10 cheating on assessments

Cheating in assessments

Unconventional wisdom

Have you ever cheated?

• Notes in a test?• Copied from someone?• Plagiarism?

• Whose fault is it when this is common?

What is the message when…

• …reading from the textbook?• …having learners copy notes?• …giving assessments like this?– Define labour unions– List the five qualities of an entrepreneur– Name and discuss the components of a business

plan

The message is…

Pleasecheat andplagiarise!

When is cheating encouraged?

• Emphasis on performance • Extrinsic motivation• High stakes • Low expectation of success

Cheating means no learningWhen cheating happens When learning happens

Emphasis on (a single) performance

Emphasis on the process of learning

High stakes (make or break performance)

Extrinsic motivation (perform for others)Low expectation of

success

Cheating means no learningWhen cheating happens When learning happens

Emphasis on (a single) performance

Emphasis on the process of learning

High stakes (make or break performance)

A progression of learning opportunities

Extrinsic motivation (perform for others)Low expectation of

success

Cheating means no learningWhen cheating happens When learning happens

Emphasis on (a single) performance

Emphasis on the process of learning

High stakes (make or break performance)

A progression of learning opportunities

Extrinsic motivation (perform for others)

Intrinsic motivation (because I want to learn)

Low expectation of success

Cheating means no learningWhen cheating happens When learning happens

Emphasis on (a single) performance

Emphasis on the process of learning

High stakes (make or break performance)

A progression of learning opportunities

Extrinsic motivation (perform for others)

Intrinsic motivation (because I want to learn)

Low expectation of success

Realistic view of self and belief in ability to learn

Learning depends on…

• NOT the teacher• NOT the learner• …but the design of the learning environment

• “Change the system, not the people!”~Buckminster Fuller

It is the learning environment!When cheating happens When learning happens

Emphasis on (a single) performance

Emphasis on the process of learning

High stakes (make or break performance)

A progression of learning opportunities

Extrinsic motivation (perform for others)

Intrinsic motivation (because I want to learn)

Low expectation of success

Realistic view of self and belief in ability to learn

So how do you change it?

• Focus on mastery not single performances• Lower the stakes• Promote intrinsic motivation• Develop self-efficacy– “Humility is not having a low opinion of yourself,

but having the right opinion of yourself”~Charles Spurgeon

Mastery

• Multiple opportunities• Progress toward a goal

• Exploit the ‘testing effect’

Case in point

Tested once

Tested many times

No access

Continued access

Long term retention?

35%

80%

Tested once

Tested many times

No access

Continued access

Long term retention?

35%

80%

35%

80%

Tested once

Tested many times

No access

Continued access

Low stakes

• Multiple opportunities• No single one can sink you

• If there is one high stakes performance:– Build the skills in the smaller ones

Self-efficacy

• How to build ‘humility’?– Many formative assessments– Focus on skills in final assessment

Intrinsic motivation

• Making it fascinating– The seven triggers– Selling the sizzle, not the steak

• Using authentic assessments– Real-life scenarios and learner plays a role– Leads to transfer and less cheating

• Focus on big ideas…

Why should we learn it?

Questions of the subject

Important real-world questions

Questions relevant to the learner

Conclusion

• It is about learning not teaching• Teacher = designer of learning environment– Think like a designer (IDEO, 2012)

• Environment determines learning

Further reading

• Lang, JM (2013) Cheating lessons, Harvard University Press.

• IDEO (2012) Design thinking for educators, 2nd edition. Available at www.designthinkingforeducators.com