Believe it or not, online degree universities struggle with certain ethical issues that are uniqe to online college degree programs. The ethical concerns voiced by both students and professors alike involve issues related to cheating, privacy, and the publication of educational materials online. Furthermore, top online schools have made the admirable commitment to making their distance education degrees universally accessible to all individuals, including those who are physically or cognitively challenged.
Cheating is often rampant among college students attending a traditional college or university. Students are so anxious to earn their college degrees that they often stoop to plagiarism or cheating on tests. Some online universities have attempted to address this problem through the use of open book testing, while others require students to be monitored. While neither of these suggestions is optimal, a more effective solution remains to be found.
Another difficulty faced by students taking online degree courses is the issue of privacy. Most distance learning degree programs use software that makes course content, such as outlines, student postings, and discussions private. Occasionally, however, information is made available to anyone searching. One of the problems with this is that many employers have taken to searching the internet to “dig up dirt” about prospective employees, and an unfortunate comment made while taking an online course could come back to haunt a student.
One other problem with online learning is the publication of education materials on the Internet. This can lead to copyright issues and disagreements between universities, professors, and students concerning who owns the rights to the information produced during an online degree course. While the Digital Millenium Copyright Act, which became law in 1998, has offered some protection, this remains a concern.
Students who plan to earn a college degree at home need to be aware of these issues and be cautious about their use of the internet for sending and receiving information. Academic integrity is still important, and it may fall primarily upon the student to maintain this difficult standard. While universities work to extend their course offerings to meet the needs of a wide variety of challenged students, the students themselves should remain aware of these current ethical issues in distance learning.
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