Scenario

Dr. Jones is frustrated. After having to move his course online last semester, he also had to move his finance final online. It was a test he had spent years fine tuning. He did not have the time or resources to proctor his test and just used Canvas to give the timed, 75-minute 50-question multiple choice test. He recently found out that a student copied the test and now it can easily be found using a simple Google search. "Typical online students—always trying to cheat the system," he thinks as he's trying to write new exam questions for the fall. However, he just found out the downfalls of proctored exams (racial bias, expense, lack of availability) and wonders if there is another way.

We can learn a lot from Dr. Jones.

First, Dr. Jones holds a common misconception that many professors have, but that the research actually doesn't back up. Online learners are often stigmatized as "cheaters" or "low achievers". This generalization shifts the need to look at different pedagogical practices and instead focuses on punitive measures to "lock down" and "catch" students. Instead of wasting valuable time and energy with gotcha moments, time could be better spent creating better assessments.

What are these "better assessments" you may be asking. Pressure and stress are the number one factors in creating cheating behaviors, and students today are experiencing a lot of both. So, students who feel connected, supported and encouraged are less likely to cheat. Students are also less likely to cheat when they are invited to demonstrate learning in ways that are most authentic to them.

Take some time this week to think about ways to reduce the stress and pressure in your course and encourage more authentic practices.