At every level of education, technology has enabled dishonest students to plagiarize, copy, find and share solutions. “The anywhere/anytime access these devices provide to vast web resources, sprawling social networks, and real-time communication has spawned a new kind of cheating in K-12 environments -- an easier, tech-enabled version of bad behavior that is as old as the classroom, but with the potential to compromise virtually every aspect of modern student assessment” (Waters, 2013, p.7). Academic integrity is put into question when mobile technologies are included or allowed in the pedagogy. Despite the many benefits of new technologies within education, technology also provides new tools for students to cheat.

This OER will provide an overview of mobile cheating in education, and methods that educators and facilitators can incorporate to thwart this sort of behaviour. The advent of handheld and miniature smart and connected devices has made policing cheating more challenging for educators. “The magnitude of change associated with the emergence of mobile platform technology could naturally lead to the concern that students may also use cell phones for more nefarious reasons in their courses” (Murphy & Holme, 2015, p.1). This apparent proliferation of cheating as a result of mobile technologies appears to be a global issue as described by researchers from across the globe.

The pressure and prestige of academic excellence is pushing some students to seek out ways to improve their standing with the aid of technology. “iCheating may help teenagers obtain better grades, win more loyal friends, please themselves and others, and find better jobs in the future, but it also may destroy their integrity, character, reputation, and careers” (Gentina et al., 2018, p.4). Even outside of the educational paradigm, professionals are using methods to cheat within accreditation examinations. Kelley and Dooley (2014) describe the steps that invigilators for professional engineering exams and nursing exams are taking through banning the use of participants’ own pencils or the wearing of jackets.

Although this project is not specifically about the ramifications of cheating, it is important to stress the reasons for safeguarding and protecting academic integrity within education. Academic integrity is the cornerstone of education. Regardless of the pedagogy, educators and students are expected to adhere to an ethical and honest approach to education. When dishonest acts are identified, it adversely impacts the educational institutions, the value of academic degrees/certification, and those connected with it. Furthermore, in the case of regulated professions, failure to maintain academic integrity can have fatal consequences.