Internet Courses: Who Is Doing The Work?

Abstract

The growth in Internet courses (E courses) and degrees is continuing but controls to insure academic honesty do not seem to be keeping pace with the growth in offerings. Responses to a questionnaire distributed to chairpersons of accounting departments relating to the use of controls for controlling academic dishonesty in E courses indicated that respondents strongly favored requiring students to provide a digital photo ID and audio capabilities when registering for an E course but rejected the idea of requiring them to provide a web cam that might be used for verifying their identity. Respondents strongly believe that students taking an E course should complete some, but not all, examinations on-line and, whenever possible, on the university web site and that they should complete some, but not all, homework assignments on-line and at the university web site whenever possible. They also tended to believe, even though they did not endorse requiring one, that students should use a web cam when completing examinations on-line and that faculty should compare the photo ID with the web cam image. However, they do not believe that students should be required to use a web cam when completing homework assignments or that faculty should compare the photo ID with the web cam image. Respondents believe that students should be required to participate in on-line chat rooms with both the instructor and with the instructor and other students. The use of a web cam and the comparison of a photo ID with a web cam image were not seen as desirable. Overall accounting chairs endorse requiring the student who enrolls in an E course to obtain some existing technology, except for a web cam, that might help control academic dishonesty. They expect the student to be prepared to spend more than $100 to obtain the technology.