cheating classmates!

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Any of you encountered cheating classmates in your pre-req classes? There were cheaters in my Chem class, and now in my A&P class. REALLY angers me! I reported them to the instructor. Afterall, who wants to have a nurse who cheated their way into/through nursing school??? Maybe the TEAS weeds them out...

"I'd rather just let it be. I know what I have to do and I don't butt into other folks lives."

But their cheating, possibly resulting in affecting the grading curve, may butt into YOUR life with a lower grade. Is that okay with you?

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"I'd rather just let it be. I know what I have to do and I don't butt into other folks lives."

But their cheating, possibly resulting in affecting the grading curve, may butt into YOUR life with a lower grade. Is that okay with you?

If that's the case then I would have to agree with you. Personally, first I would just take the direct approach and confront the cheater and tell him/her about what I saw and my concerns regarding grading curve and it's effect on my grade. If that doesn't workout then I'd go the professor. But either way, cheating shouldn't be tolerated.

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Tell the person to take the class Online and they can "cheat" all they want to!

I have A & P II now (A & P I last semester) and it was/is incredibly difficult. When we have exams (Online) you can have every book, note, notecard, etc. out and it makes NO difference. I just took my first exam; studied for days, thought I knew the information well and got a 75%; the class average was 77%! The questions asked are NOT Out of the Book type questions but ones that you Have to know the subject, how things work and are related to even attempt to answer correctly. I've always been a very good student (have my BA & MA) and these two classes are a whole new experience. Guess I'm just venting about the 75%.

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Specializes in EMT-P.
I disagree. I think this must be precisely how some ditsy nurses became nurses. (Ever have one of those?) I do not police my classmates, but if I notice cheating, I will notify the instructor as I've always done. It is then his responsibility to deal with it or not.

This is a somewhat passive aggressive course of action to take. Are you too timid to approach the alleged cheaters and confront them with your dissatisfaction to their blatant cheating? Since your name has mom in it, I assume you are one of the older students, and as such you might take on a leadership role. Confront the students, tell them that you saw them cheating and that you do not like it one bit. Warn them that if you see it again you will notify your instructor. This at least gives them a heads up that you are not cool with their actions. This is how we did things when I was in the military, you go sideways first before going up. After all many students are still young, and have not yet realized the cause and effect thing that results from their actions. An accusation of cheating can end ones college career, how would you feel if a bad mistake like copying a test forced you out of college and was a permanent stain on you for such a long time. A good quote when I went through firefighting training in boot camp.

Learn or Burn baby, learn or burn. In the end, they will carsh and burn, for the curve concern, what makes you think the few cheaters will bump the curve, they are probably all wrong anyways. :)

Don't sweat the small stuff. :clown:

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Specializes in LTC, Home Health.

These are not children. They know cheating is wrong. They don't need someone to warn them that it is wrong because since they were in grade school people have been telling them so (apparently not parents but teachers). I can't believe that in the college level we still have to tell people not to cheat.

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Specializes in EMT-P.

Perhaps you have forgotten what it is like to be 18-20 yrs old. Thrust from the bosom and sanctuary of home life to a world of the unknown where expectations are high, your future riding on a grade and a degree. To fail is an utter sentence of life in menial existence and despair.

As a kid the thought of this scared me, and I felt the pressure of adulthood bear down on my yet still underdeveloped body.

You must realize the burden of this inner fear and pressure to succeed will often rationalize a would be bad behavior. Realizing this, I would be big enough to let the cheating person of a chance of redemption rather than endanger their still young life. Then again, I would probably not care so much, as I am more concerned about my own grade, as I most likely bump that dreaded curve up.

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Specializes in LTC, Home Health.

Look around the classroom. The average nursing student is not 18 or 19 years old. They are old enough to know better then to cheat. Although an 18 year old is also. Age is not an excuse for stupidity or laziness.:D

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This is a somewhat passive aggressive course of action to take. Are you too timid to approach the alleged cheaters and confront them with your dissatisfaction to their blatant cheating? Since your name has mom in it, I assume you are one of the older students, and as such you might take on a leadership role. Confront the students, tell them that you saw them cheating and that you do not like it one bit. Warn them that if you see it again you will notify your instructor. This at least gives them a heads up that you are not cool with their actions. This is how we did things when I was in the military, you go sideways first before going up. After all many students are still young, and have not yet realized the cause and effect thing that results from their actions. An accusation of cheating can end ones college career, how would you feel if a bad mistake like copying a test forced you out of college and was a permanent stain on you for such a long time. A good quote when I went through firefighting training in boot camp.

Learn or Burn baby, learn or burn. In the end, they will carsh and burn, for the curve concern, what makes you think the few cheaters will bump the curve, they are probably all wrong anyways. :)

Don't sweat the small stuff. :clown:

I disagree, as it's not my job to "police" my classmates, nor is it my job to counsel folks who I witness cheating. My responsibility (as defined my our student honor code) is to notify the Prof. if I witness someone cheating. After that, it's a faculty responsibility. That's not passive aggressive, that's fulfilling my responsibilities.

Even if the student in question is younger, no matter what my age, I'm not their Mom....why would they care what I like and what I don't? I'm guessing their own parents have taught them that cheating is wrong, if they didn't listen to their own parent's lecture, why on earth would they listen to me? Additionally, I wouldn't feel guilty if someone's college career was impacted because I reported them cheating....only because they jeopardized their academic career by cheating....it's like blaming the witness in the bank robbery for the thief going to jail...ludicrous. Both the thief (in my example) and the student who cheated have made decisions and took action, there are consequences for actions, if they haven't learned that yet, they need to. This is not kindegarten, if they don't have the maturity to understand the cause/effect relationship between actions and consequences, then perhaps they're not mature enough to be in a nursing program. They're young adults who are studying to be professionals. As such, they are responsible for their actions....they have to be because they will ultimately be responsible for other's lives.

Now if I have a problem with another student, then it's my responsibility to work with them before bringing it to the attention of those above us....absolutely. But cheating isn't a disagreement between two students, it's me witnessing a violation of the honor code and I have been instructed on what my responsibility is in that situation.

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Specializes in EMT-P.
Look around the classroom. The average nursing student is not 18 or 19 years old. They are old enough to know better then to cheat. Although an 18 year old is also. Age is not an excuse for stupidity or laziness.:D

I will be sure to do that Monday morning. Cheating is wrong and I do not condone it, Understanding and tolerance is hallmark of wisdom. I feel my years affords me a didactic tone with other students when I see it appropriate.

I am on my second go around for a career, my first one treated me well, my savings account is good to go, I can spend years in school with no worries. Other students, however, do not have this luxury as they feel their future. hangs in the balance.

Have a little latitude in your thinking, life is too short to sweat trivial matters.

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Perhaps you have forgotten what it is like to be 18-20 yrs old. Thrust from the bosom and sanctuary of home life to a world of the unknown where expectations are high, your future riding on a grade and a degree. To fail is an utter sentence of life in menial existence and despair.

As a kid the thought of this scared me, and I felt the pressure of adulthood bear down on my yet still underdeveloped body.

You must realize the burden of this inner fear and pressure to succeed will often rationalize a would be bad behavior. Realizing this, I would be big enough to let the cheating person of a chance of redemption rather than endanger their still young life. Then again, I would probably not care so much, as I am more concerned about my own grade, as I most likely bump that dreaded curve up.

I haven't forgotten. I didn't succeed in school when I was that age....I did not have very good grades and failed far to many classes.....but I still didn't cheat.....one of my few outlooks that have stayed consistent over the past few decades is that I'd rather fail than cheat any day.

Saying that academic pressure to be accepted in a nursing program is an excuse for cheating is kind of like saying not having enough money to pay for the nursing program, is an excuse for robbing a bank. Feeling academic pressure isn't an excuse for cheating....even for an young adult.

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Have a little latitude in your thinking, life is too short to sweat trivial matters.

I also have a good number of years on me :) and agree that life is to short to sweat the small stuff. I think where we diverge though is I don't think cheating is small stuff. I think (especially if they aren't caught) cheating is indicative of a willingness to take the easy way, even when the easy way is wrong. A dangerous precedent for a nurse.

I've never worried about how a cheater's grades impact mine (via a curve)....as I also often set the curve. But I don't think that letting someone who cheats get away with it serves them or their future patients well.

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Specializes in EMT-P.

I think I have failed to make my point. As the son of a former Korean war vet Jar head you can bet your ____ that cheating was something my dad would have disemboweled me for. Never said I condoned cheating or am I making excuses for the cheaters, rather I state again and strongly reiterate tolerance.

With that said, I do not believe my feeling on the subject are so strong that I would risk ruining a kids life by getting him or her expelled for falling to a bad choice. If I were so inclined that the would be cheater bothered me, I would approach this individual in private, and explain that I saw what you were doing, further I would explain that this was the final warning as I do not want to see it being done in front of me, further cheating would be reported or something like that.

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