How do I know if they're cheating? Teacher strategies in an information age

Abstract

While potential dishonesty among students has always been a problem at all educational levels, current trends have introduced two new elements into the situation: the growing use of assessed coursework for externally examined syllabuses, and the widespread development of information technologies. These two factors taken together have led to increased doubts about the authenticity of students' work. This article reports on research into secondary school teachers' methods of assuring verification and finds four main strategies (‘CORD’) being utilized: the development of a culture of honesty, continual observation of student work, ongoing review of intermediate drafts and face-to-face discussion about the work. However, not all teachers have successfully developed new strategies of assessment and it is concluded from the results of this research that there is a real need for further discussion of methods and for more openness about the issues involved.

Keywords:

• Information And Communication Technology Cheating Plagiarism Assessment