ACADEMIC INTEGRITY DURING ONLINE LEARNING

Upholding Academic Integrity in Online Distance Learning

An Academic Essay

English For Academic and Professional Purposes

School Year 2020 - 2021

First Quarter

Kristin Charlize J. Zuñiga

11-A1

Mr. Anthere Paul S. Buñales

Ms. Lady Ann Phoebe C. Hernandez

Ms. Mirasol S. Madrid

Teachers

October 2020
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Introduction

Integrity, an Assumption Core Value, should be reaccentuated during online distance

learning. Most students feel like cheating is less complicated online because of the lack of

teacher surveillance and the presence of readily-available cheating methods. With these factors,

students may try to cheat more often. Thus, integrity should be reemphasized by Assumption

College by reminding students of the unacceptable actions and their consequences. ​In a 2014

research by Ekahitanond, 101 out of 160 students considered that copying some sentences from

another academic source without acknowledging the original author or source is not cheating.

These students certainly do not understand the concept of academic integrity, as they disagree

that this behavior is cheating. According to Chowdhury and Bhattacharyya (2018), this is an

example of textual plagiarism, named deliberate copy-paste plagiarism. This behavior is indeed a

violation of academic integrity, which is defined as "a commitment, even in the face of adversity,

to six fundamental values: honesty, trust, fairness, respect, responsibility, and courage. From

these values flow principles of behavior that enable academic communities to translate ideals to

action" (International Center for Academic Integrity, n.d.). With the Department of Education

resorting to online distance learning during the COVID-19 pandemic, academic integrity issues

are gaining traction. The researcher found interest in the importance of academic integrity in the

online setting as she had seen advertisements for plagiarism-fighting tools appearing more

frequently on the internet. With this, she sought to determine the issues of violating academic

integrity to high school students during online distance learning.

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With the new online system, students are left with no teacher supervision and may use the

opportunity to cheat. ​Students should not violate academic integrity during online education

because they might develop low self-esteem, depend on online cheating methods, and face

academic consequences, especially since practicing plagiarism is riskier with readily available

plagiarism-fighting tools that teachers may use.

This essay will discuss low self-esteem as a consequence of academic dishonesty. This

factor will be supported by data gathered from two questions of the survey, presented through

graphs. The work of Hamzah et al. (2020), Goff et al. (2020), Miceli and Castelfranchi (2018),

and Moten et al. (2013) will also be used to support the factor further. This essay will also focus

on online cheating methods. This controlling idea will use data gathered from one question from

the survey, displayed through an open-ended question organization table, and data from two

more questions displayed through graphs. The work of Moten et al. (2013) and Chowdhury and

Bhattacharyya (2018) will also be used. This paper will also examine the academic consequences

of cheating and plagiarism fighting tools. Data collected from all questions in the survey will be

used. Finally, the essay will end with a summary of the controlling ideas and their significance.

The researcher will also her recommendations based on the data collected. Hopefully, the paper

will benefit students by reminding them of the consequences of academic dishonesty in online

learning. The paper will also hopefully benefit teachers because of the anti-plagiarism tools

mentioned.

Results and Discussions

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Low Self-esteem as a Consequence of Academic Dishonesty

Developing low self-esteem is one of the psychological effects of cheating. Upholding

academic integrity is one of the moral lessons instilled in children at school, with cheating being

taught to harm the student’s education and give them an advantage over others. Despite this,

students may still practice dishonesty. Consequently, they question their moral code, which

diminishes their self-respect and self-esteem.

Figure 1

Figure 1 displays students’ perception of the certainty of experiencing each of the possible

consequences (guilt and sanctions) of cheating in online classes. As shown, most of the

respondents agree that they would likely encounter both guilt and sanctions if they cheat online.

Cheating might result in the student feeling guilt because it is described as a moral failure. Once

caught, their reputation would be damaged as they might be perceived as intellectual thieves,

which may cause guilt. Sanctions are also a possible outcome if students are caught cheating.
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Figure 2

Figure 2 shows students' viewpoint on the disincentive effect of each possible consequence (guilt

and sanctions) on their choice to cheat in online classes. As shown in the data, most of the

respondents disagree that guilt would discourage them from cheating. This result might be

because they think that cheating in online classes without getting caught is less complicated than

if it were done in face-to-face classes, and they feel more confident in cheating because of this

(Goff et al., 2020, p. 253). It is also seen in the data that three respondents are uncertain, and

three respondents disagree that sanctions would prevent them from cheating in online classes.

For the reasons mentioned earlier, respondents disagree because they may feel more confident in

cheating without getting caught, and they would not face any sanctions. They are uncertain

because they may think that online cheating without getting caught is less complicated than

face-to-face cheating, but they might still fear facing sanctions.

According to Hamzah et al. (2020), students are already informed about the moral values

of refraining from cheating and plagiarism during elementary school. Therefore students who
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cheat acknowledge that cheating is an ethical violation, which may cause them to feel guilty

(Moten et al., 2013). Hamzah et al. (2020) describe guilt as a negative emotion caused by

dishonesty and deceiving others. A person who feels guilty would assess themselves as bad

people for doing something bad (Miceli & Castelfranchi, 2018). Hence cheating would result in

loss of self-respect or self-esteem. Sanctions may also result in guilt as their actions would be

reprimanded if caught cheating. However, in the online environment where there is no

face-to-face interaction, students may not perceive cheating as negative. Students may feel more

impulsive because of the feeling that “they would not be caught, that the teacher is not there, and

that the teacher would not notice” (Moten et al., 2013).

Online Cheating Methods

Students may develop low self-esteem due to cheating in online classes because they may

find cheating less complicated. One of the most apparent differences between face-to-face and

online classes is the lack of teacher monitoring. In online classes, teachers can only surveil

students through their devices. Consequently, they cannot control what students may be doing,

such as obtaining assistance for examinations.

Is cheating in online classes easier than in face-to-face classes? Why?

Verbatim Responses Theme

“Yes because you get the answers without Online cheating methods can be easily
having to think much and without being used since teachers would not be able to
caught by the teacher.” monitor it.
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“Yes because a teacher has no control

over which tabs are being opened in a
student’s computer, allowing one to open
multiple tabs, likely ones consisting of
social media to ask help from friends or
simply googling answers to questions
given.”

“Actually yes, because since there's lesser

supervision of the teacher (whether tests
or trt’s), it's easier for students to take out
their notes or ask a friend online while
answering.”

“Yes, because some devices make it easy There are multiple cheating methods that
to switch tabs or open up a new folder. may be used in online classes.
Also a lot of people have different
devices.”

“Yes, because you can just send answers

to classmates without anyone else
knowing other than both parties
involved.”

“Yes because it’s easier to hide it, even if

they put the option that you can’t search
through google using your device, you can
openly look through written notes or
search with another device and no one
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would know even if the camera’s on as

they could be just doing their work.”

Figure 3

Figure 4

Figure 4 displays students’ perception of the certainty of experiencing each of the

possible consequences (guilt and sanctions) of cheating in face-to-face classes. As can be seen,

most of the respondents agree that it is likely that they would feel guilty if they cheat in

face-to-face classes. Cheating being considered unethical behavior, and attaining an unearned

reward may cause them to feel guilt. They might also realize that dishonesty would harm their

character. Additionally, all respondents agree that sanctions are possible consequences if they

cheat in face-to-face classes, which may be because they think that with teacher surveillance,

getting caught cheating will inevitably result in sanctions.

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Figure 5

Figure 5 shows the students’ perception of the disincentive effect of each possible

consequence (guilt and sanctions) on their choice to cheat in face-to-face classes. Most

respondents agree that guilt would discourage them from cheating, but there are also many

uncertain respondents. They agree because they might be well-reminded of the corrupt nature of

cheating with teacher surveillance, thus feeling more guilt if they cheated. They are uncertain

since they may be reminded of why cheating is immoral, but still feel confident in cheating

without getting caught. The data also shows that all respondents agree that sanctions would

negatively affect their choice to cheat face-to-face. With teacher surveillance, they might feel

more cautious about cheating, and they might fear facing sanctions once caught.

The online environment allows students to obtain unethical assistance (Moten et al.,

2013). In face-to-face classes, teachers could watch for any signalling, glancing, or verbal

communication during exams. In Assumption College, teachers would walk around the
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classroom throughout summative assessments and quarterly exams. Without this teacher

surveillance in online classes, many more cheating methods are available for students.

To answer the question, "Is cheating in online classes easier than in face-to-face classes?

Why?" three of the respondents mention online cheating methods. Two of the respondents agree,

saying some devices allow students to switch between tabs, and students may also have multiple

devices or written notes where they can look up answers. The teacher may ask a question, and a

student can search for its answer in another tab, another device, or their written notes. One of the

respondents also agreed, saying that students can send each other answers without anyone else

knowing. Through private messaging, students can agree to help each other and exchange

answers for a task. According to Moten et al. (2013), this is considered collusion.

Another cheating method is plagiarism, "an appropriation of the ideas, words, process, or

results of another person without proper acknowledgment, credit, or citation" (Chowdhury &

Bhattacharyya, 2018). There are seven types of plagiarism: clone, paraphrasing, metaphor, idea,

recycled, illegitimate source, and retweet plagiarism (Chowdhury & Bhattacharyya, 2018). It is

used in face-to-face classes, as well as online with easily-accessible digital sources. However,

with assignments being submitted electronically, teachers can detect plagiarism easier.

Facing Academic Consequences and Plagiarism Fighting Tools

Plagiarism is an online cheating method that results in academic consequences. During

online or face-to-face classes, academic integrity must be emphasized by the teachers. Plagiarism
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and cheating is prevalent in both online and face-to-face classes (Goff et al., 2020, p. 248);

however, as revealed earlier, students think that cheating is easier online than face-to-face.

Except, there are readily-available plagiarism detecting tools online that teachers may use. If

they are caught, students may face academic consequences such as sanctions.

As seen from the results of Figures 1, 2, 4, and 5, students are aware of the academic

consequences of dishonesty in any environment, but they only let this factor affect them

face-to-face. It is also displayed in Figure 3 that students find it easier to cheat online than

face-to-face. However, in the case of plagiarism, teachers can easily use existing tools to combat

it in the online setting. As students submit their work electronically, teachers can easily input

their files in a plagiarism detection tool online.

A paper by Chowdhury and Bhattacharyya (2018) lists numerous plagiarism detecting tools, and

the following are some of them.

1. Turnitin is a paid tool already being used by Assumption College. It checks for similar

texts in a student's paper and will identify its source.

2. Viper compares the student's paper to ten billion sources. It has both free and paid

versions, and submissions are unlimited.

3. Quetext is a free tool that supports multiple languages and has no word limit. It identifies

plagiarism in every possible way, and the work goes through internal and external

checking.
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4. Exactus Like has a demo and paid version, and it allows popular file formats like PDF,

Microsoft Word, RTF, ODT, and HTML. It does not only identify clone plagiarism, but it

also identifies word reordering and synonym substitution.

In the event wherein an Assumption College Senior Highschool student plagiarizes, they

are to face the appropriate sanctions according to the level of violation they committed. There are

two levels of offenses against academic integrity in the Assumption College San Lorenzo 2019

Senior Highschool Handbook. Level A describes "Copying some text word for word without

quotation marks, but citing the source" and "Incomplete Works Cited/ Bibliography." These may

call for the sanction of the First Offense (Zero in citation/bibliography criteria in rubric and VR),

Second (Zero in assessment with WR), Third (Zero in assessment and WR with suspension), or

Fourth Offense (Zero in assessment and WR with suspension). Level B has multiple

descriptions, such as "Copying some text without quotation marks and without citing the source"

and "Paraphrasing the text without citing the source." These may call for the sanction of the First

Offense (Zero assessment with WR), Second (Zero in assessment with WR and suspension),

Third (Zero in assessment with BP), or Fourth Offense (Zero in assessment with EXC).

Conclusion

With the COVID-19 pandemic, Assumption College Senior Highschool has resorted to

online distance learning. This event has resulted in the rise of concerns regarding academic

integrity during online classes. Many perceive cheating to be less complicated in online

education due to the lack of teacher surveillance and the numerous ways to cheat. Although, if
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students choose to cheat, they may develop low self-esteem because their reputation may be

ruined once caught as their teachers and peers may lose respect in them. Additionally, they might

feel guilty about violating the moral value of integrity, which may lead to a loss of self-respect.

Students may also heavily depend on online cheating methods such as collusion and plagiarism

because they are more confident in cheating without getting caught. This reliance may negatively

affect them once they return to face-to-face classes. Students would not have access to the many

online cheating methods; thus, they may have difficulty upholding academic integrity in

face-to-face classes. If the students plagiarize in online classes, it is easier for them to get caught,

as teachers can easily use plagiarism-detecting tools. In this case, they might also face academic

consequences. In Assumption, severe consequences like exclusion anticipate the students who

want to violate the rules. With their student records flawed, students might also have trouble

transferring schools or applying for colleges. Employers may also look at student transcripts

during background checks and might see the punishments the student received.

With the possibility of their student life to be negatively affected after online distance

learning, as well as the psychological impacts of cheating, students should continue to uphold

academic integrity. Students should always do assessments individually unless the teacher states

that it is group work. They must also avoid depending on online generators or calculators while

answering assessments, and they should be careful about citing other sources correctly for their

work. Students must in-text cite accurately and follow the citation rules that their teachers

discuss. Furthermore, with students thinking that cheating in online classes is less complicated

than in face-to-face, teachers should remind students of the value of integrity in the online setting

to prevent or reduce dishonesty in their classes, as this affects them as well as the students.
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Integrity, an Assumption Core Value, should be reaccentuated during online distance

learning. Most students feel like cheating is less complicated online because of the lack of

teacher surveillance and the presence of readily-available cheating methods. With these factors,

students may try to cheat more often. Thus, integrity should be reemphasized by Assumption

College by reminding students of the unacceptable actions and their consequences such as those

mentioned before.

Word Count: 2592 words

References:

Assumption College San Lorenzo. (2019). ​Assumption College Senior Highschool 2019

Handbook.

Cohwdhury, H. & Bhattacharyya, D. (2018). Plagiarism: Taxonomy, Tools and Detection

Techniques. ​ResearchGate​, p. 4.

https://www.researchgate.net/publication/322634173_Plagiarism_Taxonomy_Tools_and

_Detection_Techniques

Ekahitanond, V. (2014). Students’ Perception And Behavior Of Academic Integrity: A Case

Study Of A Writing Forum Activity. ​Turkish Online Journal of Distance Education​,

15​(4), p. 156. ​https://doi.org/10.17718/tojde.55218

Goff, D., Johnston, J., & Bouboulis, B. (2020). Maintaining Academic Standards and Integrity in
ACADEMIC INTEGRITY DURING ONLINE LEARNING
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Online Business Courses. ​International Journal of Higher Education​, ​9​(2), pp. 248–253.

https://doi.org/10.5430/ijhe.v9n2p248

Hamzah, I., Santoso, I., & Imaduddin, N. (2020). THE ROLE OF CONSIDERATION OF THE

VALUE OF RISKS, SHAME AND GUILT IN UTILITARIAN MORAL JUDGMENT

ON ACADEMIC DISHONESTY BEHAVIOR. ​Jurnal Cakrawala Pendidikan, 39(​ 2),

pp. 433–437. ​https://doi.org/10.21831/cp.v39i2.31259

International Center for Academic Integrity. (2013). ​Fundamental Values of Academic Integrity​.

https://www.academicintegrity.org/fundamental-values/

Miceli, M., & Castelfranchi, C. (2018). Reconsidering the differences between shame and guilt.

Europe’s Journal of Psychology, 14​(3), pp. 710–733.

https://doi.org/10.5964/ejop.v14i3.1564

Moten, J., Fitterer, A., Brazier, E., Leonard, J., & Brown, A. (2013). Examining Online College

Cyber Cheating Methods and Prevention Measures.​ Electronic Journal of E-Learning,​

11​(2), pp. 139–143.

https://www.researchgate.net/publication/286124335_Examining_online_college_cyber_

cheating_methods_and_prevention_measures

Peters, M. (2018). Academic integrity: An interview with Tracey Bretag. ​Educational

Philosophy and Theory​, ​51​(8), pp. 751–756.

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https://doi.org/10.1080/00131857.2018.1506726