Online University Instructors' Experiences Relative to Ethical Behavior of Students in Online Courses

The phenomenon of unethical behavior in online courses can be problematic and is manifested in academic dishonesty. The specific problem of interest for this study was the experiences of online instructors relative to the problem of academic dishonesty in online courses needed to be better understood. The purpose of this qualitative phenomenological study was to describe the experiences of 8 online instructors relative to the phenomenon of ethical student behavior in online courses at one midwestern U.S. university. A structured interview instrument with predesigned questions was used to conduct the interviews either in person or by Skype. Probing questions were used to illicit responses that described methods used by instructors to communicate expectations and monitor behaviors. Themes were identified relative to the participants' experiences as online instructors with unethical behavior, communication of expectations, and monitoring methods. Major themes included several forms of plagiarism that instructors encounter, monitoring behavior with tracking software, and communicating expectations to students in several ways. Practical applications of the study's findings include using of case studies and scenarios as a tool to teach ethics in online classes, listing the plagiarism policy and expectations for students in the syllabus, being fair and consistent, really reading the papers turned in, and modeling ethical behavior. Further research could include interviewing a larger sample size or using instructors from multiple universities. Choosing instructors from a wider geographical and institutional range might yield more generalizable results. [The dissertation citations contained here are published with the permission of ProQuest LLC. Further reproduction is prohibited without permission. Copies of dissertations may be obtained by Telephone (800) 1-800-521-0600. Web page: http://www.proquest.com/en-US/products/dissertations/individuals.shtml.]