While some of the above strategies may not be visible to students as anti-cheating measures, others clearly signal the concern that, without sufficient surveillance, students are likely to cheat. That message of distrust is one that doesn’t sit well with some instructors, especially those who see mutual trust and respect as central to their pedagogies. These instructors may choose not to employ such overt anti-cheating approaches and instead make that commitment to trust a cornerstone of their efforts to encourage academic honesty.
They may experiment with honor codes or regularly discuss the importance of academic integrity with their students (as described in the “Transparency” section above). They may also turn towards alternative assessment methods, including student self-assessment, to emphasize students’ responsibility for their own learning. But even in situations where instructors choose not to impose such overt barriers to cheating, they still need to be clear in articulating the importance of academic integrity and the consequences for students who violate it.