This afternoon I read an XplanaZine article about the potential for students to cheat in online courses.

An inexperienced online teacher required students to sign an honor agreement promising not to cheat. He then gave them timed tests, asking students not to look at their notes. He was surprised when every student in several classes received an A. Later, several students let him know that not everyone was being honest.

The idea of an honor code may seem nice. But in real life it just doesn't work. The temptation to cheat is too much for some students, especially when all work is completed virtually. For some reason, looking at your notes during an online quiz doesn't seem as dishonest as smuggling in the answers to a brick-and-mortar classroom.

XplanaZine offers some suggestions for making sure students are learning (and not cheating their way through the class):

"Online discussions and group activities are a critical component of e-learning, just as attendance, participation, and group projects are commonplace in the traditional classroom setting. It is important to remember that students' interest and involvement in a given subject can be greatly influenced by positive interpersonal communication, even if they've come to the course in pursuit of an easy A. Many professors are still new to online education, and it is important for them to understand the variety and flexibility of resources at their fingertips in order to maximize teaching and learning."

Online discussions are difficult to dupe. And, fortunately, there are many other ways to test actual learning. As teachers get a better grasp of this new medium, I believe that virtual teaching methodologies will improve.