1. |
First, many of the same problems regarding the authenticity of a student’s
work and plagiarism exist in the traditional classroom as well. To get
someone’s help through an entire online program would take substantial
effort. For most students it is just not possible to have consistent help
through many tests at many different times. Besides, who would consent
to putting in so much work for someone else and not get credit for it?
|
| 2. |
Use a log-in/password system (but of
course, a student could just give the username and password to
someone else).
|
| 3. |
Make exercises difficult enough so that
the person who hasn’t done the previous work in your course
will not be able to complete the assignment.
|
| 4. |
Give many short exams that are embedded
in class exercises so that it would be difficult for a student
to have "help" there all the time.
|
| 5. |
Ask mastery-type questions so that a
student must know the material himself/herself in order to answer
the question (i.e. case studies Vs memorization questions).
|
| 6. |
Ask students to relate the subject matter
to their own personal/professional/life experiences so their answers
are personalized and difficult to replicate.
|
| 7. |
Require students to submit an outline
and rough draft of term papers and essays before the final paper
is due. This way, a professor can see the work in progress.
|
| 8. |
Give different questions to different
students – construct a large set of questions from which an
automated testing program can randomly select (i.e. a database
of 50 questions with 10 randomly chosen).
|
| 9. |
Limit the times when the online test
is available; ensure that the test is taken in a certain amount
of time. Some automated testing programs allow this feature.
|
| 10. |
Provide online exam practice – sample
questions, self-study questions with answers and feedback, and
require a proctored, non-online examination for course credit (i.e.
on campus, at a testing center, library, etc.)
|
| 11. |
Finally, remember that testing should
never be the only means by which you assess the abilities of
your students. If they are evaluated with various different methods,
you have the best way of ensuing that there is real learning
taking place.
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