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

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.