The purpose of this study was to describe the frequencies and types of cheating behaviors occurring within proctored and unproctored testing environments for students enrolled in online courses and taking assessments through an online format. In addition, this study sought to examine relationships between demographic variables of gender, age, GPA, discipline of study, undergraduate/graduate status and knowledge of the institutional honor code and online cheating behaviors for students who had taken online assessments through proctored methods. Participants in this study included students enrolled as distance learning campus students who took online courses and online assessments through a large, 4-year, public, degree-granting institution located in the southeastern region of the United States during the spring 2015 semester. Participants were asked to report their frequency in engaging in online cheating behaviors through the Online Assessment Cheating Behaviors Survey (OACBS). The study found that distance students who took unproctored exams reported more frequently engaging in overall cheating behaviors than proctored students. No differences were found in overall cheating behaviors for those taking exams through face to face and remotely proctored methods. Individual item analyses revealed that those taking unproctored exams reported more frequently using web searches during online exams to search for answers than those taking proctored exams. The study also found differences in overall cheating behaviors for those taking proctored online exams based on gender, with female distance students more frequently reporting engaging in cheating behaviors than male distance students. Individual level item analyses revealed females, those with a “C” GPA, and undergraduate distance students more frequently utilized web searches during an online proctored exam and used brain dump sites to obtain test questions and answers.

Testing centers are a useful tool to help instructors deliver computer-based tests, but computers resources are expensive and therefore limited. This paper describes a method by which testing center(s) may use iNetTest, a web-based computer aided testing system, to house and administer exams. The algorithm discussed in this paper makes it possible for instructors to schedule tests for a given time frame while ensuring that enough computer resources will be available to all of the students. The algorithm prevents the testing center from getting overwhelmed with students while attempting to maximize the usage of the valuable computer resources.

Physical separation of students and instructors creates the gap of anonymity. The ability of academic institutions to authenticate students and their academic work at various points during a course is necessary for preserving not only the perceived credibility but also for public safety. This study examines the question of what measures universities with large distance education programs employ to align identity of learners with the academic work they do, as well as examines effectiveness, challenges and barriers to their implementation. The research is undertaken using a multiple case approach and analyzes survey data collected from academic administrators at five officially accredited post secondary institutions in three countries. They are: Athabasca University, Open University UK, Penn State University World Campus, University of Maryland University College and eConcordia– Concordia University's distance learning facility. This study is not an exhaustive attempt to examine all aspect of academic integrity, but rather to create awareness about various learner authentication strategies and also outline challenges and advantages that these measure entail. This study confirms that secure learner authentication in distance education environment is possible. A combination of technology and administrative procedures may facilitate a secure testing environment. Furthermore, with greater pressure to enhance security of learner authentication, the openness of open learning is challenged and may change as we know it. / 2013-05

Many institutions use placement tests as a method to assess students’ readiness for college-level coursework. With the increased use of technology in testing, many institutions have transitioned placement test administration to an online format in an unproctored setting. While unproctored placement tests may provide financial and logistical benefits for institutions and students, it is important to examine if there are differences in academic outcomes when tests are administered in this format. Guided by the literature on test administration modality (i.e., proctored versus unproctored examinations), I examined if there are differences in math course performance and college student enrollment persistence between students who completed a proctored or unproctored math placement test. To investigate these important educational outcomes, I analyzed data collected as part of a 2018 randomized control trial conducted at a large, urban public institution in the Mid-Atlantic region of the United States in which incoming, first-year students were randomly assigned to a proctored or unproctored group to complete a math placement assessment. The current study affirmed findings from a pilot study, which suggests that students tend to place approximately one course level lower when placed using a proctored math placement test compared to an unproctored placement test and that students tend to have higher final grades in their initial math course when placed by a proctored math placement test.The current study analyzed final grades in the second math course taken between proctored and unproctored groups as well as student persistence. Analyzing mean course grades, I found that differences in grades between students who take a proctored and unproctored math placement test continue in some cases into the second math course. The percentage of F’s and withdrawals for initial and second math course final grades between students who take a proctored and unproctored math placement assessment also show differences between groups. Applying hierarchical linear regression, suggests that test administration modality does not account for a significant amount of variance in course grades. When controlling for demographic characteristics and academic factors, performance from the initial course taken, was found to be the most significant factor of grades in second math course taken. Results from the current study suggests that test administration modality during math placement tests while not a statistically significant variable in academic performance in second math course taken, may still be helpful as it is a statistically significant variable in academic performance in the first math course taken. Since initial math course grades were statistically significant in explaining the difference in grades between groups, institutions should consider using proctoring during math placement tests as a practice. Further research should be conducted, however, to understand how test administration modality during placement tests affects students in different programs, including programs that do not require courses along the institution’s math course sequence. Additionally, further research on types of proctoring would provide a more comprehensive understanding of the proctoring options available to institutions and whether they result in the same outcomes for students. / Educational Leadership

Magister Educationis - MEd / Since the inception of the University in 1960 under the Apartheid regime and up until a few years ago Afrikaans had dominated both as educational and as communication medium. However, political change - at the University and in South Africa - has brought about a change in language patterns. According to the HSRC Work Committee on Languages and Language Instruction (1981), a high percentage (40%) of Afrikaans-speaking people classified as coloured and living in the Cape Peninsula choose English as the medium of instruction and also regard it as the most important language to be learnt at schools (also 40%). As a result of this, and the enrolment of a large percentage of Xhosa speaking students, who generally prefer English to Afrikaans as an educational medium, English has become the language most commonly used both inside and outside the classroom. The homogeneity of preference has, however, not been matched by mastery of the language. For approximately 70% of all first-year students English is a second or even a third language. Though University entry is based on at least ten years of the study of English, standards of proficiency differ quite considerably as a result of inequalities in education. Because students need to improve their level of English proficiency I investigated the effectiveness of using senior students as tutor assistants in an academic development programme, the English Special Project, at UWC. This study aims at revealing that the tutor assistantships in the English Special Project can alleviate problems that occur with annual increases in student numbers under certain conditions. These are that: 1 prospective tutor assistants undergo proper tutor assistant training; 2 tutor assistants are committed to the course of academic development; 3 tutor assistants have the time available that is necessary for the task. In Chapter 1 give an insight into what this study is about, the reasons for conducting it and what my personal involvement with the ESP has been. In Chapter 2 I review some of the overseas and local literature on TA systems. In Chapter 3 I describe a case-study to evaluate the success of the TA system in the ESP with reference to academic development. I emphasize the intensive, individual care of and attention to first-year students. In an attempt to address the problem, the effectiveness of senior students as tutor assistants to assist in tutorial sessions is described. In Chapter 4 I discuss the value of TA intervention in the ESP at personal and social levels. Chapter 5 contains the general conclusions and my recommendations to improve the ESP.