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