Lessons learned during Covid-19 concerning cheating in e-examinations by university students

Abstract

Purpose The researchers aim to investigate how students can be deterred from cheating, whether legal or ethical policies and procedures are effective and whether there are gender differences. Design/methodology/approach Using data on students undertaking midterm and final e-examinations, as well as a control group of students who were caught cheating in an online mid-semester examination, the authors attempt to answer the research questions. Findings No differences were found in cheating in terms of students’ gender or whether they were repeating a course or not. However, the study revealed that if there are more internal controls imposed and if before the examination students are made to reinforce their academic integrity, e-examination cheating is reduced. Originality/value No other published study was carried out with students who were involved in cheating.

The relationship between just world belief and wellbeing, cheating behaviors, and academic work behaviors during COVID 19 among university students

“…In the third and fourth hypotheses, it is hypothesized that justice experiences of university students would mediate, at least in part, the relationships between their PBJW and life satisfaction and academic cheating. During digital teaching, the established rules and norms of lecturers and their interactions with students provide basic information on their justice-related behaviors 48 , 125 – 128 . Nevertheless, during digital teaching, face-to-face interaction as well as nonverbal communication, which is crucial for communicative understanding, is missing.…”

“…One possible reason would be the high transparency of established rules and norms, as these provide a guiding framework for the required student behavior in digital teaching and digital exams. As many researchers 48 , 125 describe, the transparency of behavioral guidelines in exams is crucial for exam behavior. High procedural and interpersonal fairness also promotes students' motivation to behave conform to the rules 6 , 79 , 135 .…”

“…Any type of academic cheating violates the rules and norms of the university and affects the validity of examinations in higher education 47 . Academic cheating occurred more frequently during the COVID-19 pandemic 48 .…”