THE IMPACT OF TECHNOLOGY ON ONLINE COURSE INTEGRITY: A PILOT STUDY

Abstract

The March 2020 COVID-19 pandemic caused many universities to move face-to-face and hybrid courses to completely online formats, resulting in increased challenges to academic integrity. Although academic misconduct and academic dishonesty among students is nothing new, the literature is inconclusive as to whether there is more cheating in online classes than in face-to-face classes. However, online education has made it much more difficult for instructors to detect instances of cheating. The purpose of this study is to identify faculty perceptions and attitudes regarding student violations of academic integrity, particularly in online courses. An Internet survey link was sent to all faculty at a southwestern university. Responses revealed that although faculty are aware of the threat of technology to academic integrity, many do not use the available technology safeguards.