Tech has simplified a lot of classroom activities: taking attendance, grading assignments…cheating. With so much of the learning day happening on digital devices, it’s easier than ever to take the easy route.
So when does a “shortcut” become cheating? As Associate Dean of education at UNSW, Cath Ellis, told iTnews, it can happen when an online study aid or tool, “starts to do the work for the students on their behalf rather than helping them develop skills of their own.”
Now, teachers are discovering tech tools can work both ways, making it easier to spot and prevent academic dishonesty.
A Cultural Phenomenon
The issue itself isn’t new. Humans have long bent the rules to get their needs met. However, with mounting focus on achievement and an overemphasis on testing, students are buckling under the pressure. Couple that with a tempting number of new tools and digital solutions to cut corners and you have something of an epidemic emerging.
Cell phones are like walking cheat sheets that can be used to look up solutions to a problem on the internet, take photos of exams, store notes, or text a friend for answers.
Then there are tools that are designed to help students level up their work – proofreading, summarising, demonstrating how to solve complex equations, if not outright completing it for them.
Cell phones are like walking cheat sheets.
Just how prevalent is cheating in today’s classroom? A new survey by online security software maker, McAfee, “found that one-third of…students admit to using cell phones or other devices to cheat in school. Six in ten reported that they have seen or know another colleague who has cheated on an exam or quiz.”
Using Tech to Combat Cheating
With incidents of cheating on the rise, educators are taking action to encourage more academic integrity.
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Governmental support. In 2019, the Australian Tertiary Education Quality and Standards Agency introduced a bill Prohibiting Academic Cheating Services. The amendment helps schools go after service providers that “provide, arrange, or advertise” scholastic shortcuts. Other countries are soon expected to follow suit.
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Tools that limit communication. No more phoning a friend or consulting the internet to get answers. Solutions like Respondus’ LockDown app temporarily disables learner web browsers, so they aren’t tempted to cheat during online or non-proctored exams.
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Better exam surveillance. Trusting students to take tests out of the classroom is still new for a lot of folks. Sites like ProctorU ensure everyone’s on the up and up by having proctors keep watch over the student’s webcam. It can also verify the identity of the test-taker and use screen share features to monitor activity while an exam is in progress.
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Plagiarisation databases. Tools like Turnitin can compare papers with thousands of other documents in seconds, alerting teachers to any uncited or duplicated works.
Cheating deprives students of learning, though they don’t often see it that way. Their still-developing minds may not have a full awareness of why they engage in cheating. That’s where educators must step in to create safe spaces for students to explore their actions and motivations for cheating.
If they’re afraid of failure, why? Are expectations of them too high? Is the pressure to succeed above all else taking a toll? Does it feel like a “victimless crime”? The more you can invite a thoughtful conversation around the behaviour without shaming them, the more accountable they can be in this important learning moment.
