We describe a cheating strategy enabled by the features of massive open online courses (MOOCs) and detectable by virtue of the sophisticated data systems that MOOCs provide. The strategy, Copying Answers using Multiple Existences Online (CAMEO), involves a user who gathers solutions to assessment questions using a "harvester" account and then submits correct answers using a separate "master" account. We use "clickstream" learner data to detect CAMEO use among 1.9 million course participants in 115 MOOCs from two universities. Using conservative thresholds, we estimate CAMEO prevalence at 1,237 certificates, accounting for 1.3% of the certificates in the 69 MOOCs with CAMEO users. Among earners of 20 or more certificates, 25% have used the CAMEO strategy. CAMEO users are more likely to be young, male, and international than other MOOC certificate earners. We identify preventive strategies that can decrease CAMEO rates and show evidence of their effectiveness in science courses.

Open source software has made inroads into mainstream computing where it was once the territory of software altruists, and the open source culture of technological collegiality and accountability may benefit education as well as industry. This paper describes the Recourse project, which seeks to transform the computer science undergraduate curriculum through teaching methods based on open source principles, values, ethics, and tools. Recourse differs from similar projects by bringing the open source culture into the curriculum comprehensively, systematically, and institutionally. The current state of the project is described, and initial results from a pilot exercise are presented.(

Enrollment in undergraduate computer science courses is at an all-time high at colleges nationwide. But this trend that's been hailed by the U.S. tech industry has a dark side: a disproportionate number of students taking these courses are caught cheating. Enrollment in undergraduate computer science courses is at an all-time high at colleges nationwide.

Editorial Board | Tuesday, November 11 2014Some students enrolled in Computer Science 201 found themselves especially anxious evening. The cause wasn't an upcoming midterm exam, but an email from the computer science department notifying students of an investigation into cheating in the class.

Emma Baccellieri | Thursday, November 6 2014The computer science department has launched an investigation into academic integrity violations in core course Computer Science 201. All students who are currently enrolled in the class and who took the class in Spring 2014 received an email Wednesday night, notifying them that concerns about academic dishonesty have prompted a review of assignments.

Abstract: In this paper we present a new cheating technique that is successful at defeating cheating detectors and could become popular with students. The idea is to use obfuscating code transformations (such as those found in the SANDMARK tool) to apply a sequence of minor code transformations to a copied programming assignment. This purpose is to produce a copy that will defeat detection. We show that this technique is successful in defeating common plagiarism detectors such as Moss. This paper is offered as a cautionary tale to the Computer Science teaching community. With the advent of powerful code transformation tools it will become necessary to develop correspondingly more powerful cheating detectors, or to revert back to manually testing for plagiarism.

MOSS is effective in detecting similar structures in nearly every different type of language that we use here at the University at Buffalo, including C, C++, Java, LISP, Perl, Python, Scheme, Matlab and Prolog. As you can guess, it is not fooled by renaming variables, rearranging or functionalizing blocks of code, extracting code to different modules or files, or the placing of NOP or junk code between useful codes. MOSS can also exclude matching base files (code supplied by instructors or TAs) and it can exclude the consideration of code that is matched across many different submissions (code perhaps supplied by a coding book or website, like a sorting algorithm, that is not central to the assignment).

Abstract - Program assignments are traditionally an area of serious concern in maintaining the integrity of the educa- tional process. Systematic inspection of all solutions for pos- sible plagiarism has generally required unrealistic amounts of time and effort. The "Measure Of Software Similarity" tool developed by Alex Aiken at UC Berkeley makes it pos- sible to objectively and automatically check all solutions for evidence of plagiarism. We have used MOSS in several large sections of a C programming course. (MOSS can also handle a variety of other languages.) We feel that MOSS is a major innovation for faculty who teach programming and recom- mend that it be used routinely to screen for plagiarism.

Many computer science teachers are very concerned about students cheating in their courses. Surveys report that almost three-quarters of high school students admit to cheating within the past year. John Barrie, founder of the plagiarism-detecting Web site Turnitin.com, says that about a third of the papers submitted to the site have significant levels of plagiarism.

March 9, 2015 /PRNewswire/ -- Mobile use among students was on the rise from 2013 to 2014, according to new research released today by McGraw-Hill Education.

A university-wide survey on students' mobile learning practices showed that ownership of mobile devices is high among students and that tablets are the most popular devices for academic purposes. The survey also found that mobile learning typically occurs outside the classroom, with only limited guidance from instructors.

Founded in 1943, ASCD (formerly the Association for Supervision and Curriculum Development) is an educational leadership organization dedicated to advancing best practices and policies for the success of each learner. Our 175,000 members in 119 countries are professional educators from all levels and subject areas--superintendents, supervisors, principals, teachers, professors of education, and school board members.

Online-teaching pioneers such as Coursera and Udacity are beaming top professors' lessons into students' homes worldwide, while slashing costs, getting rid of stuffy lecture halls and improving public access. But they're having a harder time with one of teaching's eternal headaches: stopping students' cheating. The Chronicle of Higher Education this week [...]

EducationWorld is pleased to present this article by Lisa Monthie, an education specialist at ESC Region 12 in Waco, Texas . Monthie enjoys finding innovative means of integrating technology in the English Language Arts/Reading classroom. The article originally appeared in TechEdge, a quarterly magazine published by Naylor LLC for Texas Computer Education Association members. What is interesting about this is the infographic that predicts that by 2018 there will be more full-time online students than students in traditional classrooms.

I thought I could read my students' body language. I was wrong. As an experiment, I used Socrative when I taught binary numbers. What I learned forever changed my views on being a better teacher. Formative assessment is done as students are learning. Summative assessment is at the end (like a test). This is a very interesting link about some online (formative) assessment tools. Plickers looks very interesting.

The increasing use of screen readers on mobile devices means organisations must address the accessibility of their mobile content, Jonathan Avila, Chief Accessibility Officer at SSB BART Group writes. The comparison of Google to Apple is rather interesting.

"Not every classroom can get a laptop every day, so [devices like smartphones], even if you have to pair up, become something useful for teachers," Halla says. "The number of kids with phones has just been blown out of the water the last couple of years," he adds. This is an interesting take on the use of smart devices in learning. Being at an institution where we still have 30+ computer classrooms and over 250 open access computers - 100 of which are 24/7/365 access - I wonder what the future of these sorts of labs hold for students and whether they will even be a part of their learning process.

Photo: Colleen Lanz Countryman/NCSU "Physics lab students use the smartphone gyroscope sensor to measure angular velocity at North Carolina State University. Cell phones have proliferated among high school and college students, and these pocket-size computers have become essential tools in physics classrooms. Sporting a range of sensors, smartphones offer educators and students a familiar device that can perform many of the same functions as expensive lab equipment." In understanding the learner aspect of technology this article speaks to the cost of technology in labs. Interestingly, the use of personal technology can help fill the gap when needed. This offers an opportunity for learners to look inside their own technology and understand the powerful tech they carry around with them.

Babette Moeller & Tim Reitzes (2011) Education Development Center, Inc. (EDC). Integrating Technology with Student-Centered Learning. Quincy, MA: Nellie Mae Education Foundation. Retrieved from http://www.nmefoundation.org/getmedia/befa9751-d8ad-47e9-949d-bd649f7c0044/integrating The intent of this report is to detail the concepts of using technology with master of skills in mind. Beginning on page 17, details of assessment, advantages of technology-based assessment, mastery learning approach. Further they discuss the concepts of tools like clickers for quick feedback on levels of understanding and the details necessary for successful online learning - both synchronous and asynchronous.