When my students know that I am really going to grade their work, not just look it over, they take more ownership in their assignments. I have caught students with identical work, and a common response is "Oh, I didn't think you were really going to grade this."
First and foremost, telling them about trust, honesty and intergrity and how important they are in the field that they want to enter.
Hi Philip,
With today's technology, arranging test questions is very elementary. This is a smart and simple way to minimize cheating.
Patricia
Hi Carin,
You really seem to show students the seriousness of things whenever a signature is secured.
Patricia
When I know that a student is cheating when taking a test, I pass out the test papers and I make sure that the cheater gets a test paper differnt than the other students at that table, When I grade the test paper I call the student to my office, and we talk about the test paper. 9 out of ten times, the student will tellme that they copyed fron another student, but don't know why the answers are different.
Reinforcing the code of conduct and/or making the students sign an honor pledge on each test/assignment hopefully will discourage any student who is tempted. Otherwise being mindful and vigilent to spot those that will push the envelope is important in classroom management.
Let the students know your expectations and viewpoint on cheating numerous times throughout the class duration, so they will know it something you feel strongly about -
I will use different tests. The same questions are given. I just rearrange the choices or change the question order.
I guess it is an understatement to say that students are finding new and innovative ways to cheat. It is for this reason why I wish cell phones could be banned from the class room. During test time, I collect the cell phones from the students to reduce the temptation to cheat.
walking around the room helps, it gives the instructor an opportunity to look for any suspicious behavior.
create space between the students while taking the test; include subjective type questions on the test which will demonstrate that the student understands the material and makes it harder to cheat.
Hi Reginald,
Cheaters are cheaters, and you are right, if they really want to cheat they will become real creative to do so. I like to utilize study guides to help students prepare for a test, and some still attempt to cheat.
Patricia
I usually have some sort of review before the exam on the content and is always asking my students are there any questions. But with everything being so high tech, asking each one of my students questions related to the exam seems to help deter a little, but if there is a way, they will somehow figure it out.
Some instructors have a bad habit of not moving throughout the classroom once the test is distributed...they remain at the front of the class and often become preoccupied with other things while students test and the room is quiet. It is much harder to cheat when the instructor is quietly roaming the room. Also, discussing cheating before any test is always good. This discussion might include how cheating damages our self-esteem because it sends a message that the student is not smart enough to make it on their own. Also, discussion might center around the consequences of cheating within the class..will they get a "0"? Will they be kicked out of class? Expelled even? It is important for students to be fully informed about the consequences of cheating. Students should also be encouraged to make it on their own, without cheating. It is ethically better to do poorly on their own than do well by cheating.
I give my students a very detailed review for their exams the day before. I walk around the room while they are taking the exam. I separate them from each other so they are all out of eye shot too. So far, I haven't seen any cheating. I watch them carefully too. The cheating policy at my school is no tolerance. The student that gets caught is immediately expelled and they can't come back to the program. That policy makes them think twice about it.
I have students leave ALL personal belongings at the front of the room. They may have a clear water bottle and a couple pens or pencils. No hats (I've had students write notes on the bills). I also make at least 2 versions of the test -- this makes more work when reviewing, but it makes cheating much more difficult. In general, I also remind students that they can't cheat on the licensure exam!
By using the computer generated tests that are now available from many textbook publishers, I will prepare 3-5 versions of the test depending on the class size. These test have the same questions but the questions are scrambled. This will help. Just makes the grading a little more difficult.
Hi Diane,
Leaving some space between students when possible is a great way to hlep minimize cheating. Sometimes if we set students up for temptation, they will take advantage of it such as sitting too close to someone while testing.
Patricia
Hi Ashley,
Being visible and monitoring the room are sure ways to minimize cheating.
Patricia
Hi Carol,
We have to make sure when we tell students there is no tolerance for cheating that we actually do something if they are caught cheating, otherwise students will take you for granted.
Patricia
