Ethical Online Environment: Is It Possible? By Francene

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Ethical Online Environment Is It Possible?

• By
• Francene Weatherby PhD, RN, CNE
• Maribeth Moran MSN, RN CPN, CNE
• UNIVERSITY OF OKLAHOMA COLLEGE OF NURSING
• Presented at the NLN Education Summit 2008
• September 19, 2008

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Case Study
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Case Study E-mail from Online Student

• Good Afternoon,
• I was just sent an e-mail from another student
  with the answers to the Thorax and Lungs quiz.  I
  did not look at the answers and deleted the
  e-mail since I have not taken the quiz yet and
  would like to learn the material on my own.  I
  felt very uncomfortable receiving the e-mail and
  was not sure how to handle it.  I chose to inform
  you, but I do not want to get anyone in trouble
  either.  I don't know if a reminder needs to be
  sent out about the seriousness of cheating.  I
  would like to remain anonymous if anything is
  sent out. 

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Online Learning Environment

• An online learning environment involves the
  process of course delivery using a combination of
  resources that include, but are not limited to,
  learning management systems, internet websites,
  course content, learning activities, and methods
  of interaction among teachers and students. (the
  presenters definition)

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Unethical Academic BehaviorCheating

• Cheating is using unauthorized materials,
  information, or study aids in an academic
  exercise plagiarism, falsification of records,
  unauthorized possession of examinations,
  intimidation, and any and all other actions that
  may improperly affect the evaluation of a
  students academic performance or achievement.
  OUCN Course Syllabi Statement

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Online Academic DishonestyElectronic Cheating

• Cheating on exams or assignments including
  plagiarism - (Grijalva et al, 2006)

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Literature Review

• Nursing research dealing with academic and
  professional misconduct is scanty and often
  contradictory.
• Study of 253 nursing students found that 53 of
  seniors thought about cheating but only 25
  said they would if they could get away with it.
  Ninety-four percent said they had seen others
  cheat but only 25 said they cheated themselves.
  (Brown, 2002)
• Online resources increase opportunities and make
  cheating easier. (Hinman, 2002 Hinman, 2004
  Logue, 2004, McCabe Pavela, 2004 Harper, 2006)
  
  

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Literature Review (Continued)

• Survey of 796 students in undergraduate online
  courses found only a 3 rate of cheating same
  as traditional classroom courses. (Grijalva et
  al, 2006)
• As online education expands, there is no reason
  to suspect that academic dishonesty will become
  more common. (Grijalva et al, 2006)

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Why is ethical behavior important to nurse
educators today?

• Hold students accountable for learning what they
  need to know.
• Ensure graduates can practice safely.
• Help students clarify values needed to be
  professional.
• Offer opportunities to practice ethical behavior.
  
• Maintain public trust in nurses
• Ensure those with integrity enter the profession
  ready to care for vulnerable patients.

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ANA Code of Ethics for Nurses

• 4. The nurse is responsible accountable for
  individual nursing practice. . . .
• 9. The nurse . . . is responsible for
  articulating nursing values maintaining the
  integrity of the profession its practice.

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Difference Between Online Traditional Settings

• Less personal eye-to-eye interaction.
• Easier to feel disconnected from teacher and
  other students.
• More independent, self-directed learning.

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Difference Between Online Traditional Settings

• More information sources readily available. (i.e.
  electronic textbooks friends)
• Not monitored as easily.
• Technology provides different opportunities and
  ways to cheat.

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Faculty Perspective

• Maintaining academic integrity is one of todays
  biggest challenges.

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Faculty Perspective

• Maintaining academic integrity is one of todays
  biggest challenges.
• Fulfill role of professions gate-keepers.
• Think it is unnecessary to clarify expectations.
  (McCabe Pavela, 2004)
• Difficulty with confrontation. (McCabe Pavela,
  2004 Billings Halstead, 2009)
• Fear grievance process (Billings Halstead,
  2009).

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Faculty Perspective

• Maintaining academic integrity is one of todays
  biggest challenges.
• Concern about gateway behavior.
• Fairness to all students.
• Generational values/ Generational differences.
• Workload issues prioritizing faculty
  responsibilities.

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Student Perspective

• Challenges to maintaining academic integrity
• Overworked and overwhelmed.
• Panic cheating vs." Planned cheating
• Unclear about what is ethical/unethical.
• Difficulty and breadth of subject matter.
• Competitive nature of education.

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Student Perspective

• Challenges to maintaining academic integrity
• Students own expectations of performance
• Value of success at any price (Billings
  Halstead, 2009)
• Cheating culture (Callahan, 2004 Grijalva et
  al, 2006)
• Societal emphasis on getting ahead making
  money
• Corporate scandals

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Student Perspective

• Degree of respect for faculty member
• Degree of relevance of course material
• Different values/Different generations
• Belief that creating an ethical environment and
  preventing cheating are faculty responsibilities

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Perspective of Instructional Technology
Professional

• Attempting to keep one step ahead in cheating
• Developing and using software (i.e. turnitin.com
  Caveon testing services ability to scramble test
  items distractors)
• Balancing expense of security software with needs
  for other types of technology.

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Creating An Ethical Online Environment

• Faculty Strategies - Personal Preparation
• Clarify own values about cheating.
• Commit to creating a culture of integrity
• Act as a good role model
• Be familiar with institutional policies and
  procedures

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Creating An Ethical Online Environment

• Faculty Strategies Designing the Course
• Integrate ethical issues into a learning activity
  in course.
• Create assignments that make cheating difficult.
• Consider relaxing rules if possible group work.
• Use assessments that are relevant, integral to
  learning (McCabe, 2004).
• Build an extensive pool of questions.
• Avoid use of high-stakes online testing unless
  proctored

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Creating An Ethical Online Environment

• Faculty Strategies Implementing the Course
• Set the tone in course introduction by discussing
  standards of behavior.
• Clarify expectations.
• Make the consequences for cheating clear.
  (Billings Halstead, 2009)
• Remind students periodically about academic
  integrity and ethics

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• THE UNIVERSITY OF OKLAHOMA COLLEGE OF NURSING
• N4034 Human Experience in Acute and Chronic II
• EXAM 1
• Fall 2008
• PLEASE READ THE FOLLOWING BEFORE STARTING THE
  EXAM
• Please be sure your test booklet is in the proper
  order, i.e., questions and pages are in
  numerical order. There are 80 questions on this
  test.
• Use only 2 pencils for all answers marked on the
  answer sheet.
• Make sure your full name is on the answer sheet
  and test booklet. Also include a four digit ID
  number.
• Fill in the bubbles that correspond to the
  letters of your name and ID number.
• Take care to mark the answer sheet with the
  answer(s) you have chosen. Answers indicated on
  the test booklet will not be considered.
• There is only one correct or best answer for each
  test question.
• Be sure to turn in both answer sheet and test
  booklet. The answer sheet will be invalidated
  if there is not a test booklet to match its
  number.
• Both faculty and students have a duty to protect
  the integrity of tests and quizzes. Therefore
  students must do their own work and may not pass
  on information about the tests or quizzes to
  other students, present or future.

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Creating An Ethical Online Environment

• Faculty Strategies Implementing the Course
• Encourage and support open discussion of ethics
  and ethical behavior.
• Be consistent about requiring that students cite
  sources
• Act as a good role model cite sources when
  presenting material

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Creating An Ethical Online Environment

• Faculty Strategies Dealing with Consequences
• How do we detect incidences of possible cheating?
• Read what students write
• Pay attention
• Use available technology
• How we deal with people who cheat.
• Processes
• Consequences

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Creating An Online Environment

• INSTITUTIONS ROLE
• Clear expectations Academic Honor Code
• Policies and procedures must be consistent
• Institution-wide convocation to discuss honesty
  (Solomon, 2000).
• Student roles on Academic Dishonesty Boards
• Due process

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Creating an Ethical Online Environment

• Academic Misconduct includes
• (a) cheating (using unauthorized materials,
  information, or study aids in any academic
  exercise or on national board examination),
  plagiarism, falsification of records,
  unauthorized possession of examinations,
  intimidation, and any and all other actions that
  may improperly affect the evaluation of a
  student's academic performance or achievement
• (b) assisting others in any such act or
• (c) attempts to engage in such acts. The code
  provides that the student's dean shall be
  notified of the charge and the dean shall notify
  the student. Possible disciplinary actions and
  provision for a conference with the Vice Provost
  for Educational Services, request for a hearing
  before the Academic Misconduct Board, rules of
  the hearing, and appeals are among the matters
  outlined in the code.
• OUCN course syllabi

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Conclusions

• Maintaining an ethical environment in the
  classroom, in clinical, and online in nursing is
  critical.
• Faculty have major responsibility to mold
  personal characteristics that are desirable in
  professionals.
• Online coursework offers different, sometimes
  more complex challenges.
• Dialogue about these issues is essential.

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In Summary - Ethical Online Environment? It Is
Possible.

• The first and most important line of defense
  against academic dishonesty is simply good
  teaching. (Hinman, 2004).
• The second line of defense is the development of
  integrity in our students. (Hinman, 2004)
• The last line of defense is to help students
  perceive that the dishonesty of their classmates
  hurts many students. (Hinman, 2004)

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References

• Baxter, P.E. Boblin, S.L. (2007). The moral
  development of baccalaureate nursing students
  Understanding unethical behavior in classroom
  and clinical settings. Journal of Nursing
  Education. 46(1), 20-27.
• Billings, D.M, Halstead, J.A. (2009). Teaching
  in Nursing. St. Louis Saunders Elsevier.
• Brown, D. (2002). Cheating must be okay
  everybody does it! Nurse Educator. 27 (1), 6-8.
• Callahan, D. (2004) The Cheating Culture Why
  More Americans are Doing Wrong to Get Ahead.
  Harcourt. Philadelphia.
• Culwin, F. Naylor, J. (1995). Pragmatic
  anti-plagiarism. Proceedings 3rd All Ireland
  Conference on the Teaching of Computing. Dublin,
  Ireland.
• Grijalva, T., Norwell, C. Kerkvliet, J. (2006).
  Academic honesty and online courses. College
  student journal. 40(1), 180-185.
• .

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References

• Harper, M. (2006). High tech cheating. Nurse
  Education Today. 26 (8), 672-679.
• Hinman, L.M. (2004). How to fight college
  cheating. Washington Post . September 3, 2004
  A19.
• Hinman, L. M. (2002). Academic integrity and the
  world wide web. Computers and Society. March,
  33-42.
• Logue, R. (2004). Plagiarism the internet makes
  it easy. Nursing Standard. 18(5), 40-43.
• McCabe, D.L., Pavela, G. (2004). Ten updated
  principles of academic integrity How faculty
  can foster student honesty. Change. May/June,
  10-15.
• Solomon, M.R. DeNatale, M.L. (2000). Academic
  dishonesty and professional practice A
  convocation. Nurse Educator. 25(6). 270- 271.