Ethical issues and approach in e-learning

Having considered ways in which academic integrity can be promoted through a culture of trust and education in ethical principles, the next logical step is to consider specific strategies for designing teaching tasks. It is precisely the way in which we structure and present tasks to students that has a direct impact on their motivation, engagement, and ethical behavior. A well-designed task can act as a protective mechanism against cheating, but also as a tool for deeper learning. The following analyzes methods of designing tasks that reduce the risk of unethical behavior and encourage independent, responsible, and creative thinking.

Task design is a key tool in preventing unethical behavior in e-learning. If the tasks are reduced to the reproduction of facts, students will find it easier to find ready-made answers on the Internet or share solutions with each other. However, if tasks are designed to require the application of knowledge in new situations, cheating becomes significantly more difficult.

One effective method is to contextualize tasks. For example, in a management course, students might be given an analysis of a real-life situation in a local community, where they must apply theoretical models. Such an assignment is difficult to replicate because it requires personal engagement.

Another method is to individualize tasks through random variations. In quizzes, it is possible to generate equations with different numbers, cases with different parameters, or essay questions that vary in focus. This reduces the possibility that students will simply share solutions.

Group work can also be a powerful tool: when students work in smaller teams on a shared project, each member is required to contribute, and the work process becomes transparent. For example, in the Moodle LMS, a teacher can require students to keep a collaboration journal in which they record who contributed what to the project.

Additionally, assignments that encourage critical thinking and creativity naturally reduce cheating. Instead of reproducing a definition, students can discuss the advantages and disadvantages of a particular model or devise their own solution to a problem. Such assignments require originality and thought, which reduces the possibility of plagiarism.

A practical example: instead of a standard essay, one history teacher assigned students to write a “letter to a historical figure” in which they expressed their own views based on the sources they had studied. The results showed greater student engagement and an almost complete absence of plagiarism.

Thus, well-designed tasks not only prevent unethical behavior, but also encourage deeper learning, engagement, and competency development.