Professors Use Technology to Fight Student Cheating

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Cheating in Higher Education

As a professor at a small liberal arts college in SC who frequently teaches online courses and gives tests online, I have learned to recognize the signs that cheating may be happening. I can track the very abrupt and unusual changes in test dates, times, and responses but I never accuse any student of cheating. What I do is to consistently send input back to the student where I have noticed changes in their needed test times that were unusual; their test score improvement was out of the ordinary; or that their test score was extraordinary compared to their other weekly graded assignments. The most important element that I have found helpful is to include a wide array of required assignments and to make the weekly tests only one small portion of the overall weekly evaluation. I frequently include assignments like weekly journal entries, chapter summaries, threaded discussion responses, article critiques, and web site summaries. These assignments can be very revealing in making the distinction between my "serious" students and those who only enroll in my courses in order to finish their program requirements. If the disparity between the test scores and the weekly assignments grows or becomes obvious, then I will ask the student to email and make an appointment to meet with me. If no appointment is made or an appointment is not kept, then my suspicions of test cheating are probably correct and the overall grade earned in the course can be adjusted accordingly. If the student keeps the appointment then I only ask probing questions about recent assignments and what they have gained from their work in the course. The word "cheating" is never in my vocabulary in these face to face meetings.

Ironic

Charles S. Davis, instead of thinking that they may just be typos, you decided to be obnoxious right? What I think is super ironic, is the fact that while you were trying to be a smart-ass you spelled grammar wrong. Don't be such a tool.

cheating

cheating is not cool just do the right thing

Paper Writing

On cheating, I know people who have been in the front row but still are able to communicate with each other on tests to give answers (right in front of prof). If it's a yawn with your hand out to your back using fingers to signal 1,2,3,4, or the right amount of fingers brushed against your neighbor's back. I've seen it when two people sit close to each other, and communicate by keeping an eye on each other's paper an circling certain questions and then the other person writing the answer on their paper for the other person to see, etc.

On papers, I'll be frank. Personally, I'm not an English major, and even though I hate writing those things with a passion, afterward - I'm actually proud of the work I did, and think once my work is edited grammatically/proofread my writing is pretty damn solid. And I'm impressed and proud of it. I have too much of an ego and integrity to pay for a paper.

BUT, there are people who do pay. I often take the jobs for people needing essays, charge anywhere between $75(minimum)- $150+ (depending on length/sources/research) and out source the assignment to various English majors/writers that could get the job done for half the cost.

It's very profitable (I go to school full time and survive on just outsourcing gigs like these), and even though I wouldn't personally do it, there is a demand and I will supply, if I don't - someone else will.

And there is no way for a prof to know, b/c they're custom. A prof may have a hunch, but try to prove it - exactly.

Cheating will occur on college campuses no matter what prevention methods are in enforced. The computer testing is revolutionary compared to standardized testing, and more than likely in this day in age we will be seeing computer testing more frequently throughout colleges. As a student at Penn state, I would like to say this method of testing is wonderful, but there are some drawbacks. Furthermore, this type of testing center is "high-tech" with camera's to prevent student teaching, but what they don't tell you is how easy it is to take the paper they give you(if assigned by the instructor)out of the testing center. In addition, some classes have implemented scheduling to take the test at anytime throughout the day. Once again another drawback, in that students can discuss details of the test with others in their class who may have not taken the exam yet.My conclusion is before you get the hype out there that this will prevent cheating, look again.

Re: some aticles I found

This is a relly good article with alot of useful information. I am surprised at t he extreme that some people would go to to not be held accountable.I think with all the different technolgy that is avaialabe now, a person would have to really be desperate to want to cheat and jeopardize their education

Understanding plagiarism

As the individual responsible for citing students for plagiarism in the online program at our university, I hold students primarily responsible for attempting to cheat, but there are things instructors can do to stem the tide. Many students plagiarize without even realizing it, when they just list references at the end instead of citing them within the paper, as APA style requires. They also "recycle" material from previous classes, which we forbid. Clearer instruction on what constitutes plagiarism would help (granted, students should also be paying closer attention to the guidelines). I often find that instructors report students to me based strictly on the percentage of matching material in SafeAssign or Turnitin reports as well, when the students have rewritten the material and properly documented their sources. They incorrectly state that "the paper is 50% plagiarized," when in reality the report only means that 50% matches other sources. If it's properly documented, it's very poor writing and should probably get a failing grade on that basis, but is not plagiarism.

honor

As a graduate of the University of Virginia where the honor system is (was?) a sacrosanct pillar, I find this article disturbing. We need to ask the where, how and why of honor more than how to squelch cheating.

rampant cheating

rampant cheating comes from our societal expectation that only those with traditional educations can excel. i wonder how much less cheating we would encounter if we moved back to an apprenticeship model that honored those who chose "less respected" professions. not everyone wants to be or can be doctors/lawyers/professors--or any other possition requiring extensive education. really, wouldn't i learn more about business practice by studying at the feet of an excellent business model and mentor? if the education is unimportant to an individual, they cheat. maybe we need to revise our understanding of what an education is supposed to provide rather than trying to "beat" the students at their own game.