Cheating has become more common throughout schools across the country in the past few years. Students have relied on online sources to help them with their school assignments and tests because of the challenges that come with online learning. They have become accustomed to easily using Google to search for their answers instead of trying to figure it out themselves. There are a variety of opinions on how cheating is affecting students.  

The common consensus about cheating is that it’s detrimental to learning and students should be punished for it. Teachers assigning online tests have a feature called lockdown browser, which will lock the students’ computer screens so they cannot access any other tabs or websites. This feature is believed to be successful in cutting down on cheating. “I see people all the time finding ways around the lockdown browsers, it may help but not that much.” Tyler Lee, a junior at Battlefield, says.  

Online learning made students accustomed to having answers readily available to them with just a few clicks. Some are still in that mindset. “It was difficult to come back into an environment where I have to figure out something for myself at first, I wanted to just look it up and be done with it like I was used to,” Kate Colvatia, a Battlefield junior, says. Students were thrown back in and not given much time to adjust, and many were used to having technology to help.  

Cheating is typically frowned upon, as the general thought is that it was bad for students as they just want a way around doing real work. Now, many parents and students have a different point of view on cheating.  Some of these people say cheating only happens when teachers aren’t providing proper sources for their students to learn from. “Cheating only happens when teachers aren’t supporting their students in the ways they need, making the kids resort to cheating to get a good grade instead of prioritizing learning,” junior Kenzi Napiwocki says. 

Many students are now prioritizing getting a higher grade instead of actually learning the material. They often believe that the image of learning matters more than understanding a subject’s content. 

These individuals may struggle more in the real world because they have cheated their way in school. Supplying students with proper reviewing materials and accommodating students who learn differently in the classroom may be key in curbing these habits.