Student perceptions of peer cheating behaviour during COVID-19 induced online teaching and assessment

In this article we report on a study of higher education students' (N = 256) perceptions on the willingness, pressure, and frequency of their peers to cheat in online assessments at an Australian university in Singapore during the COVID-19 induced Online Teaching and Assessment period (COTA). MANOVA was used to identify the differences in perception between COTA and In-Person Teaching and Assessment (IPTA), as well as differences between academic disciplines and stages of study. The findings demonstrate that students perceived an increase across all areas of online cheating during COTA, and that these perceptions varied significantly by discipline but not by stage of study. Inductive qualitative thematic analysis was then used to explore the reasons behind the perceived increases, identifying themes related to anonymity, material access, pressure to achieve, lack of consequences, and peer group access. The implications of this research offer deeper insight into assessment security, design, and student concerns during emergency online teaching periods which can inform institutional policies in the future.