Cheating and Online Classes

With the number of students participating in online classes, the possibility of cheating seems to be much greater. The Internet is an invaluable tool, and the answers to almost any question can be found there. Since students are not physically inside a classroom but rather are at home with no one to look over their shoulder, the issue of cheating has become one of great attention. Fortunately, professors who teach online classes have developed new ways to prevent this from occurring. One example is to conduct live online tests that are timed. Some tests even have each individual question timed, so that the student cannot "surf the net" in pursuit of the answer. A few universities are now using onsite representatives to be there with the student at the time of the exam, just to be sure that they are following all of the rules and regulations of the course and the school, and to verify the absence of cheating.

Technology has allowed professors to utilize other ways to keep people from cheating, such as live chat and webcams to "check up" on students as they study or take tests. The live chat method allows professors to pop up unexpectedly and do a sort of on the spot quiz, just to verify that: 1) the student is actually there during class time, and 2) that the student is knowledgeable of the subject matter and can answer the question unprepared. This method is especially effective, since it urges the student to be prepared at any time to produce proof that they are learning, and is a real motivator in preventing cheating. While no one can prevent cheating 100%, these methods are very helpful in keeping it to a minimum, and ensuring that students are getting a real education when taking online courses.

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