Cheating tackled through Laurentian University online tool

Laurentian University in Sudbury is getting ready to roll out a new online tool to help deal with cheating.

The school is in the process of developing two Academic Integrity Seminars one for students and another for faculty.

The crackdown on academic dishonesty comes as more technological gadgets make it easier for cheating to occur.

When Google Glass launched in 2012, the computerized glasses not only caught the attention of technology enthusiasts it also got noticed by some university administrations.

At Laurentian University, acting registrar Serge Demers saw the potential for the technology to make it easier to cheat. The glasses could allow students to connect to the Internet and search information during a test.

Demers said this advancement prompted the school to start developing a new online tool to teach students and teachers about cheating.

"This is something that we need to keep an eye on and keep our processes in line with whatever new technological means are out there."

First-year economics student Caitlin Kiernan said that some of her teachers are very strict, but that's not true in all cases.

"In one of my classes the professor left half way through the exam so there was no one to check up or see what was going on, she said.

I heard a lot of people talking then. It doesn't really seem fair to me."

The two seminars will be rolled out at Laurentian this fall.

First years student will be first get the training.

Demers said it's important to inform people that new types of cheating are still unacceptable.

You're sometimes not aware of what you're not aware of, so it has been brought to our attention that there's a feeling out there that there is more and more cheating, he said.

Certainly there are more means for students to cheat, therefore we need to back it up with data.