Online Class can be an easy "A" for cheaters

MissShona
Mon, 21 Jan 2013 11:59:28 +0000

I earned my MBA online. Due to the ways that most of the classes were structured, there really wasn’t a lot of opportunity to cheat. Most of my courses factored in participation and project grades (a bigger issue with projects is that you always have that one member who is like dead weight…but that a whole different issue). In my quantitative courses (finance, accounting, statistics), you could do Google for guidance…but you would still know which formula to look up. The tests were timed, so there was no way you could figure out some concept that you didn’t previously practice and/or understand. Some of my courses that were writing intensive utilized that “Turn It In” application, which scans your paper and compares it with online and previous sources to find plagerism.

Personally, I never quite understood the point of cheating anyway. You work super hard to find a cheat…why not just try to really learn the material? Face to face classes are not immune to cheating. Most online courses are designed where exams are meant to be open-book. I’m sure almost anyone who went through college had an open-book exam and most likely did not get 100% just because it was open book.

Food for thought!