13.2 Deterring Cheating in the Online/Hybrid Classroom
The possibility of cheating is important to keep in mind when designing assignments in Blackboard. Using the options available in Blackboard, the goal is to create an assignment that adequately and securely assesses the student’s knowledge of the subject matter without becoming overly difficult or restrictive.
Cheating the System
When creating questions for an assignment, think about how a student would be able to cheat if he or she so desired. If the student Googles the question, are they going to happen upon an all too relevant excerpt from the text, or perhaps an answer bank that uses the exact same question and answer combination as your question? Creating unique questions that force the student to use their own knowledge to come up with an answer are key in preventing cheating. Short response questions will always remain relatively impervious to cheating when compared to multiple choice questions, so long as instructors remain diligent against plagiarism.
What if a student decides to try and get the answers from a classmate? Are they going to be able to simply enter the same answers as their classmates and get the same grade? To prevent these most archaic methods of cheating, instructors can utilize the question options in Blackboard to create an assignment that will prevent collusion every single time it’s taken.
Start by adding a large question pool, and randomize the order the questions are given in. If an assessment is designed to ask students twenty questions, and you assign 100 questions to the question pool, any two students will most often only share four of the same questions on the assessment.
Further randomization includes changing the order in which the answers appear below the question, so even if two students get the same question, it will take complete coordination between the two of them to gain the single answer.
To further prevent cheating by students on assignments in Blackboard, instructors can use test options to dictate when and how a student can take the test, and what the student sees when he or she takes the test.
Adding a time limit to the test can greatly restrict a student’s ability to search for answers to questions in the text and online while taking an exam.
Adding a time limit to the test can greatly restrict a student’s ability to search for answers to questions in the text and online while taking an exam.
Test availability and password protection prevent a student from looking through tests ahead of time or after it’s been completed to record correct answers.
Limiting feedback items, such as the answer key given after a student completes a test, can prevent a student from handing off the answers to a student that has yet to take the test.
Prohibiting backtracking is a way of restricting students from changing an answer they’ve already given, so as to prevent them from looking up answers and editing their tests should they finish with extra time.
Forcing completion mandates that a student complete the assignment once they’ve begun. This, along with limiting the number of times a test can be retaken, prevents students from potentially recording answers or editing their answers at a later time.
Other Options
Remember to use these features in Blackboard responsibly, because while they may prevent cheating, they may also create a harsh test-taking environment that can make assessments stressful and overly difficult. The last thing you want to do is punish students that do not cheat in your efforts to restrict those that do.
|
If you have exhausted all of these options, and still feel like your assessment is not secure enough, you might consider more drastic measures. Although logistically challenging, instructors can consider administering exams on Collaborate, and having your students verify their identity and intent via webcam. Administering an oral exam over Collaborate is also possible, although this would further increase logistical challenges by requiring all students to employ the use of a microphone. On-campus proctoring of exams should be thought of a last resort and only undertaken for assessments of the most absolute importance.
Next Steps
When you are ready to move on, proceed to Section 13.3 Chapter 13 Discussion.