In the last few years, online classes have become more prevalent in the education sector. Despite this, a lot of myths regarding online classes are still pretty widespread. For instance, one survey found that 73.8% of students believed it was easier to cheat on an online test than on a traditional test. But it’s easy to arrive at such a conclusion. After all, how would an instructor who’s miles away get wind of the fact you’re conducting Google searches to find answers to exam questions? But really, can online classes tell if you cheat? On paper, cheating is super easy in an online class, but in reality, the idea of cheating being the norm in a virtual classroom is false. Read on to learn more!
How Do Students Cheat on Online Tests?
Do students cheat more in online classes? Definitely not! Students will always be students first! But not being up-to-date with the class coupled with pressure from society to achieve in class will drive most students towards devising ways to cheat. From the use of mobile devices to plagiarism and direct replication of fellow students’ work, there are many ways for students to cheat. Evidence indicates that no society is free of cheaters.
Can Online Classes Tell If You Cheat?
Many schools are awakening to the misfortune that cheating is wrecking the education system. Online classes that struggle with stating their credibility and proving their reliability are often considered less than their traditional counterparts, and widespread cheating doesn’t help matters. So can online courses detect cheating? And if so, how is it possible? Schools have been quick to respond, and many have developed methods to combat cheating, ranging from simple, old-fashioned tactics to Batman-like high-tech approaches. (Just kidding!)
How Do Online Schools Use Proctored Exams?
The completing of online exams by professionals who have been hired by students is one of the leading causes of online-exam malpractice. With the introduction of proctored exams, however, these rates have dropped. When students complete exams from their homes, it’s hard for online schools to ascertain the proposed identity of the student taking the exam. This is why schools are now hiring online proctoring companies. These companies use webcams on students’ laptops to watch students and their screens throughout the duration of exams. Before this new strategy was proposed, students were required to show proof of identification, such as a student ID, to take an exam. Instead of hiring someone to take a single exam, many students say: “I want to pay someone to take my online class.“
Software for Plagiarism Detection
This is where most students run into trouble. How do online courses work using such software? For questions you’re confused about, copying answers from a website and pasting them on your tests seems like a very exciting and foolproof idea. Unfortunately, technology has made it so you’ll be caught easily if you do this. Obviously plagiarism is the most common form of academic dishonesty, but it’s the easiest to catch as well. There are hundreds of tools, such as Turnitin, that can be used to find if you’ve cheated on a test. The software compares the work you submit with published articles and papers submitted from fellow classmates. How easy! When it comes to collaborative work, teachers have to be clear about the rules and boundaries so there’s no confusion regarding attributions. In other words, teachers are expected to clearly state what cheating and academic dishonesty would look like before a course begins.
Final Words
Fear of being caught and a number of other reasons should cause you to think twice before venturing into the world of exam malpractice, whether it’s on an online exam or something more traditional. When you cheat, you lessen the value of your degree. And if you’re asked something like: “How big is the Earth?” on an examination, you’ll be exposed as a cheater if you can only provide a surface-level explanation. If you study, however, you’ll be able to give an in-depth explanation. Earn your degree legitimately so it retains its full value.