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Current View
The Challenge of Scripts and Bots Addressing automated cheating in education
With the rise of generative AI, schools and educational technology companies face sophisticated external
tools designed to bypass academic integrity policies. Userscripts and bots can complete some or all of a
student’s coursework undetected, presenting a unique academic integrity challenge, especially in remote
learning environments.
Understanding the Threat
Userscripts and bots can complete assignments for students without detection, severely compromising
academic integrity. These tools can alter web pages, automatically answer questions, and generate essays,
making it essential for schools to take proactive measures to safeguard against their use.
PREVENTATIVE MEASURES
Block installations: IT staff should prevent students from installing scripts
and extensions on district-managed devices
Monitor activities: Regularly review data logs to detect
unusual student behavior
Update policies: Include generative AI and other current
methods of possible cheating in academic policies
Imagine Learning’s Commitment
Imagine Edgenuity® and Imagine EdgeEX are equipped to
detect and block some scripts, logging students out when
a script is detected and recording this action in the Recent
Actions report. However, combating these tools on student-owned
devices remains a challenge.
A userscript is a bit of code injected into a web page to modify its appearance or behavior
A bot, short for robot, is an automated software program that performs repetitive tasks to imitate
human behavior
CO U RS E WA RE
Empowering Educators and Students
Tools and strategies for schools
Schools can adopt several strategies to both reduce the temptation for students to use cheating tools and to
detect their use. Consider these steps to address academic integrity:
1. Communicate academic integrity expectations: Proactively communicate academic integrity expectations to
students, teachers, and families to create a culture of honesty and trust.
2. Update academic policies: Include current technologies and methods for cheating such as generative AI,
scripts, bots, online answer sites, and using social media to find people to do online coursework for a fee.
3. Block malicious software: IT staff should block students from installing userscripts and malicious extensions
on district-owned devices.
4. Leverage available tools: Utilize available tools within educational technology products to enhance security.
That includes these tools in Imagine Edgenuity and Imagine EdgeEX:
IP Registry to manage access
SecureLock Browser Experience to create secure testing environments
Teacher Review to monitor and review student activities
5. Proctored assessments: Require students to take assessments in an onsite, proctored environment. For hybrid
learning, require onsite testing for exams and consider weighting these assessments to form the majority of
the course grade.
6. Monitor student behavior: Regularly review data to detect unusual patterns of behavior. Use tools like
attendance logs, session logs, course reports, and student gradebooks in Imagine Edgenuity and Imagine
EdgeEX to monitor activities and the speed of work completion.
Imagine Learning’s Future Initiatives
INNOVATING FOR INTEGRITY
Imagine Learning is dedicated to enhancing our defenses against academic dishonesty. We are actively
exploring new methods to permanently block scripts and bots, with new resources expected in the fall.
Support and Resources
For more guidance and resources to share with teachers, students,
and families, log in to the Imagine Edgenuity Help Center and access
the “Blocking Userscripts” article in the Recent Actions Log.
imaginelearning.com
877-725-4257 • solutions@imaginelearning.com
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