Academic Dishonesty in Online Learning

The introduction of technology has drastically changed the manner through which we navigate life. Activities of daily living such as checking out at the grocery store, shopping for a pair of shoes, or even purchasing a movie ticket are no longer routine. Technology and innovation have allowed us to be more in control, more efficient, and live our lives more conveniently. We can now check out groceries without the assistance of a cashier, or even order our groceries online and have them shipped to our doorstep. We can shop for everything online, and even check screen times and purchase movie tickets before we even step foot in an actual theater. Since newer, more advanced concepts are being introduced everyday, it comes as no surprise that this innovation has also changed the face of education as well.

At a very basic level, the concept of nontraditional learning is not entirely new. Dating back to the 1700s students had the ability to learn through weekly mailed lessons - a modality known as correspondence learning (Wikipedia, n.d.). This marked the introduction of distance learning, which describes a type of learning in which the source of information and the students are separated by time and/or location (Wikipedia, n.d.). As technology becomes more advanced, the means through which distance learning is offered grows more and more. Likewise, more and more programs are offering students the option of attending courses in an online or blended environment. Many students and existing nurses have taken advantage of the opportunities that online education provides. However, it is important to note that there are also many challenges that accompany this mode of learning as well. Perhaps one of the most impactful being issues related to academic dishonesty. Although academic misconduct has long been a concern among educators, "ease of information access, driven by the Internet and related technology, has further spurred concerns about such dishonesty" (Simpson & Yu, 2012, p. 400).

A Josephson Institute 2008 survey on ethics among American youth found that "almost 60% of high school students felt that successful people did whatever was necessary to succeed even if it could be considered cheating... [and] over 90% of these same students perceived themselves as having high ethical standards" (Conway-Klassen & Keil, 2010, p.196). As a result, a major challenge faced by educators today is how they can change the perception of cheating as acceptable - an idea that is pervasive among today's students. Additionally, how can academic integrity be obtained?

Incorporating an academic honor code into the institutional and programmatic policies is the first step in eradicating unethical conduct. A 2012 study by Gurung, Wilhelm, & Filz suggests that "honor codes are effective when they identify what is ethical and unethical behavior, which helps eliminate misunderstanding" (p. 158). Additionally, they note improved success when institutions use honor codes that are formal, and have consequences (Gurung, Wilhelm, & Filz, 2012). To take it a step further, students should also be required to sign an attestation or contract, agreeing to comply with the academic honor code.

Some additional strategies that may assist in decreasing the incidence of academic misconduct include:

• Timed exams that only allow students a specific amount of time depending on the type and number of questions on an exam 
• Utilizing more short answer questions where students must enter free text, as opposed to selecting from a multiple choice list 
• Having students who are in clinical rotations take exams during clinical days when they can be supervised (Conway-Klassen & Keil, 2010). 

In summary, developing and enforcing an academic integrity policy is paramount to reducing its incidence among online students. Faculty must be vigilant about the prevalence of academic misconduct in students, especially in distance education. Although there are various strategies that can be employed to reduce the incidence of cheating, there is no absolute solution. Educators must work to ensure that students are learning, comprehending, and able to apply the information being taught. They must also facilitate a safe, and nurturing online learning environment - one in which students feel comfortable asking for assistance when it is needed, or offering support to their peers. The more confident a student is in their ability to succeed, the less likely they will be to tolerate or participate in academic dishonesty.

References

Conway-Klassen, J., & Keil, D. (2010). Discouraging academic dishonesty in online courses. Clinical Laboratory Science, 23(4), 194-200

Gurung, R., Wilhelm, T., & Filz, T. (2012). Optimizing honor codes for online exam administration. Ethics & Behavior, 22(2), 158–162

Simpson, E. & Yu, K. (2012). Closer to the truth: Electronic records of academic dishonesty in an actual classroom setting. Ethics & Behavior, 22(5), 400-408

Wikipedia. (n.d.). Distance education. Retrieved from http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Distance_education