A Useful Guide to Maintaining Academic Integrity in Online Learning

Honesty, accountability, respect, fairness, and bravery are all vital parts of maintaining academic integrity. Ethical academic conduct is based on these principles, which unite those who are committed to education and the free exchange of ideas. A college or university's reputation is strengthened when its students and faculty uphold the highest standards of academic integrity so that the possession of a diploma, certificate, or transcript can be taken as evidence of a given set of skills and knowledge.

Detecting Online Cheating

It is not always possible to administer exams in person at a registered location with live proctors due to factors such as cost, distance from the testing site, and time constraints. There are cheating detection systems that can be integrated into the exam portal for online assessment and to proctor exams to minimize cases of cheating. It is important that teachers give careful thought to whether or not using an online proctoring system is useful and necessary.

Further, educators should thoroughly research the privacy policies of any online cheating detection software they want to use, as well as any relevant school policies. Among the wide varieties of online proctoring systems available today are video summaries, web video recordings, and live online proctoring.

- Video Summarization

Video abstraction software, also known as video summarization, can detect instances of exam cheating using artificial intelligence. The entire exam is recorded on video from each student's personal webcam. The software will mark the footage for a proctor to review later if it detects any suspicious behavior that can be flagged for possible cheating. As a result, proctors spend less time supervising students during the test but are still able to be effective. Video summary software can create either keyframe, a set of still images taken from the original video, or video skims, short video clips taken from the original video that presents a possible cheating scenario.

Both record the suspected instance of cheating so that it can be evaluated later by a human proctor. Video skims, on the other hand, offer an edge over keyframes since they can incorporate audio and motion to provide vital information during invigilation. The most significant benefit of using an invigilation service like this is a decrease in the number of hours that proctors need to devote to the exam.

- Web Video Recording

When discussing online tests, the term "web video recording" refers to scenarios in which the student is video recorded during the exam for the purpose of watching it at a later time by an instructor. Like video summarizing techniques, detection software can be used to mark potentially troubling moments for later review. By allowing access to the complete exam, rather than just the instances that have been reported, this service may inspire greater confidence in administrators and teachers.

In practice, however, most tests are not examined in their entirety because doing so may be impractical. While video summarizing software employs proctors to review all reported occurrences, web video recording software relies on review by the administrators and instructors. Students may be less likely to speak up if they know they're being recorded, but the technology behind the detection relies on artificial intelligence.

- Live Online Proctoring

Web video conference invigilation is a particularly stringent form of online proctoring. With this technology, a live proctor can monitor students as they take an online exam by accessing their webcam and microphone. Group invigilation services, in which a single proctor monitors multiple students, are also available in addition to individual invigilation services. This solution may appeal to many schools because it most closely mimics an in-person, proctored examination.

Even if a real proctor is there to keep an eye on the students, it may be impossible to catch them in the act of cheating. It is standard procedure for proctors to have students demonstrate their testing conditions at the outset of each session.

Avoid Plagiarism

To show that you came up with the ideas, concepts, and information you are presenting, you should avoid lifting information from sources word for word, or without accurately citing the sources you used. Before starting to write your assignment, read your sources carefully and then put them away for a while. Ignore the words, at least initially, and concentrate on gaining an understanding in order to be able to put things into your own words. When you don't know enough about a subject to write intelligently about it, plagiarism is a real risk. Direct quotations should be used and enclosed in quotation marks if the material is either too technical or too brief to be rephrased.

Don't just copy and paste large passages from other sources without modifying any of the text. Keep in mind that there is more to good writing than just citations. You should train yourself to paraphrase and summarize effectively. Putting something "into your own words" does not necessitate modifying more than a few words here and there or rearranging a sentence. If you use information or ideas from somewhere else, you must provide proper credit to the original source.

Redesign Assessments

One technique that is used by those preparing the assessments is to create multiple versions of the tests to give to a class, and to redesign old tests. This makes it more challenging to cheat on tests where students may find it easy to copy or try to share the answers. Especially for complicated disciplines such as law, medicine, engineering, etc., where assessments can apply to real-life situations, it is important to present your work based on your individual project, experiment, case or group work. This helps with academic authenticity.

Integrity in online learning could be preserved by educating students on the importance of creating your own work, thoughts, and answers. A comprehensive assessment system uses a variety of tests to better measure a student's progress in the subject areas as well as in social and emotional competencies. Teachers use a variety of tools to ensure that exam results are authentic and to reduce instances of cheating. All parties including parents, students and teachers should take an active role in ensuring the greatest level if academic integrity and authenticity in order to demonstrate that the education and degrees achieved are evidence of one’s knowledge and skills.