The internet is a great place for sharing. It’s where students can distribute class notes, study guides, practice quizzes, and much more. But what if students go too far, posting actual exams online that professors have created? Professors automatically own the copyright to original class materials they create, so should digital-age cheating be a concern?
The issue for one particular professor, David Berkovitz of Chapman University, is that the students are posting anonymously, sharing his exams online for other students to memorize. How does one protect against copyright infringement? In Berkovitz’s case, by suing the website Course Hero.
The goal of this lawsuit is to compel these websites to identify the individuals who posted the exam questions, so that the universities can take disciplinary action against them. This action typically involves academic sanctions, such as failing the course or being suspended or expelled from the university.
The article notes that while universities have long been concerned about cheating and academic misconduct, the rise of online learning has made it easier for students to cheat and for exam questions to be shared online. This has led universities to be more aggressive in their efforts to identify and punish students for digital-age cheating.
However, the article also notes that some experts are concerned about the potential negative consequences of these lawsuits. For example, some worry that these lawsuits could have a chilling effect on free speech and academic freedom, by discouraging students from sharing information and resources online.
Sean Michael Morris, the new vice-president of academics at Course Hero, says, “What we need to be looking at is WHY students and teachers have this sort of adversarial relationship with each other, based on the fact that they’re constantly being graded and evaluated in some way, and in ways that put more pressure on them than should be there.”
Overall, the article highlights the complex issues surrounding academic misconduct in the digital age, and the challenges universities face in trying to maintain academic integrity while also respecting students’ rights and freedoms.
Tags: academic dishonesty, education, online learning, school, technologyCategorised in: Uncategorized
This post was written by Evelyn Eekels