Students are told on the first day of class the consequences of acidemic dishonesty. It is explained to them that not only are they cheating themselves, but their classmates and myself. I encourage questions throughout the lecture and the students are intsructed to make their own study guides as well as use the ones provided by me. Students are also informed that make-up tests are the same information as the original tests...but formatted differently. Instead of multiple choice, the make up test would be short answers, this encourages the student to study for an original exam instead of attempting to get answers from classmates.
When ever I can get the class to act as a team and form groups it seems to aid in less opportunities for the student to cheat.
Always tell students regarding practical life and job responsibilities.Cheating makes them blind. They cann't learn anything.
The following ia an addendum I attach to my syllabus.
Cheating:
As a criminal justice major and choosing a career in law enforcement, you must set high ethical and moral standards with unimpeachable honesty and integrity. According to Whisenand and Ferguson (2002), ethics are concerned with moral duties and how we should behave regarding both ends and means. Morals are concerned with right of conduct. Honesty is intending to act morally and this subscribing to ethical principles. Integrity is behaving in a moral way and thus manifesting ethical principles. “Ethics is about character and courage and how we meet the challenge when doing the right thing will cost more than we want to pay†(p. 24). Cheating is an ethical violation and breach of moral duties.
______________________
Whisenand, P. M., & Ferguson, R. F. (2002). The managing of police organizations (5th ed.). Upper Saddle River, NJ: Prentice Hall.
Plagiarism:
Plagiarism (from a Latin word for "kidnapper") is the presentation of someone else's ideas or words as your own. Whether deliberate or accidental, plagiarism is a serious and often punishable offense. Academic honesty is highly valued. A student must always submit work that represents his or her original words and ideas. Whenever using an outside source as a reference, the student must cite the source and make clear the extent of the source use. Accidental plagiarism is forgetting to place quotation marks around another writer's words, omitting a source citation for another's idea because you are unaware of the need to acknowledge the idea, or carelessly copying a source when you mean to paraphrase. Deliberate plagiarism is copying a phrase, a sentence, or a longer passage from a source and passing it off as your own by omitting quotation marks and a source citation, summarizing, or paraphrasing someone else's ideas without acknowledging. Handing in as your own work a paper you have bought, had a friend write, or copied from another student. Copying a musical composition, painting, novel, or computer code from a published source or from another person and submitting it as your work is plagiarism. Plagiarism and falsification of documents is considered a serious matter. ’
Student responsibilities:
1.Students are solely responsible for their work and for making sure that their work represents their own honest efforts to meet the goals of the course.
2.They are responsible for learning and following the policies and expectations of the college and for understanding the consequences of actions that violate the policy on academic honesty.
3.They are responsible for showing that the work they present is their’s in whatever ways are deemed appropriate by the faculty for the course.
Faculty responsibilities:
1.Faculty members are responsible for demonstrating academic honesty in their work.
2.They are responsible for making their expectations related to academic honest clear to their classes including which activities and resources are allowed and the consequences for violations in their courses.
3.They are responsible for communicating about violations of the academic honesty policy to students, program director, and DOE.
Violations of the academic honesty policy include any actions that attempt to gain academic credit for work that does not represent the student’s own efforts and knowledge. They include, but are not limited to the following situations and examples:
1.Cheating on examinations and quizzes.
2.Using notes, materials, and/or mechanical, electronic, or technological devices not authorized by the instructor during examinations and quizzes.
3.Providing or receiving help on an examination, test, or quiz in a manner not authorized by the instructor.
4.Buying, selling, improperly obtaining, or using any tests, quizzes, or examinations.
5.Posing as another student or allowing another student to pose as you when taking an examination, test, or quiz.
6.Altering or adding answers on exercises, examinations, or quizzes after the work has been graded.
7.Plagiarizing
a.Using the ideas or words of others without appropriate quotation and documentation that acknowledges the source or sources—in other words, presenting someone else’s work as one’s own.
b.Copying exact words, phrase, or sentences without quoting and giving credit to the source.
c.Using paraphrased version of the opinions, work, or ideas of others without giving credit.
d.The wrongful appropriation of all or part of someone else’s literary, artisitic, musical, mechanical, or computer-based work.
8.Copying all or part of an assignment (research paper, lab report, or workbook) from another person or resource and presenting it as your own.
9.Purchasing an assignment and submitting it as your own work.
10.Falsifying or inventing information, data, or research material.
11.Altering or forging records or submitting false records as part of course work or making false statements, excuses, or claims to gain academic credit or influence grading.
12.Listing sources that you never consulted.
13.Gaining unauthorized access to another person’s or the College’s computer system or tampering with or copying programs, files, data, or access codes associated with coursework.
14.Tampering with or damaging the work of others or preventing others from completing their own assignments.
Plagiarism is a form of cheating. Although students have access and use Turnitin.com, I incorporate a lesson module early in each course with examples and practice questions with feedback.
I do this as well. Make it clear to the students what the result will be for cheating. I also try to reduce the temptation by every person having a different version of the test as well as walk around the room.
Hi Jennifer,
I really like the idea of student being tested in a different room; this in itself can certainly deter cheating.
Patricia Scales
I move students around on test day to ensure they are not next to a buddy.
I make three different exams and walk around the class. and from time to time tell them please keep you eyes to yourself. although none may be cheating it does keep them on point.
Everytime I give a test I move students who may be sitting close to another. Students have to remove everythimg from their desk and I never sit. I walk around or stand in the back of the room so the entire classroom can be observed.
having different test will prevent cheating also leting the student kown that if they cheat in class they also cheat themself out in life.
Luckily we have a bank of questions that can be radomized for each test. I also like to roam around the room as they take the test to reduce temptation to look at hidden notes. They are also tested in a different room then the classroom so that helps as well.
Hi Chanelle,
I use a very simple technique as well. I let the students see me FULLY WATCHING them. I do not grade papers, get on my laptop, read, or etc. during test time. I watch my students.
Patricia Scales
I like to monitor the class by walking around and standing in the back of the class. Another way is creating various tests.
In our course, any student caught cheating is dismissed from the course. Plain and simple. You have to know the material because it is not always about the grades it is also about that person's professional integrity. I tell them I would rather they earn a C and be proud that they know at least 70% of the material rather than cheat to get an A and know none of the material.
Not allowing them to use their cell phones helps ALOT.
Hi Diane,
I concur! I feel a broad study guide is great, and I always ensure even though the study guide is broad, my test will be centered around the broad study guide. In other words, anything on the study guide is fair game, therefore know it all.
Patricia Scales
I feel study guides can be both good and bad. If you give all the information you are going to test them on then other things they must know is never reviewed. I think a broad outline of information to be covered is a value to the student pointing them in the right direction of knowledge they should know.
What baffles me is that so many students who are caught plagiarising act as though they didn't know that it was wrong to "cut and paste" off the internet, or they just don't think it's a big deal.
I do let my students know whenever I assign a paper that plagiarism will not be tolerated and will result in an "F" on the assignment.
In my classroom I make sure to have the students place everything on the floor. When I am handing out the exam I make sure to look at each desk and make sure there are no marks on the table, scratch paper, or themselves. Another useful tool is to have the students leave a seat between each other and in some cases make varied versions of the exams. I have only suspected one student of cheating and was unable to prove it, but that is when I implemented all of these steps. Has worked well so far.
