Students’ Use of Technology in Learning Course Material

Abstract

This paper presents the results of a four-year study examining business students’ perceptions of academic integrity and the role of technology in e-learning. This study is an extension of previous research on academic integrity in the online environment (Cole, Shelley & Swartz, 2013; Cole & Swartz, 2013; Shelley, Cole & Swartz, 2010). Of the 553 students who participated in the study, more than a third did not believe that academic integrity applied equally online and in the classroom. Independent-samples t-tests showed statistically significant differences based on gender, but not by age group or level of study. There were 200 responses to what made the two learning environments different. Students pointed to the “real world” where accessing all available resources to solve a problem was the norm, suggesting that instructors should recognize that and adapt their expectations of what is and is not acceptable behavior in the courses they teach.