Academic Dishonesty and Online Classes: A Rural Education Perspective

Rural educators must possess high standards of ethical behavior that inform professional practice and improve the communities in which they live and work. The purposes of this article are to discuss rural education and its intersection with online classes as vehicles to meet residents' educational needs; ethical issues that surround online class delivery; and suggestions to deter academic dishonesty in online classes. Key Words: rural education, distance education, academic dishonesty, academic integrity, cheating, ethics, instructional practices, Internet, online instruction, student behaviors/attitude, teacher preparation, World Wide Web.