Educators Online, 6(1), 1-11.

Michael, T.B., & Williams, M.A. (2013). Student Equity: Discouraging Cheating in Online Courses. Administrative Issues Journal: Education, Practice, and Research, 3(2).

Moten, J., Fitter, A., Brazier, E., Leonard, J., & Brown, A. (2013). Examining Online College Cyber Cheating Methods and Prevention Measures. Electronic Journal of e-Learning, 11(2), 139-146.

Southern Polytechnic State University. (2015). Comparison of Academic Misconduct Across Disciplines. Marietta, GA: Khalid.

Thomason, Andy. (August 25, 2015). This Is How Students Cheat in MOOCs. The Chronicle of Higher Education. Retrieved from http://chronicle.com/blogs/ticker/this-is-how-students-cheat-in- moocs/103617

Wolverton, Brad. (December 22, 2015) In A Fake Online Class With Students Paid to Cheat, Could Professors Catch the Culprits? The Chronicle of Higher Education 62(17) Retrieved from http://chronicle.com/article/In-a-Fake-Online-Class-With/234687

Wolverton, Brad. (January 21, 2015) NCAA Says It’s Investigating Academic Fraud at 20 Colleges. The Chronicle of Higher Education. Retrieved Fromhttp://chronicle.com/article/NCAA-Says-It-s- Investigating/151315