e-Learning and Academic Integrity

Tyler Powell

More and more often these days colleges are creating classes that students can take online. Since online classes aren't scheduled at any particular time of the day, students enjoy the freedom of choosing when they will "attend" class. It allows students to work around a busy schedule, perhaps get a part-time job, or even get some classes out of the way over the summer, all from the comfort of their home. There is a problem with this concept though: give a student an inch and he or she will take a mile.

In traditional classroom settings, the professor has an eye on everyone. During quizzes and tests, they roam the room, making sure no students are cheating in any way, shape, or form. Students take copious notes during lectures so that they can memorize the material for the exams, and those that don't most often won't pass the class. This doesn't apply to online courses. With no one around to monitor the students' actions, disinterested students are more likely to cheat on tests. They can keep their textbooks open and look up information online without their professors being any the wiser. Such students not only violate Academic Integrity, but also disservice themselves. With a wealth of information at their fingertips, they have no need to study or take notes, and therefor do not learn any of the material.

If students are expected not to resort to such mannerisms, the course material must be engaging, challenging, and thought provoking. An article in the International Review of Research in Open and Distance Learning states that "creating effective e-learning relies on having tasks for students to undertake that provide an experience likely to lead them to the desired new understanding...A rich activity is one that opens up opportunities for action rather than directs students down a prescribed pathway. Such an activity 'implies the active involvement of the learner in making choices about what experiences to undertake...'" In online classes, the students must want to learn the material in order to obtain a passing grade without cheating. Therefor, the course material needs to be made interesting in order to ensure fewer violations of Academic Integrity.