Rethinking Closed-Book Testing in Online Courses Deborah Mundorff Western Oregon University My daughter, a sophomore in college, called me recently with an ethical dilemma. She had a midterm exam for a marine science course that was being given online. The...
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Rethinking Closed-Book Testing in Online Courses Deborah Mundorff Western Oregon University My daughter, a sophomore in college, called me recently with an ethical dilemma. She had a midterm exam for a marine science course that was being given online. The instructor had told students that the test was closed-book. They were not to refer to the textbook, search for information online, open the instructor’s PowerPoint slides, or even refer to their own notes taken during the class lectures. The instructor said this test was being given on the “honor system” and that she trusted the students to go by her rules. “Literally no one is going to do this, mom,” my daughter told me. “There is nothing to stop us from looking up information, and everyone thinks it is stupid. I do not want to cheat, but I also don’t want to be the only student at a disadvantage.” The teacher’s expectation, that she could enforce the same testing environment in an online exam present in a face-to-face setting, was,
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