Editorial – Eyes of Cheating: An Editorial on the Challenges of Online Education

There seems to be a permanent component to online education. In higher education, enrollment in online education increased by 170% between 2021 and 2022, while in open and distance learning he increased by 41.7%. But this medium comes with new challenges. For example, the physical and mental health of teachers is deteriorating with the rise of digital classrooms. Initially, the teacher, who was ill-equipped to work with technology, found it difficult to keep her students engaged while imparting her knowledge using her online platforms such as Zoom and Google Meet. . Recent studies published in peer-reviewed journals, pro swan, reveals that 55% of teachers forced to work more than 6 hours a day online suffer from physical discomfort such as headaches, eye strain, back pain and neck pain . Most of the respondents also admitted to experiencing a range of mental health conditions, including anxiety, mood swings, restlessness, hopelessness and loneliness. However, these are not the only problems associated with online education. Nearly two-thirds of teachers who administer tests report being skeptical about the quality of answer sheets due to the use of fraudulent methods by test takers. The culture of cheating in academia is certainly nothing new. What is worrisome, however, is that traditional deterrents (eg, surveillance) have proven ineffective in online mode. In fact, students have come up with clever ways to avoid scrutiny. Poor connectivity during online tests is used as an excuse to fend off proctors’ actions, such as asking candidates to place a mirror behind them during the exam.

This just shows that ethical erosion persists even as education evolves. The ethical crisis — parents complicit in facilitating cheating on the ward — is, of course, a manifestation of the unhealthy competitive spirit that is the doom of modern society. If traditional deterrence does not work in online systems, teaching and assessment methods will need to change. Instead of being asked to memorize facts and write them down on answer sheets, students should be taught to think critically and apply their subjective knowledge to exams. (the latter becoming redundant), but also hone the analytical skills essential to education and future employment.