Cheating is always a potential problem in the university or college setting. It is very problematic for students, in that their learning is being circumvented. Cheaters will be less competent as graduates. Would you want, for instance, an accountant performing audits in your office who cheated his way through business school?
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Students who cheat also run the risk of being expelled, if caught. Cheating is problematic from an ethical standpoint, in that students who cheat in school will likely behave unethically in real life scenarios, placing the public at risk. The nursing student who cheats or plagiarizes will later become the nurse who falsifies client records and covers up medication errors.
Cheating is problematic for college programs, in that the integrity and competency of the entire program of study are at stake. If a school of nursing, for instance, has a reputation for student dishonesty, then the public loses respect for that nursing program. Employers will be reticent in hiring new grads from that program, due to the notoriety. The entire program suffers. Honest students are placed at a disadvantage because of the actions of the cheaters.
Types of cheating that occur in the classroom involve much more than the "traditional" passing of notes during exams and the sideways furtive glance at a neighbor's test. Students may store "cheat notes" in baseball caps, pullover jackets (sleeves or capes), written on the inside labels of water bottles, "tattooed" on forearms or scribbled on desktops. More techno-savvy forms of cheating involve the use of texting with cell phones, i-pods, buying textbook test banks over the internet, and sharing information about the exams via virtual means. Entire websites exist to give students advice on the latest techniques of cheating.
What can nurse educators do to safeguard the learning process in the classroom during quizzes and examinations?
Here is a list of suggestions that is by no means comprehensive:
Help students know and understand the nursing school's honor code, as well as the ana code of ethics. Also, cover the university or college's academic dishonesty policy and consequences for indiscretions.
Require students to spread out during testing (every other seat), if possible. Rotate seating during examinations.
Use proctors to circulate throughout the classroom during the test. A rule of thumb is one proctor per every 25 students in a room.
Avoid using standard test banks. Create your own multiple choice test items or alter the test bank questions substantially.
Use more than one version of the test during each examination. Change examination items significantly from semester to semester.
Require students to sign a "no cheating" affirmation on each test.
Do not allow cell phones, i-pods, pullover jackets, or baseball caps during the examination. Labels must be removed from water bottles. Bookbags and notebooks should be stored away from the desk (preferably in the aisle).
Do not allow students to take unproctored tests online. This is only asking for trouble.
If the cps "clicker" system is being used, require students to leave their clickers in the classroom (or remove batteries) after completing the test. Otherwise, students can get together in the hall to compare answers and they can still access and change their responses until the exam is officially "closed out" by the instructor.
I have found, in my experience, that the vast majority of nursing students are honest and ethical. Actual incidents of cheating are rare. Therefore, I caution educators to always treat students with respect and dignity. Avoid creating a suspicious environment in which everyone is "assumed" to be cheating. Cheating is a serious offense and students should be considered "innocent" unless caught in the very act. Still, instructors must remain vigilant. Hopefully, the advice given in this column will help the nurse educator prevent and detect any cheating that may be occurring in the classroom.
