In each new course, and with each new course, or level of learning or place of learning, students find themselves in a different culture. And students carry questions about academic integrity practices and ethical considerations in each of these new contexts. As instructors, then, our response to the call these questions provoke includes facilitating discussions about integrity and addressing originality as part of the skill-building we are encouraged to address in a Transparency Framework for assignments and assessments.
The first section below is adapted from "6 Reasons Students Cheat...and how you can avoid them" by Tory Peek and "Why Students Cheat – And What to do About It" by Kevin Yee from the University of South Florida. Center for Educational Innovation teaching and learning consultants have adjusted text and added resources for the Minnesota-specific context.
Reasons Student Offer
Learning to create academic work that aligns with academic integrity principles, and stepping back to acknowledge stressors that can provoke dishonest practices, can be troubling for instructors and students alike. The following six statements provide an accurate summary of reasons students offer when they’re asked to report - generally anonymously, on whether and how they cheat, plagiarize, or otherwise engage in actions that scholars and professionals would point to as instances of academic dishonesty or integrity “fails.”
The following pages provide examples of actions an instructor or student could take to address a problem area. The “For Instructors" sections for all six reasons include pedagogical resources to support faculty building integrity practices, demystify ethical research processes, and support students in building requisite skills.
- I wasn't prepared, and I need the high grade
- I didn't know it was cheating
- I didn't think I'd get caught
- What I did wasn't really cheating
- None of this matters for my job in the real world
- Everyone cheats, so I have to do it to compete
Two 2023 studies report directly on student perceptions of GenerativeAI:
- “I’m a Student. You Have No Idea About How Much We’re Using ChatGPT,” a Chronicle essay by a Columbia University student, walks readers through their use of ChatGPT/AI in the creation of one course assignment.
- The “Student Perceptions of Generative AI”reports on research conducted by the National Centre for AI in Tertiary Education that gathered UK students’ anonymous comments in online and in-person focus groups. The analysis reflects/reinforces research studies focused on US students.
Resources Faculty Offer
- Writing about “Cheating Lessons” for The Chronicle of Higher Education, James Lang suggests small modifications to classroom practices that can support learners rather than focus on cheaters.
- A pair of resources provide “big picture” analysis of the shift from pedagogies of suspicion toward pedagogies of aligned course assessments and class activities:
- University of Michigan at Dearborn university administrators and faculty respond to the query “Can we beat cheating through better teaching?” in a short blogpost.
- the Inside Higher Education article “Best Way to Stop Cheating in Online Courses? ‘Teach Better’” reports on faculty beliefs about cheating and on effective faculty practices based on pedagogical research related to assessment and engagement.
- “Does alternative grading make cheating more likely?” is a common qualm for teachers considering small- and large-scale implementation of alternative grading practices. Robert Talbert reports on related research in a late 2023 blogpost.
Test Banks and Academic Honesty Considerations
Instructors who make use of test bank questions from a textbook or other online teacher resource source will find that the questions can be easily found by students, whether they are seeking study/tutorial support or engaging in contract cheating schemes before or during an exam.
As an alternative to published or otherwise circulating test banks, as instructors we can create our own test banks within Canvas. While such a test bank will not ensure that academic honesty will be practiced by all students, linking test questions to what your students are studying, to how your present concepts, and to the local context where content can be applied will help promote academic honesty in at least two important ways: students will need to draw on your presentations and course materials to provide answers, and students will appreciate that you’ve created questions that are directly relevant to your course and their learning.
In setting up a Canvas test bank, you can easily add, revise, or rephrase your test questions, offer random asking of questions, and determine whether and when to embed practice tests and/or quizzes—in each case, making your test bank increasingly robust, supportive of both teaching and learning.
Framing Test Questions
- A Google folder on writing Final and Multiple Choice Exams includes examples for multiple exam formats, from multiple choice to collaborative or team-based exams.
- “What’s the Best Way to Frame Test Questions?” is Chronicle writer Beckie Supiano’s introduction to research investigating ways of writing test questions with a deep awareness of learners responding to texting contexts both cognitively and affectively.
Test Bank Support
- Managing Question Banks in Canvas
- Import a Question Bank from one Canvas course to another
- Sharing a Question Bank
- If you would like support with creating Canvas test banks, contact your local academic technologist, or send a Teaching Support Help Request.