Examining Ethical Decision Making Behavior in E-Learning Systems: A Socio-technical Analysis

E-learning is emerging as a way of using technology to re-create a one-on-one learning environment for numerous participants at a time and has become prevalent in the higher education arena. In addition to traditional forms of cheating, many universities currently deal with issues of students in traditional classrooms who engage in technology-facilitated cheating. The propensity for behaving unethically may be significantly greater in an e-learning system due to the lack of authority figures. Research states that when placed in a moral situation, individual behavior can be influenced by factors that are specific to the individual and factors that vary by situation. The focus of this paper is to understand the complex combination of individual and situational factors that can affect an individual’s behavioral inclinations and provide deeper insight into how ethical decision-making behaviors differ in a technology-based environment as compared to an in-person environment.