One of the questions that I get quite often about the
correspondence courses I’m taking through Penn Foster College is “how do they
know you’re not cheating?”
I suppose it’s possible one could cheat on their courses,
but what’s the point? The assignment
exams and the semester finals are all open-book exams, but if you don’t know
the material that isn’t going to help you much.
There is a lot to study, and you have to know WHERE to look for the material
that is going to help you answer the questions.
Besides, even the textbook doesn’t give you the answers, just the means
to figure out on your own what the answers are.
For example, the math textbook gives you the formulas to work the
problems, but you still need to figure out the answer on your own. Also, the semester final exams are proctored.
Some online schools are going a step further to keep
students from “cyber-cheating” on their exams.
For example, Troy University
is placing web cameras in student’s homes to literally keep an eye on them
while they take their exams. It also
locks down the computer to keep students from Googling the answers, and it
records video and audio as well. It is
literally the next-best thing to having a proctor in your home looking over
your shoulder. Graduate students will reportedly start using the web cam device
later this year, with undergrads to follow later.
Some schools use little to no testing at all. Large online education institutions like University
of Phoenix use other methods, like writing
assignments and message board interaction, to grade their students. Bellevue
University is another online school
which relies on written assignments, rather than exams, in their programs.
This will seem like a biased opinion, but I think Penn
Foster College
strikes a happy medium. They make you
use your brain and let you use open book to take tests during courses and
require students to take proctored exams for their finals. There are no 50 page writing assignments, and
no spy cams in your living room, either.
I’d like to hear from some of the other distance learners
here at eLearners. What method does YOUR
school use to give you exams? Do you
take exams? If so, what methods does the
school use to ensure that there is no cheating?
To me, it seems like this is one of the issues that prevents more
widespread acceptance of distance learning degrees. Traditional brick-and-mortar schools that you
may want to transfer to later, as well as future employers, may want more
assurances that you REALLY know what it is that your degree says you know.