TBO.com - TBO is Tampa Bay Online

FSU: Few In Class Cheated

ADVERTISEMENT

By ADAM EMERSON, The Tampa Tribune

Published: December 20, 2007

Updated: 12/20/2007 01:11 am

Florida State University leaders reviewed the computer records of as many as 900 students enrolled in the same online music history course in which some student-athletes are suspected of cheating, the university's provost said Wednesday.

Though he wouldn't provide details of his investigation, FSU Provost Larry Abele said there is little evidence showing that cheating was widespread throughout the class, which is now off the curriculum. His final report is due in early to mid-January.

When he learned that tutors may have supplied test answers to student-athletes, university President T.K. Wetherell "wanted a rigorous, thorough, detailed investigation," Abele said. So the university identified the Internet Protocol addresses of students in the class and reviewed the time they spent on an exam.

Initially, university officials said they investigated academic misconduct among 23 student-athletes in nine sports. This week, the university announced that as many as 25 football players would not play in the Dec. 31 Music City Bowl, though officials wouldn't say whether the cheating scandal is the reason that all of them are benched.

Whatever the findings show, the university has taken one action administrators say will curb cheating in online education: All students taking tests for online courses will need to bring a photo ID and a password to a testing center.

Online Classes Proliferating

The move is part of a growing trend among traditional colleges and universities, where online courses are proliferating.

At FSU, about 30 percent of the university's courses are offered online, Abele said. The University of Florida offered nearly 3,000 courses online this fall.

"Our growth has been phenomenal," said Mark Hoit, UF's interim chief information officer.

The state's public universities are launching more online courses as their brick-and-mortar classrooms expand to capacity with students. What was once a convenient tool for working adults continuing their education has reached traditional students who need their classes to graduate on time.

But the growth in online education increases the likelihood of cheating, some experts say.

Unless the test-taker is supervised, an instructor has no idea who is on the computer, said Gene I. Maeroff, author of "A Classroom of One: How Online Learning Is Changing Our Schools and Colleges," and a former national education reporter for The New York Times.

"That is one of the weaknesses in online courses," Maeroff said Wednesday. "There is more of an honor system involved."

College and universities now often work out deals with community colleges or libraries, for instance, when out-of-town students take a test for an online course. "Some of them have even used pastors and ministers, and asked the student to take it in front of them," Maeroff said.

But even in supervised settings - out of a proctor's eyesight - students can call up other Web browsers to find test answers unless the school blocks their attempts with a firewall.

More colleges and universities are designing "hybrid" courses, which require students to come into a classroom at least once before completing the bulk of the course online.

Also, professors are starting to call up students at random to see whether they have grasped the study material. "They can tell whether that student is dealing with the work," Maeroff said.

Before now, FSU leaders left it up to faculty members to decide how to administer online exams to students on campus, Abele said. Students living off campus were required to test before a proctor.

University leaders first found allegations of academic misconduct among student-athletes more than six months ago. The scandal has resulted in the resignations of several workers, including academic adviser Brenda Monk and a student tutor.

In recent weeks, investigators have re-interviewed football players and other student-athletes they suspect of lying about receiving test answers for the online music course.

FSU administrators say federal privacy laws prohibit them from releasing names of the student-athletes involved.

Athletic Tutoring Reviewed

FSU Interim Athletic Director Bill Proctor said Wednesday his "No. 1 charge" is to review the athletic department's tutoring program and academic support staff. "I'm working a lot with the structure of the system itself, trying to make sure that we have as many safeguards as we can possibly put into it," he said.

"No system is perfect, but obviously we can make this one better. You've got a lot of tutors working with a lot of different athletes across many different sports. We're looking at them all," he said.

Tampa Bay Buccaneers linebacker Derrick Brooks, who is also an FSU trustee, called the scandal "embarrassing."

"This is the first time we've ever been through this type of situation," Brooks said.

Reporters Scott Carter and Ira Kaufman contributed to this report. Reporter Adam Emerson can be reached at (813) 259-8285 or aemerson@tampatrib.com.

Loading Comments...

Email Print

ADVERTISEMENT