Academic Integrity in Online Courses

Kansas State University announced on March 12 the suspension of in-person classes during the week of March 16-20, 2020 and beginning on March 23, 2020, classes will be taught remotely. (https://www.k-state.edu/today/info/announcement/?id=62941)

Faculty members transitioning from face-to-face courses to online courses may have many concerns about preventing academic dishonesty online. The following are a few helpful tips.

1 - Set your expectations

Communicate with your students about expectations you might have in the online community. Inform students that if you suspect any academic misconduct, you will follow procedures of the Honor and Integrity System for alleged violations.

2 - Use online proctoring systems

K-State Global campus has for years worked with vetted proctors or proctoring services. For assessments such as exams or tests, we encourage you to make use of those proctoring systems.

3 - Examine metadata on assignments

When you receive an assignment that you may think is suspicious, take a look at the metadata of that submission to learn more about who might have originally created the document or altered the document. Also within canvas, check the date regarding timing of exam or assignment submissions.

4 - Adjust Assessments

While adjusting assignments will not necessarily stop academic misconduct, it can discourage it. For online exams, you may have a large questions bank, or set the canvas exam up to shuffle the questions and or answers. For written assignments, allowing a student choose the topic of interest or personalizing the topics can reduce the amount of academic dishonesty.

Please contact the Honor and Integrity System if you have questions or concerns in your class.