Faculty and Student Perceptions of Cheating in Online vs. Traditional Classes
We surveyed representative samples of 303 faculty and 656 students at a midsized public comprehensive university on their perceptions of cheating in online vs. traditional courses and examined whether these might differ based on gender, experience, major, or other factors. The majority of both faculty and students perceived cheating and plagiarism as greater problems in online classes vs. traditional, face-to-face classes. Students and faculty with experience with online classes, as well as education (vs. business) majors and faculty, perceived cheating as less of a relative problem in online classes. There was no evidence of generational differences in attitudes. These results suggest that perceptions of cheating in online classes have remained strong over time and may be an impediment to faculty teaching online.
