It’s important to note that Course Hero, though innovative, is not the first of its kind. And from the looks of it, it definitely won’t be the last. Student groups, clubs, fraternities, and sororities have collected test files for decades, giving members of those groups a distinct advantage over others.
One of the big problems with Course Hero is that if a student wants to cheat, the website offers all the tools they need to do so. It provides a temptation to students who are looking for exam answers and want to cheat in class. You also can’t track who is using Course Hero.
If the goal is to have students learn the subject, and looking at Course Hero helps, maybe it’s not such a bad thing after all? Maybe it is useful to try to teach students to use these new resources responsibly instead of banning it from the classroom. Some other things instructors can do to fight against cheating:
You can’t actually view any of them. By putting coursework online, Course Hero is hoping to allow students (and faculty) everywhere to become involved in spreading learning and information. And that’s not all…
But its other two “big bets,” Grauer says, are (1) using the vast data at its disposal (in terms of the sorts of content and help students are looking for) to create its own content and (2) building out its portal for educators.
Course Hero was founded in 2006, one of a slew of websites that enabled students to post and download syllabi, worksheets, essays, previous exams and other course materials. Among its differentiators was that the materials were all tied to specific courses.
Grauer, the Course Hero CEO and co-founder, says the company combats potential academic misconduct in every way it can. Any time it identifies cases of abuse, "or where it becomes exceedingly clear that there is abuse," site monitors "remove that content.".
Oakley failed an early test in a course on circuits, she says, because she didn't understand a concept the professor had never introduced in class. Other students didn't fail -- and when she pressed, she learned that most of them had had an old exam of his that revealed the trick.
It provides a temptation to students who are looking for exam answers and want to cheat in class. You also can’t track who is using Course Hero. Often, notes are posted anonymously, so the individual who posted them cannot be tracked down.
Course Hero isn’t really free. While you can create an account for no cost, you can’t view anything until you pay in one of two ways: By posting materials (40 documents = 1 month free) By paying a monthly, 6 month, or yearly fee.
Post only answers, and not questions, on CULearn for homework and tests—that way the answers won’t mean as much. Give students old tests to study from, so that there is no reason for them to search online. This could help to level the playing field for those who would have cheated and those who never would.
How do I view a study document, Textbook Solution and Explanation, or Q&A in its entirety?
How do I add a course to my dashboard? Why would I want to add a course?