Are we who we say we are?
There are often assumptions made about online or distance education but one recurrent theme seems to be that of duplicity or dishonesty. Quite a bit has been made lately of the issue of verification of student identity and making sure students don’t have the opportunity to cheat or misrepresent themselves in what seems like a huge temptation trap. The underlying message seems to be that those persons engaged in face-to-face encounters are by virtue of their presence, innately honest and transparent. I would beg to differ. A quick google search of this subject brings up scores of reports suggesting that cheating (in traditional classrooms) is on the rise. Hudson (1997) stated, “In many ways, friends made online are still strangers. But that is true of friends ‘in real life’ as well.” Moreover, Hudson pointed out that in many urban communities across America, people feel disconnected from their face-to-face social networks. As I reported in a previous blog, league bowling is down; moreover church attendance has decreased, neighborhood gatherings are rare, and hospitality is almost a thing of the past.
Proponents of computer-mediated communication argue that dishonesty and duplicity have been a hallmark of the human condition throughout history. However, Galston (1999) argued that simply because there is the potential for online duplicity, one cannot dismiss the possibility for legitimate forms of community and by extension, honesty and integrity. One of my students recently posted this response to a similar question: “People can now lie straight to your face and not think twice about it. So if people will lie online then surely they will like to your face and vice versa. Lying online is probably much easier than face-to-face but of course deception comes through many ways. The reason why people are dishonest is because they do not want to face the truth and the deception comes in when we blame others or think well if I do not say anything it will go away. I have recently learned that releasing the truth is more powerful than keeping it in. Feeling convicted about something is no fun to go through but it is a part of growth.”
How do we encourage people to come together online in a way that reflects who they truly are and conduct themselves in a way that is honoring to God?