Cheating?

truern · Oct 11, 2005

Unfortunately, our class *did* have a problem at one time, but she's long gone

Regardless, we sit every other seat, can't have cell phones on, can't have anything except an extra pencil on the desk, if they run low on calculators and you use your own you're not allowed to share it until the instructor clears it for you, and there's an instructor at the front of the room with a proctor in the back watching the whole time.

They used to give two versions of the test, too, so nobody had the same test as the person next to them...but they cut that out this semester.

RedSox33RN · Oct 11, 2005

I'm in Microbiology this semester, and we had our first exam last week. We all assumed, before the prof showed up to hand out the exam, that we had to sit every other row, like we did in the same classroom last year for A&P 2. She came in, and had a completely puzzeled look on her face! She said SHE never said we had to sit every other row, and we could sit wherever we wanted. She then said she did not leave the room and was very watchful of everyone's eyes and heads during the exam. She was.

Totally different than nursing classes, where the only thing allowed by us were our pencils and calculators - no exceptions. When done with the exam, we had to leave the classroom and wait for everyone else to be done, then have the rest of the time as lecture. (I'm partial to the class being done when you're finished myself! I like that about our science prof's!)

Also, we're allowed to keep our exams in everything BUT the nursing classes. They're run through the Scantron, we go over each and every question thoroughly at the next class, but they go back to the instructor. We can review the exam whenever we want by making an appt with the instructor, and we can copy down from the exam anything we want, but we cannot remove the exam from the instructors office.

I've never witnessed any cheating during an exam, but then again, I'm focused on my exam, and don't care what others are doing. I would have no problem turning anyone in that I saw cheat or knew for sure was, though. I think that goes along with academic honesty.

AngelaSPN · Oct 11, 2005

We have to do that at my school too. everything--bookbags, purses, cell phones have to go to the front of the class room. all you can have is a pencil or two on your desk. there are 19 of us now and we don't have enough space to sit every other seat. it has been done this way since the first test so they didn't start because our particular class had a problem with cheating.

Catys_With_Me · Oct 11, 2005

Their bark is much worse than their bite.

nicuRN2007 · Oct 11, 2005

We take our tests on the computer...it's set up so that the monitor is down in your desk, so no one besides you can see it. Anyway, our instructors walk around the entire time looking over our shoulders at our monitors to make sure that we don't have any extra windows pulled up on our computers. It doesn't bother me because I know I would never cheat, but there are some people who would. Hopefully this will prevent that.

Siouxz2 · Oct 11, 2005

Our school does all this as well, except, we're NOT ALLOWED to use calculators. We have to show all our work. And, we have to walk to school barefoot in the snow two miles each way. Uphill. and.......

Seriously, as a 44-year old woman, I do find this a bit demeaning, but I guess I understand why they have to do it.

Fun2, BSN, RN · Oct 11, 2005

Cell phones are not allowed AT ALL in the testing centers, even if they are turned off.

As for my chemistry class....it's the weirdest thing! The instructor will get up and walk out of the classroom! Granted, I don't know if he is peeking in the door, but half of the class he can't see. Either way, I guard my paper like a hawk.

I have a strong philosophy.....If I'm going to fail, it's going to be because of my own merit (or lack of), and not because I copied off of someone else's papers.

I'd rather sit every other seat, and have several rows inbetween each row of testers too!

I'm not in nursing school yet, so I can't answer how the nursing school does it. However, I hope they make sure no one cheats off me, but not to the extent that they make me even more nervous while I'm trying to test!!!!

AuntieRN · Oct 12, 2005

We spread out to 3 at a table, nothing can be out under our chairs or anywhere that has any kind of writing on it (even if it has nothing to do with nursing), we can use our own calculators but they have to be approved, no cell phones, no pdas, when we are done taking our test we exit the room quietly and wait for everyone else to finish. The whole time our instructor is watching and walking around the room. We have lecture after our test too...she later emails us our grades and at the end of the next lecture class we get the tests back to look over them. Then they go back to her and are destroyed within 72 hours. I do not understand cheating anyways..you are only hurting yourself for one thing and ummmm...what makes you so sure the person you are cheating off of actually knows what they are doing at that moment and how do you really know the professor didn't pull a fast one and hand out different tests? My professor last semester used to do something like mix up the questions on the test and use different numbers for the math questions...so if you were cheating she would have known right off the bat. If you get caught cheating you are thrown OUT of the program and that is the way it should be...providing there is realy evidence that you cheated. (just my opinion) but nursing is about honesty right?

Marie_LPN, RN, LPN, RN · Oct 12, 2005

Perhaps if people didn't strive at cheating, schools wouldn't be so hard on everyone else.

I understand the cell phone thing. Text messaging.

As for cheaters that were caught, they were dismissed and banned from every returning. Which i completely agree with.

GrnHonu99, RN · Oct 12, 2005

OH yeah, I forgot, after our tests are over we have to leave the room until everyone else is finished too, we arent allowed to gather outside the door either. I understand the not congregating outside the door but Ive never had to leave the room till the rest of the class was finished, but eh oh well. We are only allowed to use those cheapy calcs..no graphing ones at all...

Our teacher told us a story of a student (not at our school) who brought a water bottle to class and he had peeled away the sticker around it and put a cheat sheet under the label so that every time he took a drink he could see it...I was dumbfounded at that one! It's insane the lengths people will go to to cheat, lol if they would only put that much effort into studying!

Fun2, BSN, RN · Oct 12, 2005

Our teacher told us a story of a student (not at our school) who brought a water bottle to class and he had peeled away the sticker around it and put a cheat sheet under the label so that every time he took a drink he could see it...I was dumbfounded at that one! It's insane the lengths people will go to to cheat, lol if they would only put that much effort into studying!

Uggh.....I guess he's smarter than I am because I would have never dreamed up something that crazy!

Exactly! Could you imagine the potential that person would have if he put that much effort into studying?????!!!!!!

I'm glad cheaters get kicked out of the program. I sure wouldn't want a nurse that I knew cheated his or her way through school, and "lucked" through the NCLEX!