Distance education is a relatively new academic method and has been proving to be convenient and effective. Distance education is right in the center of a situation where technology and the Internet are the very ways to exist because most student cheating uses, in one way or another, technological methods such as the Internet where students copy and paste plagiarized information and pass them as test answers or term papers. As such, institutions of distance education have been making it their prime concern to address the issues of ethics and student assessment. A study conducted by Olt (2002) discusses strategies for minimizing academic dishonesty in online student assessment.

The old and tired approach of addressing student dishonesty through values-formation alone does not work. It has not been proven to work on a widespread scale. It is a Herculean effort to produce students who do not want to cheat, in the general scheme of things. Meeting the challenge of curbing the ever-present problem of academic dishonesty lies in the hands of academic personnel, as it is a raging issue that the academic community must pour their collective efforts to address (Abbott, Siskovic, Nogues, & Williams, 2000).

This tremendous effort, though, necessitates the existence and considerable control of proactive and watchful academic personnel who can tirelessly check on cheating incidences. Also, this challenge does not only lie within the realm of instruction. The entire academic community should be involved in this movement to quell and quash student dishonesty. For starters, the centers of learning should make sure that instructors are capable enough to conduct lively, interesting, dynamic, and mentally challenging classes so that students do not fall into the rut of boredom and routine. This is highly imperative so that the students do not regard class requirements as merely a compliance to get a class grade. A feeling of compliance leads to the students’ attempt to have an easy way out via cheating.

Most importantly, the anti-cheating controls should firmly be in place within all aspects of the learning experience. The challenge is to create course materials and assessments that are not vulnerable to cheating. Technology will play a significant role in this effort.

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Via Cheating in Online Student Assessment: Beyond Plagiarism