EDIT: Big Brother is watching

In an effort to curb student cheating, Indiana University has installed cameras in classrooms in its Kelley School of Business, according to an article in Fox 59 on Tuesday.

A trained employee monitors the feed from a separate room and notifies the professors of any suspicious behavior. It is up to the professors to decide how they want to handle each situation, according to Fox.

IU’s enrollment has increased, which has lead to a shortage of proctors and the need for surveillance cameras, an interim dean reported to Fox. But while the cameras cover ground the proctors cannot, are they really the next best option?

Cheating undermines the basic tenets of academia — accuracy and hard work.

Students who cheat fail to master the concepts that are being thrown at them. Their behavior also negatively affects their peers.

When students are rewarded for producing dishonest work, the honest students might start to view their own efforts as futile. They will ask themselves, “Why am I working harder and earning the same grade?”

That being said, installing cameras in classrooms will not solve student cheating. Some individuals will cheat whether or not there are cameras in place.

Academic dishonesty also extends beyond the classroom. Students plagiarize papers and collaborate on take-home exams without their professors’ permission.

Rather than invest in cameras that only monitor students’ classroom activities, the university should focus on preventative measures.

For instance, it could look into why students feel the need to cheat. Is there an issue with the curriculum that drives some students to cheat?

It will be interesting to see whether IU installs cameras in other academic buildings. In addition to the cameras, the university has started hosting eight-hour “academic integrity seminars.” However, it might be more worthwhile for the university to assess why cheating occurs rather than deal with it after the fact.