cheating
It never amazes me that students, in smaller classes under 25 think that an instructor will not see them cheating, for example,keyboarding. There are always a couple of students that hand in work that repicates another. What is more amazing is that they think you will not figure it out!
I always give them an option. I bring the students in the conference room and ask the question "Is there something about your work you would like to share with me?" When they do not come clean, I give them thier options dictated by the school.
I also make them sign their papers. Thier signature validates that is is their own. This way they can't say they took someones elses paper by mistake. I also make them sign them in a sign in sheet.
Also, students who are trying, putting in 100% effort in class, homework and tests always rat the cheaters out.
Hi Faith,
Sad isn't it when student feel they have to cheat to succeed. What they don't realize is that they have to have the skills and knowledge you are teaching them to be able to enter their career field.
Cheating is an ongoing problem that instructors constantly have to deal with. The key is to try and develop a system that reduces opportunities to cheat and provides students with different methods of demonstrating their competence.
Gary
I completely agree with you, if I catch somebody cheating I take them out and try to make them understand that they are only cheating themselves by doing this. Sometimes it does have the right effect.
These are all good techniqques to stop cheating. It is unfortunate that one student who gets away with cheating can discredit the reputation of all other students in his/her class.
Hi Paul,
Yes, it is. This is a part of our challenge as educators to maintain an open learning environment while not letting one or two students direct the course due to their lack of professionalism.
What are some of the strategies that you use in dealing with situations like the one mentioned in your forum response?
Thanks.
Gary
Faith,
I teach for a college where the students will take at state board. I continue to tell them to do their own work because THEY will be graded themselves, no one can take the boards for them. It continues to amaze me also that they have chosen to be in this field and pay for schooling. What do we do?
Macy
I have had several cases of cheating in my classroom. In the end it always affects them in the workforce. One thing I do when I give a midterm or final is to place students at least 2 seats apart. One other thing is to pace the room and look over each student. The one key point is not to spend too much time watching or standing next to the cheater. If this does not work, each school has its own policies for cheating
I, also, have students who must successfully pass a state board test, and must pass an employer's test in addition. I point this fact out with every single class--that cheating on my tests won't help when they must test later in their (beginning) careers--and they risk gaining a poor reputation. No matter, some still choose what they perceive as an easy way through the course. It is sad...but personal choices are beyond my control. A student pays for instruction, and chooses to receive less that they paid for (in time and money). Incredible! I will continue to encourage the entire class, of course, but the lack of personal discipline does bother me.
I agree. I have better things to do than to find new ways to police cheaters. I encourage them that they have to do it on their own in the real world. They are only hurting themselves. These are adults, and I find that my respect for them is important. If I find them cheating I lose rspect for them and do not put for the extra time or effort that I do with the honest students. If they can't put forth extra effort than neither will I.
I also am not scared to point it out to them in front of the whole class when they cannot do the work on their own, in a tactful manner. I am proud to say that I really don't have a problem with cheating.
I will not tolerate cheating in my class!
Hi Manuel,
What are some strategies you use to prevent cheating from occurring in your classes?
Gary
I always get the students together and ask who created the original and who copied. The cheater will always admit he did it to spare the other. I then give them both 0s as an example. This gets out to the other students.
As far as cheating, it's going to happen no matter what. When a student comes to me to tell me so-and-so is cheating, I listen carefully to them. I stop everything I am doing, and I look them straight in the eye so they know they have my complete attention. After they have exhausted their frustration, I then explain to them that the cheating student is only hurting themselves. I try to make sure they understand that what the cheating student does does not and will not affect their progress. Usually this will difuse the situation, and they kind of walk around with a feeling of righteousness for quite some time.
Hi Maria,
Good strategy. Instructors have to be constantly on guard when it comes to cheating. There are as many different ways to combat it as there are ways of cheating. It is always sad to me that individuals feel they have to cheat when is as you say only reduces their ability to be successful in their career area.
Gary
I let my students know the first day during the expectations part of my introduction that cheating will not be tolerated in any form, and that any students participating in it will recieve no points for the assignment or test in question. This usually does well to divert it from happening in the first place, though I have had a few cases show up from time to time.
No matter what you try in stopping the cheaters in the class, there will always be a student or two that will try challenging you. I’ve set rules from the first day of school and follow it strictly. I’ve also made a print-out of the school rules that state “If any student is caught cheating on a test or assignment, he/she will be expelled from school”. I take a lot of time stressing this rule. If I catch any student cheating, I give them another chance by giving them a verbal warning and assign seats for future exams. If the same student is caught cheating again, then I have no choice but to report it to department chair. It is sad that some students find out the hard way that cheating in class will not be tolerated but these actions set the reality for the rest of the students.
Faith,
I have had similar things happen in my class. I'm in a culinary school, and have had students use some of their product and someone else's product to complete the required number of products for a test. It's always amazing to me that they think that i wont know!! Half look one way and the other half look completely different!!!
I have no tolerence for cheaters, I take it right to the dean. This results in an academic agreement with the student, so if it happens again they get expelled.
Bruce Bowers
