Semester Exams Raise Concern for Academic Integrity

Cheating is a concern for faculty and students due to the resources virtual students can easily have access to. Schools all around the country are looking for ways to make virtual and face to face students actively and fairly participate in exams.

The biggest issue being raised includes how to make sure that the virtual students are not cheating, and if they have a possibility to cheat, then will teachers allow open notes to all face to face students.

English teacher Rebecca Ringhand has been given some instruction on how to prepare for exams but nothing too strict. “There are definitely suggestions, we have been told, make sure you think about this, how can we not have cheating, what can you do to prevent cheating,” Ringhand said.

The teachers are to do what they believe shows the best results of their courses, either having their final exams be assessment based multiple choice, a presented projected, or a writing test showing what they’ve learned.

According to the Education Week website, one of the ways it recommends to prevent virtual cheating from happening is to set a specific time for assessments and tests, limit the time they allow students to complete the assessment, and try to restrict students’ access to resources that might aid their performance.

Another approach to prevent cheating is to increase the severity of the consequences for cheating. Teachers can try to heighten students’ fear about what will happen if they are caught cheating.

Senior Adam Johnson is currently a virtual student and does see cheating as a problem that could occur. “If someone were to want to cheat I could definitely see the possibility of that being easier online than in person,” Johnson said.

Having cameras turned on, could be a way to slightly prevent some forms of cheating. “Some teachers make us turn on our cameras when we take the tests but most teachers don’t,” Johnson said.

Associate principal Jeremey Lubus acknowledges that there is not just one way all teachers can give the same model of exam. “A one-size fits all model never works,” Lubus said. “We trust our staff to do what works best for their individual course, there are a lot of different methods being floated around the country right now but every class is different.”