With the increasing shift toward online education and remote learning, maintaining the integrity of assessments has become a top priority. Platforms like ClassMarker offer a wide array of tools to prevent cheating and ensure that test-takers complete their exams honestly. But how effective are these measures? Can ClassMarker truly detect and prevent cheating?
The Importance of Preventing Cheating in Online Exams
As educational institutions and businesses adopt online quizzes, exams, and certifications, the challenge of preventing cheating becomes increasingly significant. The credibility of an online exam relies heavily on ensuring that test-takers don’t manipulate the system. ClassMarker, as a popular online quiz maker, provides several built-in features to combat cheating. But the question remains: how far do these measures go?
Timed Quizzes: Minimizing External Searches
ClassMarker allows users to set a strict time limit for their quizzes. This feature is crucial because it reduces the opportunity for test-takers to leave the quiz interface and search for answers elsewhere. When students know they are racing against the clock, they are less likely to attempt cheating by looking up information outside the test.
Moreover, combining the timer with other features like disabling copy/paste (discussed below) ensures that test-takers remain focused on completing the quiz without distractions. Timed quizzes can also be adjusted based on question difficulty, ensuring that students don’t have excess time to seek out external help.
Randomized Questions and Answers: Making it Harder to Share Answers
One of ClassMarker’s most effective tools for preventing cheating is the ability to randomize both the order of questions and the order of answers within questions. This means that even if two students are taking the same quiz at the same time, they will likely see questions and answer options in a different sequence.
For instructors or exam administrators, this feature ensures that answers cannot easily be shared between students. Additionally, this makes it harder for students to memorize the order of answers from previous attempts if they have multiple chances to take the test.
Access Control and Restricting Test Attempts
ClassMarker provides multiple options for controlling access to quizzes. Administrators can password-protect quizzes or provide unique access codes, ensuring only authorized individuals can take the test. This helps prevent students from sharing quiz links with others who shouldn’t be taking the exam.
Another important feature is restricting the number of test attempts. Instructors can limit how many times a student can take a quiz, which prevents students from repeatedly taking the test to memorize questions and answers. If a student passes the quiz on their first attempt, they may also be locked out of future attempts.
Disabling Copy/Paste and Printing
One of the simplest yet most effective features ClassMarker offers is the option to disable copy and paste functionality. By disabling these features, students cannot easily copy questions or answers and paste them into search engines or share them with others. Printing can also be disabled, preventing students from making physical copies of the test to distribute later.
Monitoring Test Progress in Real-Time
ClassMarker allows administrators to monitor tests in progress. This means that if a student’s behavior seems suspicious, such as spending too long on a particular question or section, the administrator can intervene or even end the test early. While ClassMarker does not have advanced proctoring features like live webcam monitoring, this real-time supervision is a useful tool for detecting cheating as it happens.
IP Address Tracking and Exam Logs
Another layer of security comes from ClassMarker’s ability to track the IP addresses of test-takers. This feature helps detect if students are taking the test from different locations than expected or if multiple students are logging in from the same network, which could indicate collaboration. In addition to IP tracking, ClassMarker provides detailed exam logs that show when a test was started, how long each section took, and other critical data that could indicate unusual behavior.
Integrating with Proctoring Solutions
While ClassMarker does not directly provide proctoring tools, it can be used alongside third-party proctoring software such as Zoom. In this scenario, instructors can monitor students through a live video feed while they take the quiz on ClassMarker. This provides an additional layer of security, as instructors can observe any suspicious activities, such as looking away from the screen or using unauthorized devices.
Student Methods of Cheating on ClassMarker
Despite these robust security features, some students may still attempt to cheat on ClassMarker. Here are some of the most common ways students might try to cheat:
- Using a Second Device: Students may use a smartphone or tablet to look up answers while taking the quiz on their computer. This is hard to detect without webcam monitoring.
- Collaborating with Others: Students may work together in the same room or over messaging apps to share answers during the test.
- Screen Sharing: Some students might share their screen with a friend who provides the answers in real-time.
- Taking Screenshots: Even with printing disabled, students might take screenshots of the quiz questions to share or review later.
- Using External Notes or Books: Unless explicitly prohibited, students may refer to external resources like notes or textbooks during the test, especially if the test isn’t actively proctored.
- Switching Tabs: Without a browser lockdown, students could open new tabs to search for answers online. This can be difficult to track without dedicated monitoring software.
- Memorizing Answers for Retakes: If multiple attempts are allowed, students may memorize questions during their first try and then look up answers before attempting the quiz again.
Conclusion: How Effective is ClassMarker in Preventing Cheating?
ClassMarker provides a robust set of features to minimize the risk of cheating, but it’s important to recognize that no online system can entirely eliminate cheating without additional proctoring tools. The combination of features like timed quizzes, randomized questions, disabling copy/paste, and IP tracking significantly reduces the opportunities for dishonest behavior.
For the best results, instructors and administrators should combine these ClassMarker features with external proctoring tools, especially for high-stakes exams. While ClassMarker’s built-in security features provide a solid foundation, a multi-layered approach that includes real-time monitoring, strict access controls, and limiting test attempts will offer the highest level of exam integrity.
In summary, while ClassMarker can’t completely detect every form of cheating, it offers comprehensive tools that, when used effectively, can greatly minimize dishonest practices and ensure fair testing environments.