Distance EducationFall 2013ETEC 645

Cheating in Distance Learning CoursesChristy Bourgeois

Cheating in Online Student Assessment: Beyond PlagiarismPurpose: The purpose of the study was to survey the types of problems, besides plagiarism, that can occur with online assessment and what countermeasures can be used.

Results: Online assessment raises serious security issues. Students can purchase software packages that facilitate cheating. Many believe that it is inevitable that cheating will continue. Current countermeasures are unsatisfactory in some ways. For these reasons, caution is suggested with online assessments until progress is made with technical development of countermeasures. It is recommended that traditional one-location one-time face-to-face testing for much of the student’s grade will need to be the normal assessment procedure for distance learning in the foreseeable future.

Rowe, Neil C. Online Journal of Distance Learning Administration, Volume VII, NumberII, Summer 2004State University of West Georgia, Distance Education Center

Cheating in Online Courses: A Qualitative StudyPurpose: The purpose of this study was to explore ways students have cheated in distance learning courses. Ten students were interviewed for the study. They had either cheated themselves or knew someone who had.

Results: The results of this study show that students say they and their friends are cheating in online courses. They are working together when completing tests, quizzes, assignments, and projects. The students stated that they are also using their notes, textbooks, and the Internet to locate answers. Students also said that paid impersonation was used, where one student receives monetary compensation to take a course for another.

Vilchez, Manuel and Thirunarayanan, M. O. “Cheating in Online courses: A Qualitative Study.” International Journal of Instructional Technology and Distance Learning. (2011, Jan. article 5) Web. 25 Oct. 2013.

DIGITAL TEXT, DISTANCE EDUCATION AND ACADEMIC DISHONESTY: FACULTY AND ADMINISTRATOR PERCEPTIONS AND RESPONSES Purpose: The purpose of this study was to examine administrator and faculty perceptions of student academic dishonesty. Part of this study looked at the extent to which the respondents thought that using the Internet in a course or delivering a course by way of distance education impacted academic dishonesty. Results: Most of our respondents did not think that academic dishonesty is a pervasive problem. When academic dishonesty is discovered, these respondents handled the situation with individual students and did not pursue more formal action. This study also suggests that respondents perceive that the reasons students cheat are fairly constant and that the Internet or delivering education via the web are not perceived to be a serious problem resulting in an increase in academic dishonesty. Kelley, Kimberly B., Ph.D. ; Bonner, Kimberly, J.D. “Digital Text, Distance Education and Academic Dishonesty: Faculty and Administrator Perceptions and Responses.” JALN Volume 9, Issue 1 March 2005