Designing Assessments that are Difficult to Cheat On

With the rise of online education and digital assessments, contract cheating has become an increasingly concerning problem for educators. Contract cheating occurs when students pay someone else to take an assessment or complete an assignment on their behalf, and it can have devastating effects on the quality of education that students receive. As such, it is important for educators to be aware of strategies that can help them design assessments that are difficult for students to cheat on. In this article, we will discuss the various methods and techniques that can be used to create assessments that are more resistant to cheating.

Designing assessments that are difficult to cheat on

is an important part of ensuring academic integrity and preventing contract cheating.

Assessments that are designed to be secure can help make sure that students are doing their own work and not taking advantage of any loopholes. There are several strategies for designing assessments that are difficult to cheat on, such as writing prompts, open-ended questions, and randomized questions. Additionally, there are best practices for creating secure exams, such as using plagiarism detection software and giving timely feedback to ensure students are held accountable for their work. It is important to design assessments that are difficult to cheat on in order to maintain the integrity of a course and ensure that students are learning the material and not just looking for ways to get around the assessment.

Contract cheating, in particular, is a growing problem that requires secure assessments in order to prevent it. By making sure that exams are difficult to cheat on, educators can ensure that students are not getting away with paying someone else to do their work. One way to design assessments that are difficult to cheat on is through writing prompts. Writing prompts require students to think critically about a topic and provide evidence for their thoughts.

This type of assessment is more difficult to cheat on because it requires the student to demonstrate their understanding of the material in an original way. Additionally, writing prompts can be tailored to a specific topic or concept, making it even more difficult for a student to find someone else who has done the same prompt. Open-ended questions can also be used to create assessments that are difficult to cheat on. These types of questions require the student to provide a detailed answer that demonstrates their understanding of the material.

Open-ended questions can be used in multiple choice or true/false formats, making them more challenging for students who might be tempted to find answers online. Using randomized questions is another strategy for designing assessments that are difficult to cheat on. Randomized questions require the student to think critically about the material instead of memorizing facts or looking up answers online. Randomized questions can also be tailored to a particular topic or concept, making it even more difficult for a student to find someone else who has done the same question.

In addition to these strategies, there are best practices for creating secure exams that can help prevent cheating. These best practices include using plagiarism detection software, giving timely feedback on exams, and having clear expectations for students regarding expectations for academic integrity. By implementing these best practices, educators can ensure that students are held accountable for their own work and not taking advantage of any loopholes. Creating assessments that are difficult to cheat on is an important part of maintaining academic integrity and preventing contract cheating.

Writing prompts, open-ended questions, and randomized questions can all be used in order to create secure assessments. Additionally, educators should use best practices such as using plagiarism detection software and giving timely feedback in order to make sure that students are held accountable for their own work.

Creating Secure Writing Prompts

Writing assessments are an integral part of education and can be used to evaluate student progress and understanding of the material. Unfortunately, they can also be a target for cheating, especially in the age of contract cheating. To ensure that students are completing their own work, it is important to create secure writing prompts that are difficult to cheat on.

Creating secure writing prompts requires careful consideration of the design of the assessment. Word limits, formatting guidelines, and prompt specificity are all important factors to consider when designing a writing assessment that is difficult to cheat on.

Word Limits

: Establishing a word limit for an assignment can help discourage cheating by ensuring that students cannot simply copy and paste long blocks of text into their work. Word limits also help prevent students from “padding” their work with unnecessary information in order to reach the word count.

Formatting Guidelines: Specifying a specific formatting style, such as APA or MLA, can help ensure that students are not simply copying and pasting pre-written papers into their work. Additionally, setting strict rules about what types of sources are allowed (e.g. no Wikipedia) can help reduce the likelihood of plagiarism.

Prompt Specificity

: Making sure the prompt is specific and focuses on a single concept or question can help prevent students from simply copying and pasting answers from online sources.

Additionally, providing prompt rubrics and clear instructions can help ensure that students know exactly what they should be focusing on in their responses. By taking the time to create secure writing prompts that are difficult to cheat on, educators can help ensure that students are completing their own work and not relying on outside sources. Additionally, these strategies can help ensure that students are mastering the material in an authentic way, rather than simply memorizing answers from online sources. Designing assessments that are difficult to cheat on is essential for preventing contract cheating, as it ensures that students are completing their own work. Educators should create secure exams and writing prompts by using a range of strategies, such as providing open-ended questions that require thoughtful answers, using multiple versions of the same exam to reduce the risk of cheating, and using secure online testing platforms.

These strategies can help educators protect the integrity of their assessments.