The Net Generation Cheating Challenge

The topic of this article was academic dishonesty among the “Net Generation” and the implication of academic dishonesty in online education and instruction. The Net Generation is identified as students in their mid 20’s and younger.

 

The first question addressed in the article was the extent of academic dishonesty among the Net Generation. Citing numerous researches, Milliron and Sandoe, establish early that academic dishonesty is widespread among this group. The problem is so widespread that it has become part of the Net generation culture. The one thing the research could not do is establish a clear profile of a cheater among this generation because of the pervasiveness of the problem. The authors also briefly discuss the effect that such a problem has on the credibility of academic study, and on the reliability of grades as an accurate measure of a students learning. Milloron and Sandoe then turn to research and experience of their own as they examine this problem when applied to online learning.

 

In an introductory information systems class taught by the authors, they were able to observe the how this culture of cheating exploited online educational activities. The class was a hybrid class, face to face lecture and labs, but sort quizzes where administered online. The quizzes accounted for only a very small part of the course grade, were comprised of simple questions, and were based on fundamental information that needed to be understood to progress in the class. It was also explicitly explained in class and online before each quiz, the course strict policy regarding cheating. None the less, it was discovered that a large number of the students were involved in cheating behavior, and that the cheating was possible because of the online delivery method of the instruction.

 

Considering these implications, Milloron and Sandoe offer remedies for designing online instruction that safeguards against academic dishonesty. They group these remedies into three categories: Technological solutions, which involved using technology in various ways to validate a test takers identity and to curb cheating by designing technology into assessments that make cheating difficult to do; Sequencing of questions, which use technology to draw from a pool of questions when testing, in effect creating an different test for each student that test the same information and skills; Behavioral Methods, which is concerned with reshaping student attitudes and perception about the learning process and academic integrity.

 

In conclusion the authors point to the increasing importance of online education, and the need to preserve academic integrity and excellence in online education.

 

Milliron, V., & Sandoe, K. (2008). The Net Generation Cheating Challenge. Innovate, Journal of Online Education, 4(6). Retrieved from http://www.innovateonline.info/index.php?view=article&id=499&action=article.