This post is spurred on by a trend resulting from remote teaching. Students and faculty that are not familiar with remote teaching can fall into some common issues not seen with face-to-face instruction. Many of these issues are salient in our student\u2019s (lack of) understanding material, and we have taken great pains to facilitate learning on their terms.<\/p>\n
Yes, you can make an argument for a change in academic rigor, but being flexible can mean the difference between a graduate and a dropout.<\/p>\n
But this isn\u2019t my primary point. Incidence rates of academic misconduct have been on the rise. But before we leap to conclusion about the crumbling moral infrastructure of society, I\u2019d like to point some things out.<\/p>\n
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First, from an exercise perspective (Sorry, when you\u2019re a hammer, every problem is a nail), people naturally want to cheat. \u201cBad form\u201d in lifting results from your brain just trying to get the work done however it can. It doesn\u2019t know the difference between proper and improper form. It\u2019s required that we learn proper form to limit injury and increase performance in the long run.<\/p>\n
The cognitive domain can be similar. The natural tendency is to use whatever resources you have to do the work. And just like lifting weights, the first thought of a brain is to \u201cchange your mechanics to get the work done, sans moral or ethical values.<\/p>\n
Thus, we train our children to \u201cuse proper form\u201d in school to help them develop their skills. But here comes technology to screw all that up. I know I was told in elementary school that \u2018you aren\u2019t going to have a calculator on you all the time, so memorize X, Y and Z.\u2019 Well, now we have most of societies acquired knowledge in our pockets.<\/p>\n
To stem the use of this ever-so-tempting resource we have closed note and closed book tests. And in the remote realm, we have programs and services that act as proctors (like Proctorio). These are great resources to keep students from slipping into an easy way out.<\/p>\n
A better way to leverage this change is to understand how questions are being asked. Here are some strategies that can be implemented to limit the urge or ability of students to do a little googling mid-exam:<\/p>\n
For more information on this check out the Center for Teaching and Learning\u2019s (CTL) recent blog post<\/a>, and a simple document outlining these strategies<\/a> as well as some others.<\/p>\n Take care, and enjoy our winter wonderland.<\/p>\n -Tim Burnett<\/p>\n Instructor of Kinesiology<\/p>\n","protected":false},"excerpt":{"rendered":" Cheating is Natural How\u2019s that for a sensationalist title? This post is spurred on by a trend resulting from remote teaching. Students and faculty that are not familiar with remote teaching can fall into some common issues not seen with face-to-face instruction. Many of these issues are salient in our student\u2019s (lack of) understanding material,… Continue reading