A week or so ago we talked a bit about the issue of cheating in online degree programs. It’s true that the advent of any technology brings out the good and bad in people. Online education makes learning easier for a lot of students–but it makes cheating easier as well.

Fortunately, we can add one more item to that list: it makes catching cheaters easier too. Here are a few of the methods profs are using these days to police their classrooms–some high-tech, some as old as education itself.

1. Pinpointing Plagiarism
Yes, many students can and do cruise the Web to lift text for their next research paper or essay. It’s faster and easier than copying it out from a musty old library book (though that was certainly done in its time). But faculty have the same advantage here; a quick Google of a suspicious phrase or even paragraph can reveal the original source. In addition, software like Turnitin and websites like plagiarismchecker.com allow teachers to plug in their students’ material and see if it matches anything in their extensive databases or on the Web.

2. Getting to Know You
Most teachers advocate this method as the most foolproof: working closely with your students and learning their writing styles, work habits and proficiency levels. It’s easier for some profs than others, depending on their schedules and workload, but it works, even without eye contact. Is a sudden spate of correct answers on a test the result of cheating, or of a weekend well-spent studying? If you’ve been in close contact with the student, you’re more likely to know. If you see a student struggling who you think might be likely to cheat, reach out and offer some extra help or resources.

3. Out with the Old, In with the New
Another time-tested way to reduce cheating is to come up with unique assignments, quizzes and exams for each class. It’s labor-intensive, but obviously it negates the chance that students will find previous answers or essays online, or get them from former students.

4. The Test of Time
Depending on the particular online degree program and software being used, a timed test might be in order. Just as in traditional final exams, reducing the time frame doesn’t make it impossible for students to cheat, but it makes it much harder.

In the end, it’s true that (as one of our commenters pointed out), there’s no way you can know for sure that Bob your student isn’t paying Jeff his buddy to earn the degree for him. But the same has been true in traditional schools since they first opened their doors. Methods for teaching, learning and discipline will continue to change with the times and the technology, but the propensity for dishonesty seems to be about the same.