Clearly discussing classroom expectations, as well as the consequences of violations, such as cheating, and always holding students accountable will decrease the chances of violation in the learning environment.
I give multiple tests, as well. I had one student who jumped up in the middle of taking a test and shouted, "you've given different tests!!!". Well, wonder how she figured that out?
Hi Truitt,
Great point to stress with students about cheating. They have to realize that they are only cheating themselves.
Patricia Scales
Hi Jamie,
I love your tactics! You are clever in the way that you do things to curtail cheating.
Patricia Scales
Hi Noah,
Continue to challenge your students! I like the idea of not just teaching to the test. We should give our students as much as we can.
Patricia Scales
In my years of teaching, some useful methods of reducing this problem is by having different versions of a test, having some distance between students while testing and standing at the back of the room as they present any material or take any assessment
The first time we applied the multiple test with the orders of the questions arranged differently the grades plummented with one student scoring a 15 on a 100 question test.And when you put the old answer sheet next to it he had a 98,and i let him explain the discrepancy to management.Truitt
One of the points I like to make to my students on the first or second day of class is that the only person who gets cheated in my class is the student who cheats. I ask them why would anyone want to pay all this money to learn a subject only to cheat and short change themself? I point out that after graduation they will be expected to perform the task we taught them and know the information we provided them, and if they could not accomplish the task given by a supperior they will be fired anyway.So now , who got cheated? Truitt
In this course I learned to stand in the back of the room vs walk around. I was instructed to walk around upon training for my current position so I am glad that I have been informed not to. I am an ADD person and I know that when someone walks around in a room that I am trying to write or take a test in, it really distracts me so I did not like doing this. I will from now on just make sure my students are spread out and that I stand in the back of the room watching the students to keep them from even being tempted.
An observant instructor is one who can easily minimize cheating in their classroom. Teachers need to walk around, stay in the classroom and you can even go as far as creating different exams.
Making tests that involve creative thinking and application of theory as opposed to multiple choice type tests require students to give individualized responses and not just replicate ideas and terms.
I agree, Mark. I am particulary baffled by plagiarism especially when students know it can be easily detected. It's not worth it!
I use a menu of essay questions and allow students to choose perhaps 4 out of six. Every week, I list "will see again" topics on the board so students know what material to focus upon. I always to an exam review with the students prior to the test. I change up my questions from one term-another.
I make sure that the entire class becomes responsive and proactive as a unit... and anyone caught cheating will affect the outcome and the grades of the entire class... it works 100%
I really didn't consider the extra stress placed on the student if I walked areound the room while testing. I usually do not do that, but have on occasion and will not do it again. Thanks for the heads-up!!!
When I have a classroom that is large enough, I seat the students with one chair between them. I also have multiple versions of the test. To my nowledge, this has eliminated "test" cheating. Homework assignments that are not completed in class are a little more challenging in that area.
Andrea- I totally get what you are saying. When I first started teaching, I felt the same way. So to make sure the students learned more than just what would be on the test, I started giving a pop quiz on other important material that I knew would not be on the test. My students now tease me and have nicknamed me the pop quiz queen, but it is done in the name of fun. Now they often ask me to give them a pop quiz, as they really like me to challenge them. Often they even come in to class with a question or two that they think I might not know the answer to. Sometimes I dont. But thats ok. In order for them to find a question that challenging, I know they had to do research. And thats always a good thing.
I always try to have a practice test under a real time test seeting prior to the real test. I also like to have student participation during reviews
I have enforced the saying your only cheating yourself and cheating is not ok. I have different test with same questions and spread the students around,also the student knows if they are caught cheating it is a zero for the test.
Not having room to spread out is one of my class room problems.
Tracy
