Can Canvas Detect Cheating?

Canvas and Online Assessments

Canvas offers a variety of features for teachers to administer online assessments, from simple quizzes to more complex examinations. It can host various question formats, including multiple-choice, short-answer, and essay questions. It also allows teachers to set the parameters of a test, including availability windows, time limits, and the number of attempts.

Monitoring Online Tests

While Canvas is a flexible tool for administering online tests, it is not explicitly designed to catch cheating. However, it does provide certain data that can help educators identify suspicious activities, but it doesn’t make outright cheating detections.

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Browser and Application Activity

One feature Canvas offers is the ability to track students’ browser and application activity during a test. When a student is taking a test, Canvas can record the active browser tab. If a student navigates away from the test, for example, to look up an answer on the internet, Canvas will record this activity.

However, it’s crucial to understand that Canvas itself does not label such activity as cheating. It merely logs the actions. Interpreting this data is the responsibility of the teacher. For instance, a student may switch tabs to check an email or respond to an important message, which might not be a case of academic dishonesty.

Time Spent on Questions

Canvas also tracks the time students spend on each question. It may be cause for concern if a student answers a question exceptionally slowly when it should just take a few seconds.

 Again, Canvas doesn’t conclude cheating; it just provides data, leaving the interpretation to the educators.

Role of Proctoring Services

Canvas often integrates with various online proctoring services, like ProctorU and Respondus Monitor, to ensure academic integrity during online tests. These services use advanced technology, including webcam monitoring and artificial intelligence, to watch for possible cheating behaviors.

Proctoring services record the student’s screen and their physical surroundings during an exam. They monitor eye movements, physical activity, and background noise. Some services also use keystroke dynamics, comparing the way a student types at different times to verify their identity.

Limitations and Privacy Concerns

Despite the various measures in place, no system can guarantee to catch all instances of cheating. For instance, a student could use a separate device, not monitored by Canvas or a proctoring service, to look up answers.

Moreover, the use of online proctoring services raises serious privacy concerns. These tools collect substantial amounts of sensitive data. Critics argue that such services can be intrusive, causing stress and anxiety in students, impacting their performance on exams.

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Promoting Academic Integrity

While the focus often falls on detecting and punishing cheating, an arguably more effective approach is to promote academic integrity. This means fostering an environment where honesty is valued, and cheating is discouraged.

Instructors can use Canvas to uphold academic integrity in several ways. They can randomize question orders, create question banks to offer each student a unique set of questions and design open-ended questions that assess understanding rather than rote memorization.

Institutions can also offer resources and assistance to students so they can comprehend the value of academic integrity. Clear communication about the consequences of cheating can deter students from engaging in dishonest behaviors.

Concluding Remarks

In summary, Canvas offers several features that can help educators identify potential cheating, including tracking browser activity and timing test questions. It often integrates with online proctoring services to further monitor students during exams. However, it’s important to understand that Canvas does not explicitly detect cheating; it provides data that teachers can interpret.

While these technologies can be effective, they also have limitations and pose potential privacy concerns. An alternative, more proactive approach might be to foster an environment of academic integrity, discouraging cheating from the outset.

Educational technologies like Canvas continue to evolve, and with these advancements, strategies for maintaining academic integrity will likely continue to evolve as well. It’s essential to balance technological solutions with a respectful approach to students’ privacy and an emphasis on the importance of honesty in education.