Stand in the back of the class during a test. Tell the students to keep their tests covered. Make it clear that cheating is not tolerated on the first day of class.
With smaller classes, students already spread out amongst available tables and chairs and rarely sit "together." This allows for considerable "privacy" during test taking. With smaller classes, I also walk around the room, once, and observe the behavior of classmates often.
With larger classes, if I am in a classroom that is appropriate, it is possible to ask students to sit with one chair between their neighbor and themselves. This policy helps enforce the policy of doing your own work. The seating combined with active observation during the test helps to reduce cheating during a test.
Hi Guy,
Teaching is time intensive. We have to do what needs to be done to produce a quality student.
Patricia Scales
I like to have several test sets where students sitting next to each other have different sets of questions.
Mix the type of questions (objective, short answers, essay).
Reshuffle the seating at test teime so that close friends ae separated.
Leon Guendoo
It seems that I have also used all of the above suggestions, from multiple exams given to every other student, to question rotation, and finally walking through class during the exam.
I find it is time intensive, but once the work is done it does keep students to task, as they realize wandering eyes will not assist them.
I've been involved in classes where multiple versions are issued. The questions are the same, but in a different order. This coupled with enough space between students has been effective.
I actually give different versions of the test as well as scramble answers. The beauty of TestGen is the ability to get multiple versions with a answer key for each. I only do this when the class is large. If there are 7 or less students in the class, I give everybody a different test with different questions. The student also can not bring any items to the classroom during test time and I thoroughly inspect their area.
Hi Lukas,
I agree! Any homework assignment can be cheated on, and it hard to prove it, but time will tell as mentioned via tests/quizzes.
Patricia Scales
I have a big enough classrom that I can spread the students out when taking written type test.
For our lab, do the work projects, I have a variety of task that can be done but only by one person at a time.
I space the student's out if I can and stand in the back of class for pat of the exam and in front for another part. They never know were I am going to be first and sometimes I don't change at all.
stand at the back of the room and watch
This message board has thoroughly discussed ways and means to reduce cheating in an in-class assessment situation. What about reduction of cheating on out of class assignments in which the cheating is not immediately evident? i.e. workbook assignments or math assinments. These assignments account for a good deal of the final grade and are certainly valuable. While the cheating may be evidenced later by decreased exam/assesment scores, that doesn't account for the "free" points the student may be recieving for homework.
Hi Tabitha,
Great practices to utilize to minimize cheating.
Patricia Scales
You can spread them out or if there are too many students you can make different versión of the test. Also by having them clear there desk off and in some cases collecting cell phones in a box till all test are taken .
Shut off all computer monitors, phones, I have them put their laptops away and all other devices. Spreading them throughout the room also helps to reduce cheating.
Hi Jamie,
I agree! The more prepared students are the likelihood of them cheating is less.
Patricia Scales
Hi Michael,
An effective way to minimize cheating is to use different vesions of the test. With today's technology it is simple to scramble test questions.
Patricia Scales
Making sure the students are prepared helps reduce the opportunity for cheating. Giving a small pop quiz before the exam gives you some type of clue if the students are retaining the information.
Hi Vanessa,
Great practices to minimize cheating. These measures are not extreme, you are just being cautious.
Patricia Scales
We provide one of several different tests that the questions or answers are arranged so if one key is used for the wrong test a failing score will be the result. I also observe the class from behind and move ocassionally to different vantage points, but still at the rear of the class.
