Hi Robert,
I personally like to circulate the room. In my opinion, students are more afraid to cheat whenever they know you can be at any place at any given point in time.
Patricia
I have a cheating speech. yes there are some who will anyway...but most adult learners i have found really do want to know what they are talking about in their career. However life gets in the way and that "one" time may make it easier for other times...if you can just stop that one temptation it may help them to keep things straight. For those very few that I have that may try to cheat...most of the time they are easy to spot...I usually walk around the room. Of course I teach small classes so it's much easier than in a huge university.
Students are creative and so must instructors. Standing at the back of the room was mentioned. I think the instructor should be moving around the room.
Being aware of your classroom environment during testing is vital. Additionally, if you are able to create multiple versions of exams, this will cut down on the amount of cheating that occurs.
Hi Tamara,
Great strategies to utilize to prevent cheating. It is very important that the instructor monitors the room during testing time.
Patricia
What I have done is to make all the students place their bags in a designated area, have the students sit with one space between them and also monitor the students while they're taking the exams.
Thanks. I agree a different methodology for their tests would help combat cheating more efficiently but those tests are a uniform procedure for the entire school and the format is entirely out of my control, so I do what I must.
Some ways to reduce student cheating would be to make sure there is enough space between the students, so it is more difficult for them to look on another student's paper. Also, give out different versions of the test.
Hi Albert,
It sounds like you really do the best you can to deter cheating in this environment. You may want to consider doing the old-fashioned so to speak theory tests so that things are better controlled.
Patricia
My students take written theory tests on their computers. This opens a world of opportunity for them to be able to cheat. My first strategy is that I sit in a seat in the back row of the class while the test is being administered. I choose one that has a clear line of sight on all or most students. If a student deliberately sits somewhere that is obstructed, I ask them to choose a different seat, one where I can clearly see them. I will occasionally parade around the classroom as well, usually once about 5 min. into the test and again at the 15 minute mark and again towards the end. It is not timed rigidly, as to be unpredictable.
the physical lay-out of the class room can greatly reduce the temptation to cheat. If it is possible to provide physical space between the students then you will reduce the tempation/opportunity to cheat.
I meant that it reduces chatter during class time in addition to reducing the opportunity to cheat.
I make sure that the students are spaced apart and that there is nothing on their desk but a pen and I supervise. There was a student that had a pen that had a place to be able to pull the answers out of. The of course failed.
Hi Elaine,
Students should never be talking/chattering during test time. Silence is a must!
Patricia
I am definitely a walker. I constantly move about the room, changing my route from time to time. In addition, I make sure all materials except those needed to take the exam are off the tables. Finally, whenever it's feasible, I change the seating arrangements to place more distance between students.
If spacing is not an issue, making sure that students are not sitting right beside each other helps reduce wandering eyes. Using tests that contain the same questions but arranged in varing order helps take away the option to cheat.
I do that also. It also reduces chatter among them.
Hi Elaine,
I like to make my students spread out if possible, leaving an empty seat between them.
Patricia
To reduce cheating I seat the students very far apart in class. I carefully survey the class during the exam and walk around. But even before the exam begins, I remind the students of the cheating policy--that if they are caught, they will receive an F on the exam which will consequently affect their final grade in the course. In addition, I remind them that because this is a career school, cheating will inevitably only hurt them and they will not excel in the future. The purpose of the school is to teach them skills they will later apply and if they cannot apply them, they will not succeed. I find that many of my students do not cheat because they understand this (and that they are paying for their tuition) and so they want to do well. It is better to have an honest low mark than a false high mark.
1) Arrange the classroom seating to reduce line-of-sight opportunity
2) Distribute tests with rearranged questions
3) Give practical assignments so you have to watch them perform
4) Give essay/short answer exams
