Academic fraudulence in online degrees and exams at Australian universities
Abstract
In recent years an ever increasing number of universities have started to offer online degrees.
In Australia most universities offer online degrees, there however currently there is one
leading online higher education provider, which this study will be referred to as ‘online
degree providers’ (ODP).
Along with this new method of completing degrees comes new forms of academic dishonesty
and misconduct. Academic dishonesty and misconduct among students is not a new
phenomenon. Brimble and Stevenson-Clarke (2006) find that not only is academic dishonesty
widespread, it is also often underestimated by universities. Additionally, researchers have
found that technology has enabled students to cheat in a number of different ways (Etter et
al., 2006; Devlin and Gray, 2007; Howard and Davies, 2009). For example, students now can
access information online via their phones while sitting in a closed-book exam (Kuntz Butler,
2014).
This paper contributes to the limited research literature on academic dishonesty and
misconduct in online programs and online exams at Australian universities by taking a close
look at what academic dishonesty and misconduct is and how it is happening. It is important
that these questions be understood because, students who cheat at university are more likely
to become professionals who in the future will engage in illegal, unethical or immoral
behaviours in the workplace. Even though this paper considers academic dishonesty broadly,
the focus of the paper is on cheating in online exams.
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Author(s) and co-author(s) jointly and severally represent and warrant that the Article is original with the author(s) and does not infringe any copyright or violate any other right of any third parties, and that the Article has not been published elsewhere. Author(s) agree to the terms that the IJRDO Journal will have the full right to remove the published article on any misconduct found in the published article.
