Cheating in the Classroom

[VickyRN]

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.

[VickyRN, MSN, DNP, RN]

I'm concerned about cheating in prerequisites as well as in nursing courses. Seems to me that the extreme competitiveness of many programs may tempt a lot of students to cheat. How can someone be a successful nursing student if he/she cheated on the prereqs?

I'm not discounting the difficulty of some science prereq or co-req courses (such as anatomy or organic chemistry), but because of grade inflation it is a whole lot easier to get an "A" in most college-level courses than it used to be. Then, when the student is finally admitted into a nursing program, what a shock! A "C" truly is average, and "As" are rare.

[Moogie]

I'm not discounting the difficulty of some science prereq or co-req courses (such as anatomy or organic chemistry), but because of grade inflation it is a whole lot easier to get an "A" in most college-level courses than it used to be. Then, when the student is finally admitted into a nursing program, what a shock! A "C" truly is average, and "As" are rare.

That's a really good point. Was talking to the head of a graduate program once who said that if the high GPAs that are required for admission today were required back when he was a pre-nursing student, he doubts he would have ever gotten into a program. But back in the day, an A WAS an A and a C was average in pre-reqs as well as in nursing courses.

[LenaLoo]

There were girls in my class that cheated. They didn't pass the NCLEX.

[jdethman]

i don't want to be defending cheaters, but its up to the instructors to prevent it. i never cheated in nursing school, but was never in a position where their was a high probability that i was going to fail. many nursing students are weak students. they have gambled all their money, job, family respect their whole lives on this thing we call nursing school. nursing school that has more in common with usmc boot camp that college (i have been through both). many posters on this site are elite nurses and i would bet many where exceptional students so of course we didn't cheat. i am not saying that cheaters should not be kicked out and never be aloud to return. i think they should. what we should avoid it long winded diatribes of the lack of integrity in students, when we should be talking about lack of security of testing in the class room. i understand the argument if the cheat they will be bad nurses, but there are plenty of lazy unreliable nurses that never cheated.