How Does Penn Foster Track Cheating

In this modern era when everything is done online, online education has become one of the most popular options to study. One of the most popular institutions is called Penn Foster, the one that offers flexible learning solutions, making it possible for the students to pursue their education from the comfort of their homes.

While there is no doubt that online education is beneficial, it can also be challenging, especially concerning academic integrity and the prevention of cheating. Talking about Penn Foster and cheating, many may wonder how they handle this issue. So, how does Penn Foster track cheating?

Penn Foster Overview

Penn Foster is the name of a private online education institution in the United States. When it was created in 1890, it was known as the International Correspondence Schools or ICS. Its name was changed to honor its founder named Thomas J. Foster.

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Penn Foster aims to help professionals in launching, advancing, and thriving. It has committed to its goal for years. It has many to offer, including programs from high school diplomas, specialized trade or technical career diplomas and certificate programs, to associate’s and bachelor’s degree programs.

One of the things that make many people prefer Penn Foster is the fact that it focuses on self-paced learning. With it, it is possible for the students to balance between family, work, and education. Unlike the programs offered by other institutions, the programs offered by Penn Foster can be tailored to meet the certain learning needs of the student, making it possible for them to study whenever and wherever they want, even at home. Basically, these students will not have to rush to be in class or to sit for an exam. On top of that, Penn Foster is also affordable. The tuition fee includes many things, including books, study guides, and learning aids.

Definition of Cheating According to Penn Foster

In the education field, cheating is defined as an action to commit fraud, deception, or dishonesty. The type of cheating includes using materials that are prohibited by the guidelines. Aside from that, aiding others in using materials that are not authorized is also included in the type of cheating.

According to the Penn Foster student handbook, cheating is any effort at inappropriate collaborative activity where the work submitted to the school does not represent the work of the enrolled student. This act may also include several behaviours, such as cheating, collusion, fabrication, bribery, conspiracy, duplicating submissions, and misrepresentation.

Possibility of Cheating on Penn Foster

For anyone who is wondering whether or not Penn Foster allows cheating, the answer is actually obvious. It clearly does not allow cheating as it is an educational platform. Cheating is considered as an act that is against academic integrity guidelines. It can result in serious consequences. Here is what Penn Foster stated on its Terms and Use regarding cheating:

“If you are a Student, your access to and use of the Student Portal must comply with the Penn Foster Rules of Academic Integrity found in your Student Handbook.   Students who violate the Rules of Academic Integrity, through cheating, plagiarism, submission of non-original work, harassment of other students, or other unethical or illegal activity will be subject to disciplinary action up to and including expulsion from their academic program.  Certain violations of the Rules of Academic Integrity, including misuse of course or exam materials, cheating, and violations of copyright and trademark laws, may also result in civil or criminal liability.”

Methods to Track Cheating Used by Penn Foster

There are a few methods used by Penn Foster to track cheating, including:

1. Assessing the time

The first method to track cheating is to check the time. If an online exam is normally finished in an hour and a student manages to complete it in just ten minutes with no single wrong answer, there is a chance of that student to cheat.

2. Giving randomized questions

One of the most effective ways to prevent students from cheating is to give them randomized questions. For anyone who has no idea about randomized questions, they refer to different questions. While usually students get the same questions, with this method, the questions that a student will have to solve will be different from what the other students get. By making them deal with different questions, it will be hard for them to share answers.

3. Monitoring webcams

Webcams of the student are usually used by some online proctoring tools to monitor the students virtually during exams. From that, it can be seen if these students do suspicious activities.

4. Doing keystroke analysis

A few advanced systems may also be used to check how the students type. It is an effort to ensure consistency during the tests or during completing assignments. If there is a sudden change, it is possible that there is someone else who does the work.

5. Monitoring web browsing

During the exams, some online testing platforms like Penn Foster can monitor the web browsing of students in order to prevent them from cheating. This is one of the most common methods, even though some may think it is invasive.

6. Conducting pattern analysis

If a student who usually gets bad scores and then suddenly gets a perfect score, their work should be reviewed more closely. The changes of their performance or the difference in quality or style of their work can be a sign that they have committed cheating because it is unlikely for them to instantly turn into Einstein.

7. Utilizing plagiarism detection software

Assignments that the students have completed may have to get through the plagiarism detection tools. These kinds of tools are known to have the ability to compare a content to the other content that already exists. If matches are found, it means the students have copied it from another source without proper citation.

8. Implementing proctored exams

Penn Foster has special exams known as proctored exams. They are defined as the kinds of exams that are taken by the students of Penn Foster supervised by an individual with approval called a proctor. The main job of a proctor is to ensure that the students solve the questions without cheating and without any assistance from the outside.

Bottom Line

In conclusion, there are several methods used by Penn Foster to track cheating. They include assessing the time, giving randomized questions, monitoring webcams, doing keystroke analysis, monitoring web browsing, conducting pattern analysis, utilizing plagiarism detection software, and implementing proctored exams. By doing these methods, Penn Foster is committed to uphold the value of a quality online education.