The War: Professors vs. Chegg and Quizlet
June 3, 2021
There is a battle happening within colleges and universities today. Students are being robbed and Professors disturbed. You may know exactly what I am talking about… the Battle of Professors vs Chegg and Quizlet.
On some campuses, this topic may seem taboo to talk about, because there is really no way for professors to prevent students from cheating and using these resources... right? It seems that all instructors can do is use a lockdown browser and pray that students are not figuring out a scheme to work the system… and if they do, hope they do not share it with the class…. Students can get pretty creative and are smarter than maybe their last exam score showed. Not to mention the numerous online studying tools aside from Chegg and Quizlet like CourseHero, StudyBlue, and StudyDaddy to name just a few. Today, we are addressing this major issue that is robbing students of their education and causing frustration to instructors.
The issue is not Chegg or Quizlet’s fault. Student’s have just used and abused these and other alike online studying tools. The proverb of “When there is a will, there is a way” has never been truer. With the trend in education moving online and remote options, the opportunity for students to misuse these resources increases. There are two questions instructors need to address to understand and have a victory with this war: (1) Why do students cheat using these platforms and (2) What can instructors do to prevent this from happening?
Why do students use these websites?
This is the number one reason why students look for answers online instead of actually trying to solve the homework themselves. If student’s have the “this is just a gen-ed or requirement for my major” mindset, they have no interest in actually taking any knowledge away from the course besides the credits they need.
Students deem something uninteresting when they do not understand the relevance of it. If a student does not know how they can or will use the information in the future, they do not believe they need to know it. Changing a student's mindset is substantially harder than solely teaching them a topic.
If something is not interesting and someone does not see how it is relevant to them, then why would they spend any extra time on it? Especially when students have other classes and possibly a job to time manage.
All three of these reasons are at the root of students cheating with online sources. Thankfully there is a combat plan to help overcome these reasons for anatomy instructors.
What can Anatomy instructors do to prevent this?
If we can drive students to be interested in our class by them understanding how the content is relevant to them - students will prioritize time studying and understanding the concepts. This is the solution to winning the war. But still... How do instructors do this?
Thankfully, BodyViz, has created a complete 3D virtual cadaver lab with online modules that students can access from anywhere. BodyViz is different from other anatomy software because the program is made from real MRI and CT scans - not modeled anatomy that lacks realistic features and natural variations. MRI and CT scans are transformed into 3D graphics that students can virtually dissect, examine, annotate, and learn from.
Using 3D anatomy software that is from real patients brings a new level of interest and relevance to students. Students are no longer just learning anatomy- they are learning about themselves and real patients. Instructors are able to intertwine case studies with BodyViz’s interactive cadavers and eLearning modules to help students get career-realistic learning opportunities. An example of how instructors may use the software would be giving students a patient history sheet with their age, gender, medications, family history, lifestyle, and health complications (similar to what doctors and nurses actually use to diagnose and treat); with this history correlating to a BodyViz file that students can explore through the patients’ real anatomy.
Are you interested in learning more about BodyViz 3D Anatomy Software and how it can help you and your students both win this war?
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