Cheating
I had 1 assignment for our class, it was about making an OSHA Guideline Manual. The students worked in groups. 1 specific group so grossly plagiarized, we are talking every page almost in its entirety, that I was stupefied. I had no idea how to handle this. I spoke with several other instructors and then with the department head. In all honesty I did not think they did it to plagiarize, I think they really had no idea how to NOT plagiarize. Although I had given them numerous opportunities to discuss their assignments, this group never utilized those opportunities. School policy mandated dismissal. I could NOT bring myself to doing that, knowing this was an inadvertent case and completely unintentional. So instead I chose to grade their assignment accordingly, based on the rubric. They received a 37 out of 200. It was appalling. However, I did clarify to them upon assignment review, the options were limited. Course dismissal or grade accordingly, which would they have preferred? They understood my stance and were appreciative. It was heart-wrenching none the less.
My favorite., however, was the young lady that chose to slide her cell phone onto her lap while taking the final exam. She sat in the very last row, and I saw her, from my seat up in the front, scrolling. Mentally I was going through the "are you kidding me" and "you have got to be out of your mind" statements. I very nonchalantly walked the room, eventually ending in the back of the classroom leaning against the windows. While there, she slowly slid the phone off of her lap back onto a chair beside her, ALL of which I was privy to witness. Without disturbing the remainder of the class, I quietly walked over to her and whispered in her ear "I saw what you did and you know I did. You can consider this a failure for your final" and I walked back up to my desk. A few minutes later she came up and handed in her exam, saying nothing to me. I proceeded to document the entire situation and observation and handed it in to my department chair, who then documented it in the school files. I was completely amazed by her, more in shock than anything. And this was my first class I had ever taught.
Has anyone else faced a situation like this? How was it handled? Do you think I handle;ed either or both of situations appropriately or do you have suggestions for what I should have done differently?
Hi Cheryl,
I agree! Just when you think you have seen it all when it comes to cheating, another student invents a different way to cheat.
Patricia Scales
As the course stated, some of the students will go to great lengths to cheat and if they had put the same effort into studying they may have passed. We continue to monitor cheating but it seems some of their methods are becoming quite sophisticated so it is definitely a challenge to keep up with them.
As the course stated, some of the students will go to great lengths to cheat and if they had put the same effort into studying they may have passed. We continue to monitor cheating but it seems some of their methods are becoming quite sophisticated so it is definitely a challenge to keep up with them.
Hi Mignonne,
Nicely stated! You have it! You must know what your students are capable of, and always let them know that you are the authoritative figure, yet you care and are fair.
Patricia Scales
Get to know your students, their strong and weak traits, as this will show you who the cheaters are. Be fair,strict and consistent so that they know you won't be manupilated.
Hi Wayne,
They do, and they have a very sneaky look/disposition when they are trying to cheat.
Patricia Scales
The fact about cheating is that usually you can pick out who is doing it because students have a way of incriminating their selves.
Hi Shari,
You are right! It takes studying. Trying studying and you don't have to cheat.
Patricia Scales
Hi Patricia.
How about it! You know, with all the effort and creativity they put into cheating if they just redirected that into studying?! Imagine the possibilities!
Hi Shari,
Each situation you have to deal with will be a learning experience. Continue to be firm and let the students know that you care and really have their best interest at heart, but they must put forth the effort in order to be successful. Let your students know with your actions that you are no push over.
Patricia Scales
Hi Shari,
Wow, this is a new one on me. I have known students to give signs using their body based on what the answer should be. If the student puts up 1 finger the answer is A, 2 fingers the answer is B, 3 fingers the answer is C, etc. It amazes me what students do to cheat.
Patricia Scales
There was a group of individuals, not in my class thankfully, that were using M&Ms as messaging devices. The one student would have a pile of them in front of her while she tested. If she set aside, say a green one, it meant the answer was 'C'. If she set aside a brown one, the answer was 'A'. New rule! No snacks while testing.
Hi Patricia.
I like how you refer to me being broken in quickly. These students wasted no time.
Little background: On our first day of class I, like everyone else, did an introduction of myself. I tell a little about my life, I have 3 children-all adults, I am a nursing student and a medical assistant, blah blah blah….but when I get to the part about my children, I do NOT hesitate to tell them that my children were NO angels! So try as you might, it's going to be really hard to get something past me. Believe it or not, I was no glimmering angel myself either. So please do not humiliate yourself or insult me by trying. PLUS, you are here as adults, by choice. If you feel the need to cheat, then just leave!
Now Patricia, don't get me wrong, it was not this short and sweet, but you get the jest of it. But despite my trying to be on the money, there is always that one….
Speaking of that one…After she handed in her final exam, I documented the entire episode and notified all necessary heads, I simply grabbed her exam out of the pile and placed a HUGE red zero on it. She has since dropped out of the program and out of the school. This was her 2nd time taking this course and she was failing miserably. She was always late or not there. Never came prepared. Failed the midterm, which I actually gave the class a second chance at because cumulatively they ALL did horrible. So considering she took the midterm twice! I took the first midterm, review the entire thing with the class, then modified it. I used the same questions just shifted them a bit. What had once been the question was now within the answer. She actually managed to get a worse grade second time around. Very sad but this young lady was obviously not in this for herself. The lack of discipline and maturity was non-existent. Unfortunately.
After this occurrence, I laid down the law. If I even suspect a student, I will walk over and just ask them to move seats or something. I use some lame excuse so that is detracts from looking at them with suspicion and makes it me being quirky or something. It's always a challenge!
And thank you for the compliment!
We have had a few students busted thru various venues . The most unusual was taking a soda bottle wrapper off and writing notes and answers on the inside and look thru the bottle at the answers. Now that they were busted cheating , no drinks are allowed on the tables.
Hi Shari,
Wow, you were really broken into quickly!! You did a fabulous job with both situations being so inexperieneced. We do have hearts as educators, sometimes students really do not know that they are plagiarizing. Your students are lucky you cut them some slack. It seems like someone in the group should have realized that the paper was plagiarized. I too had a similar situation, and instead of grading according to the rubric, (very generous of you) I gave the student a 0. I did not want to see the student get suspended from school with the right to appeal.
How was the cheating student reprimanded? You handled things nicely based on what you stated. I would have failed this student for the course. This was just too open.
Patricia Scales
