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Campus Leadership

Could textbook design curb student online cheating?


Is student online cheating dependent on the right kinds of assignments and digital textbooks?

Researchers from the University of California Riverside and zyBooks recently presented findings at the American Society for Engineering Education (ASEE) annual conference that shows students demonstrate integrity in learning and ignore online cheating opportunities—if they feel like they’re really learning.

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Key Points:
  • The study reveals that most college students make a legitimate attempt to answer questions in homework assignments, even when a short-cut to the answer is available to them through the click of a button.
  • The paper also discusses teaching practices that can have a negative impact on honesty such as assigning excessive work.
  • Experts were also able to compare response data to the makeup of the questions themselves to determine which types of questions are most effective.
(Next page: More data from the student online cheating study) A Not-So-Great History eCampus News has been reporting on the rise of student online cheating since 2013, when online learning and digital textbooks began to take hold in colleges and universities across the country. Examples of student online cheating were plentiful amidst the relatively new incorporation of online learning on a diverse array of campuses; including: hacking of online assessment systems, using Google Docs with friends to simultaneously confer with friends for answers, accessing cheating chatrooms, and much more. In order to combat student online cheating, college and university faculty, often with the help of the campus IT department, began implementing tech-based solutions to curb these actions; including: keystroke monitoring software, creating multiple exam forms online, browser lockdown solutions, and authentication of test takers using biometrics. Yet, even as online cheating solutions became prevalent, notorious instances of cheating were prevalent. Could the Answer be in the Design? However, Researchers from the University of California at Riverside and zyBooks found in their recent survey that most college students make a legitimate attempt to answer questions in homework assignments, even when a short-cut to the answer is available to them through the click of a button. This evidence of integrity in study habits is promising, say the researchers, as an increasing number of instructors use online learning materials, many of which include built-in questions and solutions. “With the right interactive material, we see that many students are interested in truly learning, rather than simply doing whatever it takes to get their grade,” said Dr. Alex Edgcomb, University of California at Riverside research specialist, zyBooks senior software engineer, and co-author of the study, in a statement. “The study also addresses the question of whether digital textbooks can aid learning—and the answer is a resounding yes.”

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