Online classes come with new challenge: How to stop cheating
COLUMBIA, Mo. (KMIZ)
Online school comes with all sorts of new challenges. Among them is ensuring students don't cheat on exams when they're taken outside the classroom.
Liz McCune, the MU News Bureau associate director says more than 150 University of Missouri students have been caught using group chats to cheat on exams since many classes moved online amid the coronavirus pandemic. McCune says classmates went to instructors to report students sharing answers through screenshots and chats.
"We do take these incidents seriously and, ultimately, that the person that you're cheating is yourself," McCune said.
Matthew Gunkel, the Chief eLearning Officer at University of Missouri System says it's using computer monitoring programs to catch students cheating.
"One of the things that we attempt to do is have the ability to monitor and watch," Gunkel said. "During the time of a test (we see) what different screens and or browsers applications a student might be looking at."
One program MU uses is called Proctorio, which claims to ensure the total learning integrity of every assessment via identification verification and screen monitoring.
"Institutions are looking for opportunities to to secure academic integrity, through their distance courses, and with, with many students moving for social distancing reasons," said John Devoy, the director of communications and marketing for Proctorio.
Devoy says Proctorio is more than just identification verification.
"That can be everything from a lockdown browser, which prevents booking of additional programs or tabs to video recording microphone quarter recording."
McCune says consequences for cheating can include warnings, suspensions and expulsions but they vary on a case by case basis.
Columbia Public Schools students have also been taking class online-only since the academic year began in September.
CPS spokeswoman Michelle Baumstark says the transition is crucial.
"The virtual environment looks different than in person and within that comes structuring exams differently in order to meet different needs," Baumstark said. "This has been one of the largest changes and challenges, because you are rethinking the way you are administering tests to students in different environments."
Baumstark says the district has expectations that the students are doing what they're supposed to be doing.
"It's an unfortunate reality that you have students that challenge academic integrity on a daily basis but we do have ways to give tests that help prevent that from happening," Baumstark said. "I wouldn't say it's prevalent, but it happens at different levels and we do have consequences."
