When students take exams or submit assignments online, it’s easy to assume they’re doing the work themselves. But in reality, many don’t. In 2024, a study of 12,000 university students across the UK found that academic dishonesty in online courses was 37% higher than in-person classes. That’s not because students are worse-it’s because the systems haven’t caught up. Instructors who rely on traditional methods like honor codes or basic plagiarism checkers are flying blind. The real question isn’t whether cheating happens-it’s how you stop it before it spreads.
Understand the Most Common Forms of Online Cheating
- Contract cheating: Students pay someone else to write their essay or take their exam. Sites like EssayPro and StudyBay make this easy. In 2023, UK universities reported a 62% increase in contract cheating cases compared to 2020.
- Collusion: Group work becomes group copying. Students share answers on Discord, WhatsApp, or Google Docs under the guise of "studying together."
- Impersonation: Someone else logs in and takes the test. This happens more often than you think-especially in unproctored exams.
- AI-generated content: Tools like ChatGPT, Gemini, and Claude can write essays that pass Turnitin. A 2025 survey of 500 UK lecturers found that 48% couldn’t tell if a student’s work was AI-written without specialized tools.
- Browser tab switching: Students open multiple windows during online exams to search for answers, copy from notes, or get help from friends.
These aren’t edge cases. They’re daily occurrences in courses with weak monitoring. If your syllabus says "honor code applies," but you don’t track behavior, you’re not preventing cheating-you’re just hoping for the best.
Design Assessments That Can’t Be Easily Cheated
The best way to stop cheating is to make it pointless. Stop giving students assignments that can be Googled or AI-generated. Instead, build assessments around personal reflection, real-time analysis, and application.- Replace final essays with oral presentations recorded via Zoom. Ask students to explain their argument in their own words. If they can’t, they didn’t write it.
- Use open-book, time-pressured exams. Give students complex scenarios and 90 minutes to solve them using course materials. The goal isn’t memorization-it’s thinking under pressure.
- Assign incremental drafts. Require students to submit outlines, annotated bibliographies, and rough drafts. This creates a paper trail. If the final version suddenly sounds like a different person wrote it, you’ll know.
- Use personalized questions. Instead of "Explain Keynesian economics," ask "How would Keynes respond to the current cost-of-living crisis in Edinburgh?" Personalization makes generic answers useless.
At the University of Edinburgh, a business course switched from a 3,000-word essay to a 15-minute recorded video response with live Q&A. Cheating dropped by 81% in one semester. Why? Because the student had to think on their feet-and no AI can mimic genuine understanding in real time.
Use Technology Wisely-Not as a Surveillance Tool
Proctoring software like ProctorU or ExamSoft gets a lot of attention, but it’s not the answer. Students hate it. Parents complain. And it doesn’t catch the smartest cheaters. Instead, use tools that detect patterns-not just plagiarism.- Turnitin’s AI Detection isn’t perfect, but it’s better than nothing. It flags writing that matches patterns from ChatGPT, Gemini, and other tools. Use it as a red flag-not proof.
- Learning Management System (LMS) analytics track login times, time spent on pages, and submission patterns. If a student usually submits at 11 PM but suddenly submits at 3 AM on a Sunday, that’s worth a quick check.
- Browser lockdown tools like Respondus LockDown Browser block tab switching during exams. Use them only for high-stakes tests, not every quiz.
- AI writing baselines: Ask students to write a short paragraph in class during the first week. Save it. Later, compare new submissions to that baseline. If the writing style changes dramatically, ask questions.
Don’t treat students like suspects. Treat them like learners. The goal isn’t to catch them-it’s to make cheating harder than doing the work.
Build a Culture of Integrity, Not Fear
The most effective anti-cheating strategy isn’t software or policy-it’s culture. Students cheat when they feel disconnected, overwhelmed, or unseen.- Start each term with a conversation, not a lecture. Ask: "What does academic honesty mean to you?" Listen. Let them define it. Then tie it to your course goals.
- Share stories. Tell them about a student who got caught cheating and lost their scholarship. Or one who struggled but improved after asking for help.
- Offer low-stakes practice. Give ungraded quizzes, peer reviews, and feedback loops. Students who feel supported don’t feel the need to cheat.
- Make help easy. Link to writing centers, tutoring services, and office hours in every module. If they know where to go, they won’t go to a stranger on Fiverr.
At Glasgow Caledonian University, a psychology department started hosting weekly 15-minute "Ask Me Anything" sessions for students struggling with assignments. In six months, submissions from AI tools dropped by 74%. Why? Because students felt seen-and they didn’t have to hide.
Respond Fairly When Cheating Happens
When you catch cheating, don’t panic. Don’t punish immediately. Don’t assume intent. Start with a private conversation.- Present the evidence calmly: "I noticed this section matches a source you didn’t cite. Can you walk me through how you developed this idea?"
- Listen. Many students don’t realize they’ve crossed a line. They thought "rewriting" was okay. Or they didn’t know AI use was banned.
- Apply consequences consistently. If one student gets a zero for plagiarism and another gets a warning, trust breaks down.
- Offer a second chance. Require a revised version, a meeting with a writing tutor, or an oral exam. The goal isn’t to shame-it’s to teach.
At the University of St Andrews, a policy now requires a mandatory 30-minute academic integrity workshop before any penalty is recorded. Students who complete it can have their grade reinstated after a revision. The repeat offense rate fell to 4%-down from 21%.
Train Yourself and Your Colleagues
You can’t fix this alone. If your department doesn’t have a shared approach, cheating will slip through the cracks.- Host quarterly workshops on detecting AI writing and contract cheating.
- Share a simple checklist: "Did the student submit a draft? Is the tone consistent? Did they engage in class discussions?"
- Collaborate with your institution’s academic integrity office. They have templates, training modules, and reporting tools you can use.
- Document everything. Keep records of conversations, flagged submissions, and actions taken. It protects you and ensures fairness.
One professor at the University of Aberdeen started a Slack channel for instructors to share suspicious submissions anonymously. Within three months, they identified a network of students selling essays-and shut it down before it spread to other departments.
What Works, What Doesn’t
| Effective | Ineffective |
|---|---|
| Personalized, open-book assessments | Multiple-choice exams with no proctoring |
| Oral exams or recorded presentations | Reliance on Turnitin alone |
| Incremental assignments with drafts | One big final paper with no feedback |
| Clear conversations about integrity | Just saying "no cheating" in the syllabus |
| AI writing baselines and style analysis | Installing spyware on student devices |
| Offering support before punishment | Automatic zero for first offense |
There’s no silver bullet. But combining thoughtful design, human connection, and smart tools cuts cheating by 60-80%. It’s not about being stricter. It’s about being smarter.
Frequently Asked Questions
Can AI detection tools reliably catch cheating?
No tool is 100% accurate. AI detectors like Turnitin’s or GPTZero flag writing that matches patterns from large language models, but they also flag students who write in a formal tone or use templates. Use them as a flag-not proof. Always follow up with a conversation. A student’s writing style might change because they’re sick, stressed, or learning English. Context matters more than the algorithm.
Is it cheating if a student uses ChatGPT to brainstorm ideas?
It depends on your course rules. If your syllabus says "use AI only for idea generation, not for writing," then using it to outline an argument is okay. But if they copy-paste the output, that’s plagiarism. The key is transparency. Ask students to include a short reflection: "How did you use AI in this assignment?" That turns a gray area into a learning moment.
How do I handle students who say they "didn’t know" it was cheating?
Many students genuinely don’t understand what counts as cheating in online environments. That’s your job to fix-not punish. Start with education: send a one-page guide on academic honesty at the beginning of term. Include real examples. Then, offer a no-penalty "practice quiz" on integrity rules. If they still cheat after that, then consequences apply.
Should I use proctoring software for every online exam?
No. Proctoring creates anxiety, privacy concerns, and false positives. It also doesn’t stop contract cheating. Use it only for high-stakes final exams-like degree-granting assessments. For quizzes and midterms, focus on design: open-book, timed, personalized questions. You’ll get better results and fewer complaints.
What if I suspect a student is paying someone to do their work?
Look for red flags: sudden improvement in writing quality, mismatched tone across assignments, or submissions that are too perfect. Check LMS analytics-did they log in only to submit? Then have a private conversation. Ask them to explain a key point in their paper. If they can’t, you have grounds for further review. Report it to your academic integrity office-they can investigate further and track patterns across courses.
Next Steps for Instructors
- Review your next assignment. Can it be done by AI? If yes, redesign it.
- Send one email to your class: "Here’s how I’ll know if you cheated-and how I’ll help you avoid it."
- Attend your university’s next academic integrity workshop-even if it’s optional.
- Start keeping a simple log: date, student, issue, action taken. It helps you stay consistent and protected.
Academic dishonesty isn’t a student problem. It’s a teaching problem. When we design courses that feel like traps, students will find ways out. When we design them like pathways-clear, supported, and meaningful-they walk them on their own.
