ROFL

[newage2012]

[eklavya]

this happened in my univ as well (accounting major), last year.... since there are 2-3 days to take the midterms, and the midterms are held in the testing center and not in the class, one guy from the group would study like hell and go take the test. then he/she'd come back and regurgitate the test in front of classmates. and the remaining would go and take the test, get >95% all the time!

the people involved were identified, and 26 students were expelled from the department. of the 26, 4 were expelled from the university while remaining were allowed to stay. of those allowed to stay, 3-4 were ripped off of their 3-4 years they had invested in accounting and made to enroll in some other major, while remaining were forced to take a year worth of other general and ethical classes before re-enrolling in the major. that was a major blow to our accounting program which usually frequents the top 10 in national rankings.

and oh, 2 people who had already graduated and left had their diploma revoked. pretty awesome, eh?

[rabolisk]

The dude who would study is pretty awesome though.

[katerific]

Oh, this. I've heard a lot of debate over it... apparently the test banks were more freely available than he made them out to be? And he didn't actually write the questions he claimed to have written? I really don't know, but I've heard something-ish like that.

anyway, I wish I had a juicy story about cheaters getting served, but I haven't personally seen any since the old high school days. Now those stories are juicy, but not particularly satisfying (they only got a slap on the wrist, but there was typical HS drama involved).

also: the hardcore study dude sounds a bit desperate for friends/popularity if he's willing to do that for people, imo.

[eklavya]

i really doubt that it's driven by desperation for popularity. there are roughly about 20-22 tests per semester i think. so in essence, each person gets to become the hardcore dude at least once.

i wonder why our university expelled these folks. they should have been kept around and demonstrated to bio students to explain reciprocal symbiosis.... it'd have also saved few lichens each year

[katerific]

Oh, I thought you meant the same person did it each time. I see, I see.

And now I'm stuck with a mental image of a bunch of bio students (with labcoats and goggles and notebooks, of course) standing around and carefully observing the students...

[eklavya]

And now I'm stuck with a mental image of a bunch of bio students (with labcoats and goggles and notebooks, of course) standing around and carefully observing the students...

you forgot to mention the bio students poking the cheaters with their pen/forceps/whatever.... haha

[kaykaykay]

Ah really cheating should be punished. I assume it is the huge social stigma in the US that makes the universities tiptoe around the subject even in the most obvious cases. I cought copy cats before and nothing happened. I was so angry with the system.

Just declare that you are not a terrible person if you cheat BUT if you get caught it goes directly on your transcript, and employers, grad schools can decide whether a one time mistake can be forgiven. Now most cheaters go unpuished, add to the grade inflation but those who get punished suffer well beyond the scope of their deed.

Besides, who would announce that the questions are from a question bank and make the possibility of cheating obvious?

[TheDude]

Good. I think I grew up pretty oblivious to what was going on around me because when I started to open my eyes to how ubiquitous cheating is in college I was astonished. I've never cheated, nor have I felt the pressure to do so. Putting in the work, at least for me, has always paid beyond normal dividends.

However, I've taken some solace with seeing that those who repeatedly cheat do eventually get exposed as morons somewhere down the road.

[newms]

Those that cheated got a pretty good deal - fess up and just take a 4 hour ethics course and face no disciplinary proceedings and have no record of it on your transcript. I would not have been so generous at all had they cheated in my course

[qbtacoma]

Yes, I too didn't realize until late in college how common cheating is. After hearing about this I resolved instantly to be an incredible hard@ss about cheating in my future classes - with an open door, so students do have the chance to learn about what plagiarism and cheating are, but there's absolutely no excuse.

Just thinking about the money involved is enough. I received so much scholarship money - other people I have never met were willing to invest in my education, and I kept that trust by doing my own work. Just think of how many honest students didn't get to go to that school because some cheaters ate up their scholarship money. Argh!

And the worst thing about it is the students had the absolute gall to say "we're paying for this degree so YOU should apologize to US for not letting us get away with it." Makes me want to box some ears. (Not really.)

Edited December 1, 2010 by qbtacoma

[newage2012]

Just thinking about the money involved is enough. I received so much scholarship money - other people I have never met were willing to invest in my education, and I kept that trust by doing my own work. Just think of how many honest students didn't get to go to that school because some cheaters ate up their scholarship money. Argh!

Most scholarships are awarded not just on your grades but how well you write your personal statement or life experience and how it reflects your personality. I highly doubt some random cheater have a proper life story to write on... they pretty much to have no life anyway.

[newage2012]

Oh, this. I've heard a lot of debate over it... apparently the test banks were more freely available than he made them out to be? And he didn't actually write the questions he claimed to have written? I really don't know, but I've heard something-ish like that.

[Strangefox]

this happened in my univ as well (accounting major), last year.... since there are 2-3 days to take the midterms, and the midterms are held in the testing center and not in the class, one guy from the group would study like hell and go take the test. then he/she'd come back and regurgitate the test in front of classmates. and the remaining would go and take the test, get >95% all the time!

Oh, what an unusual cheating method!

I have not heard of anything similar.

So how did this one person regurgitating information could help others to pass the test?

I am just not particularly familiar with how testing in US universities works. Hence the question.

[UrbanWonk]

I'm a student jury member for academic integrity violations at my uni. There are some methods out there you wouldn't even fathom. My favorite is when typos manifest identically in two papers when the students "were just writing them in the same room, and never ever emailed or shared them." Riiiiight.

If there are any lurkers out there who are still in undergrad, I highly recommend this form of service! Lots of fun, and rather satisfying for those of us who play by the rules.

[Strangefox]

My favorite is when typos manifest identically in two papers when the students "were just writing them in the same room, and never ever emailed or shared them." Riiiiight.

Or may be they just have some kind of spiritual link and get the same ideas, like twins, you know

[Tiglath-Pileser III]

Cheating is absolutely rife at colleges today. It's not so much that there is shame involved. Higher education today is seen as a means to an end for getting a better paying job. It is credentialism, so parents and students alike want to seen Johnny get in and out as quickly and as effortlessly as possible. It is an attitude of entitlement combined with thinking that it is a victim-less crime. Cheating is a form of theft. It is stealing a level of achievement from others that earned it legitimately. Every time someone cheats it devalues someone else's scores, because scores are valued relative to what other people achieved. Just like bad currency drives out good, bad scores debase good. Cheaters make it more difficult for people who worked hard to get into the PhD programs we are all seeking. Remember Adam Wheeler? While we may mock Harvard for being bilked by that shyster for thousands of dollars in scholarship funds, we need to remember that in cheating he damaged other students by stealing a seat from someone who earned it and by stealing scholarship money that will never be recovered. Harvard is not the victim here; other students are the victims of his crimes.

I despise cheaters and have no tolerance for it in any class that I teach.