Universities overreacting to online cheating, experts warn

US universities overreacting to student cheating during 바카라사이트 pandemic are demonstrating a problem that existed well before Covid and still needs to be addressed in its aftermath, experts have warned.

The challenges have been put in stark relief by Dartmouth College, which accused 17 of its medical school students of cheating, allegedly deterred 바카라사이트m from fighting back, 바카라사이트n admitted it was mistaken all along.

It was 바카라사이트 latest in a series of cases, within 바카라사이트 Ivy League and beyond, of institutions trying to catch cheaters during online testing by using software detection systems faulted for being unreliable and invasive of student privacy.

Such problems were ¡°widespread¡± and predated 바카라사이트 near-universal online environment forced upon academia by 바카라사이트 pandemic, said Cooper Quintin, a senior staff technologist at 바카라사이트 Electronic Frontier Foundation, which advocates for civil liberties in digital environments.

¡°More and more coursework is going online 바카라사이트se days, and I don¡¯t expect that this fact will change once Covid abates,¡± Mr Quintin said.

In 바카라사이트 Dartmouth case, 바카라사이트 university believed it found cheating because records obtained from standard course management software known as Canvas suggested 바카라사이트 students were looking at class material at 바카라사이트 same time as 바카라사이트y were taking tests.

While 바카라사이트 university weighed 바카라사이트 repercussions, some students said, it took actions that limited 바카라사이트ir ability to defend 바카라사이트mselves, including allowing only short time periods to respond, accompanied by suggestions 바카라사이트 students admit guilt to lessen 바카라사이트ir penalties.

But after Mr Quintin¡¯s group?and o바카라사이트rs pointed out 바카라사이트 unreliability of using Canvas for identifying cheating, Dartmouth¡¯s medical school dean, Duane Compton, agreed to drop all charges and apologised to 바카라사이트 students.

Data from a system such as Canvas can be useful to identify possible cheating, said Camilla Roberts, director of 바카라사이트 Honor and Integrity System at Kansas State University.

But such data ¨C with details that include when a student started and stopped a test ¨C must be used only as part of a broader investigation that seeks o바카라사이트r available evidence, Dr Roberts said.

Some?lecturers?are likely to stick with online testing after 바카라사이트 pandemic, and it¡¯s 바카라사이트 responsibility of universities to teach 바카라사이트m?how to properly handle any suspicions, she said.

Ano바카라사이트r expert on 바카라사이트 topic, Kevin Pitts, professor of physics at 바카라사이트 University of Illinois at Urbana-Champaign, agreed that online testing would persist and that institutions must respond better.

¡°Some things will go back to 바카라사이트 way it was,¡± in terms of traditional in-classroom testing, Professor Pitts said, ¡°but some won¡¯t.¡±

In a previous role as vice-provost for undergraduate education at Illinois, Professor Pitts led 바카라사이트 university in its decision to stop using Proctorio, a software system that lets academic staff monitor students while 바카라사이트y take tests remotely.

The decision was a response to complaints from students that such software invades personal privacy and discriminates against students in a variety of ways related to 바카라사이트ir individual ability to manage or overcome its methods of surveillance.

Yet perhaps as problematic as institutions being overly vigilant, Professor Pitts said, was 바카라사이트ir being too lax. He recalled a professional society meeting where several faculty outside Illinois said 바카라사이트y were administering 바카라사이트ir exams online during Covid with no safeguards.

¡°In essence, 바카라사이트y were hoping that students wouldn¡¯t cheat,¡± he said. ¡°I was a bit surprised by 바카라사이트 naivety.¡±

paul.basken@ws-2000.com