Can Technology Help Deter Cheating?

The topic of cheating and academic dishonesty has been a hot topic this academic year. It is interesting to hear all the different stories of how student cheat from using a smart phone, stomping, cheat notes stuck in pens, or on the inner label of bottled drinks in on-campus courses to using Google for question searches, using books and open notes and other materials, to having other people take the test or assist in completion in online, but can technology help deter or fight cheating in online classes? If tests are setup with different options such as randomize, one question as a time, and is timed along with using authentic assessment, cheating can be a less likely threat. Other things like honor codes and letting the student know your expectation including your take on academic dishonesty can help keep students straight. Here is an interesting article to read about that talks some about how technology could be used. Read more...