Students Cheating!!
What if students dont care if they are late and you take points off of a test then whats the next step?
Hi Joell,
Let the other student know that you truly appreciate he/she coming to you, and you will keep a watchful eye for the cheater, but you cannot take another student's words, you have to catch the student.
Patricia
Hi I have had students come to me and state that another student is cheating. I had a hard time catching her. I can not acuse her if I do not physically see her. How do i handle the other students concerns?
Hi Dawn,
As I try to dry my tears, what an awesome response! You touched me based on your answer. I can see how these caring and loving words can really move a student. It is obvious, you truly care about your students, and you absolutely love what you do. I can just tell you have made an impact on many students! Students are so fortunate to have you as an instructor. I am just imagining how much better off this world would be if every instructor had the same love and concern for their students. Thank you for being one of the best educators!!!!!
Patricia
When a student does not care about losing points or being late for an exam, what I do is talk to them alone after class, to counsel them regarding the direction they are heading. I ask them why are they here? Why did they sign up for our school if they show no interest in being here? I ask them if they are being forced to do something with their lives instead of sitting around doing nothing? I ask them what is it they want to do or become? I do all that I can to get them to open up to me. 99% of the students I have done this to have opened up and told me why they are acting the way they are. Just me taking the time to call them on their behavior, one on one, brought them out of their shell and brought to light the reason for their actions. I tell them that I am here for them and I take it as a personal insult that they are declining academically, because, as a parent myself, I shoulder the responsibility of their reflection as a professional due to the fact that I was part of their educational learning process. If they do not succeed, then neither do I, and failing is not what I do. I tell the students that if they meet me half way, I'll meet them the rest of the way, but I can't help you if you won't help yourself, and I always encourage my students that they can achieve anything they put their minds to, so never give up on yourself and never say I can't. I reach out to them with my words and believe it or not, a hug. It works,...it really works. I let them know that as a parent and as an Instructor, I can not in good conscious, let them fail or give up, and to let me help them. That is why I am here and why I love teaching and ALL of my students know that I care very deeply for each and everyone of them. They are all my children, regardless of their age and it is my duty to see them reach their fullest potential and be happy with what they have accomplished, and to never regret the decision they made to come to my school. In the end, most of the time, the student has cried and has shown remorse for their actions and have sworn to do better. Knowing someone believes in you and it matters to that person that you do well in school, is all alot of our students need. Reaching out is not easy but it is essential if we are seeing a student in pain and is clearly lost. It is our responsibility to do this and if we can, as an Instructor to others, then we must reevaluate our own self being and remember why we are Instuctors in the first place.
for non-linear classes i like to stand behind either potential cheaters or students whose eyes wander, much to your point standing behind them makes them less likely to cheat, but the benefit is that this allows you to watch the rest of the class more effectively.
I had to deal with cheating students on a HW assignment myself. I gave them all zeros on the assignment.
They all claimed that they had worked together but they turned in photocopies of one assignment. I had to take a zero tolerance stance on this one to make sure it did not happen again.
Cheating is a hard one to deal with in the class room because it ends up changing how you look at the entire class and how you handle all of them.
It is unfair to everyone in the class and should not be tolerated at all.
Hi Maria,
Wow, you are real lenient when it comes to dishonesty. I do not tolerate cheating. At the minimum, my students fail the course.
Patricia
When the student cheat in a test is because he or she didn't study. So I will cero in the test. If they want to remake the grade they have to make a presentation in front of the class about the subject relate to the test. Or sometime I give them a different test.
Quietly change your position in the room so the students don't know where you are. It's interesting to watch a head or two swiveling around trying to find you and to see if you are watching!
Hi Susan,
I understand! Nip things in the bud early and don't let them escalate. I deal with a lot of Social Services students too, and I fully know exactly what you are talking about.
Patricia
I didnt just outrightly give them a 0. This is something that had been building with these 2 students all quarter and the only way I could let them know how serious I was about the class was to finally give them 0's. They had been given numerous chances (not just cheating, but other situations as well). It had gotten to the point that they were bringing the whole class down and everyone knew what was going on.(its hard when you have students who dont want to be in school and make it known that the only reason they are here is because they are being forced to come because of Social Services)
HW is really not a big deal to me. I know students work on it together, but when someone turns in HW essays copied verbatum, I usually have a talk to the whole class and tell them these assignments are to help them learn and if you are copying it from friends you will never learn the material.
Hi Susan,
I know cheating is cheating, but I think the "time should fit the crime" so to speak, therefore, I feel it is fair to have less harsh of a punishment for cheating on homework.
Patricia
If I dont have proof but a suspician, then I will hand out different test- Test A and B. Our classrooms are to small to space everyone out. If I konw for a fact that they have cheated then I have a talk and they get a 0 for that test. I have had a situation where 2 students turned in the exact same HW. I gave both of them a 0.
Hi Debbie,
This makes since. It seems like I have more control over someone wanting to cheat standing at the back of the room. Students need to know that they are being watched so that they are less likely to cheat.
Patricia
Hi Susan,
How do you handle cheating students?
Patricia
A good location for a teacher to be while students are taking exams is the back of the room. Students would be less encouraged to cheat once they turn around and know you are behind them observing.
The students must understand that they are in training. Therefore, they must learn that being on time is part of training, tell them that Dr. wants someone he can rely on to open his practice. He wants someone with skill and knowledge and, of course, good people skills.
If another student has told me someone has cheated and i do not have proof. I will watch them the test coming up. My class is small and we do not have room to space them so if one was cheating by coping another student. I give two different copies. Test A and Test B. I have used the same page 1 and the other pages are different. SO I was able to catch them.
You could also move them to a different location in the classroom where you can keep an eye on them.
