Document Type
Article
Publication Date
3-2025
Publication Title
Teaching of Psychology
Keywords
online exams, unmonitored assessments, academic integrity, assessment reliability, grade inflation
Abstract
Background: The validity of unmonitored online exams has raised concerns about academic integrity and grade inflation, especially given the rise of artificial intelligence–powered tools.
Objective: This study evaluates the validity of unmonitored online exams by comparing student performance between two sections of an undergraduate personality psychology course: one section completed an unmonitored online multiple-choice final exam while the other completed an in-person multiple-choice final exam.
Method: A quasi-experimental design was used with two undergraduate personality psychology course sections. Section 1 (Spring 2022, n=153) took an in-person final exam, while Section 2 (Spring 2023, n=160) took an unmonitored online final exam. Both sections completed identical in-person exams throughout the semester.
Results: Online final exam scores were significantly higher than the in-person final exam scores. The correlation between regular in-person exams was strong for the in-person final exam but weak for the online final exam. Exam format was a stronger predictor of final exam scores than prior performance.
Conclusion: Unmonitored online exams lead to inflated scores and may not reflect students’ true abilities.
Teaching Implications: Educators should reconsider using unmonitored online exams for high-stakes assessments and explore alternative methods or enhanced monitoring to maintain academic integrity.
Funding Source
This article was published Open Access thanks to a transformative agreement between Milner Library and Sage Journals.
Recommended Citation
Lannin, D. G., Flinn, T., Ilie, A., & Ispas, D. (2025). Unmonitored Online Exams: Valid Assessment or Score Inflation? Teaching of Psychology, 0(0). https://doi.org/10.1177/00986283251324172
DOI
10.1177/00986283251324172
Comments
First published in Teaching of Psychology: https://doi.org/10.1177/00986283251324172
This is an Open Access article distributed under the terms of the Creative Commons Attribution-NonCommercial-NoDerivatives License (http://creativecommons.org/licenses/by-nc-nd/4.0/), which permits non-commercial re-use, distribution, and reproduction in any medium, provided the original work is properly cited, and is not altered, transformed, or built upon in any way.