Online learning integrity approaches: Current practices and future solutions

The primary objective of this paper is to help institutions respond to the stipulation of the Higher Education Opportunity Act of 2008 by adopting cost-effective academic integrity solutions without compromising the convenience and flexibility of online learning. Current user authentication solutions such as user ID and password, security questions, voice recognition, or fingerprint identification are not infallible and may violate students’ rights to privacy or cause undue interruptions to their efforts in performing assessment tasks. Existing authentication solutions are evaluated for their cost effectiveness in preventing fraud and cheating while ensuring learner identity and honesty. Emerging technologies in the form of biometrics, surveillance systems and predictive analytics are also examined to provide insights into the future of e-authentication for ensuring the academic integrity of online learning.