New Study: Remote Proctoring Limits Cheating

Plus, firefighters cheat on EMT Certification course.

Issue 4, February 5, 2021

Study: Remote Proctoring Perhaps "the most effective way of mitigating cheating”

In December, professors Seife Dendir of the Department of Economics and R. Stockton Maxwell of the Department of Geospatial Science, at Radford University (VA), published a study on academic misconduct in the journal “Computers in Human Behavior Reports.”  

The study is unique in that it focused on the impact of remote, record-and-review proctoring as a way to prevent cheating. The researchers used the proctoring tool in one set of online, asynchronous courses and did not use it in other sections of the identical course, isolating the impact of remote proctoring specifically.

What they found should not be a surprise.

The findings of the study suggest that cheating was taking place in the unsupervised exams.

Even with other prevention efforts, cheating was frequent.

Despite a series of mitigation measures that were adopted without direct proctoring–such as the use of a special browser, a restricted testing period, randomized questions and choices, and a strict timer–it appears that cheating was relatively commonplace.

Further, the report found that, despite efforts to limit it,

Cheating apparently also paid off handsomely, at least when it comes to exam performance, often raising scores by about a lettergrade.

But the biggest takeaway from the research is that “online proctoring of assessments is a viable strategy to mitigate cheating in online courses.”

And they wrote,

that some form of direct proctoring is perhaps the most effective way of mitigating cheating during high-stakes online assessments. Other tangential measures such as those listed above can be helpful but should be thought of as a complement, not a replacement, to direct proctoring.

And finally, Dendir and Maxwell say

that a technological solution such as the one examined in this study (online proctoring through a webcam recording software) does an effective job in mitigating academic dishonesty is thus reassuring for all stakeholders.

Notes: The study used proctoring provider Respondus, a record-and-review system that records a test session and uses analytics tools to flag potential cheating conduct for review by professors or administrators later.

A more complete research summary of this, as well as summaries other studies related to academic integrity, usually about a page and half, is available.

South Carolina Firefighters Found Cheating on EMT Certification

FirefighterNation.com has an exhaustive story (February 3) on this recently public case, though the incident dates to 2019.

According to the story, a handful of South Carolina firefighters taking a 248-hour course meant to certify EMTs in, “more aggressive care to victims of trauma and airway compromise,” including nasal intubation and IV therapy, were accused of cheating on coursework and exams.

After being alerted to the cheating,

the instructor reviewed students’ grades on quizzes and module exams, finding “quite a few students had the exact same grades” on multiple assessments

Though they were accused of other activities such as taking tests together and sharing answers, an investigation by the fire department concluded that, at a minimum,

four of the students said they had worked together on class assessments. Five said they had used their textbooks during testing, and four reported accessing internet resources for help during exams.

The EMT course was overseen by a doctor who ultimately resigned over the cheating, telling the course provider,

“Cheating cannot be tolerated in our programs,” the physician wrote. “While I hate to take such action, the issues are clearly pervasive enough that I do not see another recourse to maintain our current standards.”

The firefighters said that, while they had agreed to the “training center’s academic honesty policy” and it prohibited “cheating,” it was not specific enough for them to know their particular activities were not allowed.

After the inquiry by the fire department, all the firefighters accused of cheating, “were cleared by the department.” That department report says, essentially, that the course provider considered their conduct cheating but they did not see it that way.

This past September, the same department sent 24 firefighters to advanced EMT training, with a different course provider. But the department,

wouldn’t say if students in the 2019 class were part of the new course, citing student confidentiality.