Can Moodle Detect Cheating?
The software plays a significant role in spreading online education and helping the student to attain their degree online. moodle is one the online learning management software. MOODLE stands for “Modular object-oriented dynamic learning environment learning platform used for educators, administrations, and learners that provides a secure and integrated system that helps to create a personalized learning environment. Moodle can detect cheating effectively with various flags if, during the exam or online class, the tools like plagiarism scanning, proctoring software, and lockdown browser are also applied separately. Can Moodle Detect Cheating?
Quick Takeaways
- Moodle can not detect cheating alone.
- If you are using the proctoring system then it can easily detect cheating.
- It fails while detecting cheating if the user’s webcam quality is not good or the camera fails while doing the exam.
However, you must read till the end so that you get a better understanding of if Moodle detects cheating.
Can Moodle detect cheating?
Moodle is used to manage online learning for the student by the institutions. It is effective, free, and affordable when compared to other online learning software. But with the increasing case of cheating by the student arises a question: can moodle detect cheating by the user in case of copying and pasting or switching to another tab?
Moodle just like Aleks can detect cheating effectively with various flags if, during the exam or online class, the tools like plagiarism scanning, proctoring software, and lockdown browser are also applied separately. alone moodle cannot detect cheating more effectively.
How can moodle detect cheating?
To detect cheating moodle is used by universities and colleges. moodle can detect cheating by using the following methods:
1. By using a plagiarism scanner:
For plagiarism scanner software like Turnitin, Safeassign, etc is used that detect cheating by displaying an originality report when the student uploads the assignment on it. It detects whether the content is duplicate or original by showing the content which is directly copied and pasted with other sources. The plagiarism report will show the duplicity of the words that are being copied by the other sources
2. By applying proctoring tools:
Before giving the proctored exam, proctoring software like Proctorio, ProctorU, etc is downloaded to the pc. The details are filled including the id of the student and photo id. During the exam, the proctoring monitor will monitor the student with the help of a webcam that will record your activity or activities during giving the exam online.
The recorded data will be sent to the proctor as a record if any suspicious activity is found it will detect even the movement of the eyes. It will create a safe environment for online exams and maintain the integrity of the exam.
3. By using the lockdown browser:
It detects cheating by the use of a webcam monitor and locks down the other browser so that the user or the student cannot cheat by searching by use of other platforms’ browsers. It detects any suspicious activity on the phone or the computer during the exam. When the student submits the exam the visual rating is provided. If the rating indicates any sort of cheating the student is questionable to that activity found during the online exam.
Types of cheating:
- During the exam, if the student is looking at the notes, phone, or any electronic device.
- If the student makes another person sits on his behalf of her/him to take the exam or write in the exam.
- During the exam, if the student plagiarizes the content from other websites or other sources.
- If the student records the screen or shares the questions or answers among themselves.
As moodle alone cannot detect all the cheating various tools are used with moodle to detect the cheating like proctoring monitor, lockdown browser.
How to prevent cheating on a moodle quiz?
The use of moodle is to make it easier to prevent cheating for teachers through the user setting and various tools. Moodle is user-friendly software. Even the least known teacher about the technology can use it for online learning or exams. There are many apps by which the teacher can create the quiz like quiz interactive. But it is also important to prevent cheating. The following are the various way to prevent cheating in the online quiz:
1. By setting time limits for quizzes:
The easiest way to prevent cheating on quizzes online is by setting time limits. If the teacher sets the time limits, the student will have no time to cheat for the answer by searching or by asking other students. The teacher can also see the “active report” if a student takes more time to answer a question as compared to other answers it is detected as cheating.
Steps to enable the time set for the quiz.
- Go to the moodle setting.
- Click on the time check
- Set the amount of time you want to give.
2. Set a question bank for a quiz:
To prevent cheating in online quizzes the teacher can easily organize their question bank by creating different categories of the question like easy, medium, and challenging questions. Teachers can balance quizzes by generating a different set of questions and getting a unique set of questions for the individual student so that the student is not able to cheat another student.
3. Hide review quiz summary:
Teachers should set an option not to review the summary of the quiz to the student so that the student doesn’t share the answer with other students after submitting the quiz. So a full quiz summary review should be hidden until and after the test period has ended.
Where does Moodle fail to detect cheating?
- Moodle fails while detecting cheating if the user’s webcam quality is not good or the camera fails while doing the exam. That will be enough for the student to cheat in an online exam. Therefore there must be the installation of proctoring software like Blackboards.
- Also, have a loophole one can still escape plagiarism by paraphrasing the stolen text.
Can moodle detect IP addresses?
By tracking the IP address of the student during the online exam. The student who is cheating in the exam by having someone else take the exam or making the person seat near the same IP address. However, moodle do not track IP address alone, it needs to have a procuring platform.
Conclusion:
As moodle cannot alone access the student’s computer browser history, tabs, microphone, or webcam, various tools have to be used while using the software. But online quizzes can be taken easily and can detect cheating just like Schoology by setting the period, setting the bank of questions in the quiz, and by hiding the review summary of the quiz. This will maintain the exam environment and integrity of the online exam.
