Ethical Dilemma re: Tests

[ziggysgal,RN]

Ok, a little bit of background...

I am in an LVN program that has 5 groups of students - total class size 150 students. In my group, we took our first exam last week in one of the classes a day or two after another group.

A few classmates were discussing the fact that one of them has a friend in one of the other groups that allegedly shared specific information from the test - as the friend had already taken it.

I have no proof... and I don't know for certain that the tests are identical... and the classmate with the info did not ace the exam... but it is bothering me just the same.

This feels like cheating.

Do I approach the instructor with this information or do I let it go and worry about myself?

It is possible that it is bothering me because I put in the study effort and this particular classmate is frequently bragging about weekend plans and such. Yes, I know that is a maturity issue on my end that needs to be resolved... trying to work on it.

However, the fact that ethics is so important to this career field... and the fact that we are required to sign a confidentiality clause for EACH exam... just bugs me that this information was allegedly shared.

Thoughts?

[dudette10, MSN, RN]

While I have encountered classmates who are willing to share information from a test with other classmates who have not yet taken it, everyone has a choice to participate or not. I don't, btw, because I do feel it's cheating. Most of my classmates don't participate either.

My big beef is that the instructors probably know this is happening. How could they not? They use the same tests for two or three cohorts in a row, and they expect it to never happen?

Reality check, please!

In reality, they could write four tests, and by the time the first test came around again, all previous students would have graduated. Seems easy, but apparently not.

[ziggysgal,RN]

The problem is not that a student from a previous year is sharing information. This is someone who took the test at another satellite campus a day or two prior...

[That Guy, BSN, RN, EMT-B]

No proof, no point.

I never understood why students did this in the first place. Why give someone an advantage you didnt have.

[Moogie]

Sometimes, new faculty or part-time/adjunct faculty may be unaware of situations like this. If I were the instructor I would want to know. It's tough because you don't want to feel like you're tattling but you need to discuss your concerns with your instructor.

Hope this helps.

BTW, here is a sticky created by one of our senior staff that discusses academic dishonesty. https://allnurses.com/general-nursing-student/7-2010-must-489951.html

[Moogie]

I never understood why students did this in the first place. Why give someone an advantage you didnt have.

That's a really good point. I like your logic.

[gumby1411]

They're getting specific information about a test before they take it...that's cheating. I understand how you feel, spending so much time studying to earn your grade while others take the easy route and cheat. While taking A&P, I saw a classmate look at someone else's test during a lab exam. I wasn't sure what to do about it. I thought about telling the professor, but really it'd be my word against hers.

Personally, I wouldn't get involved. Keep your nose clean and far away from those that cheat. When their bad behavior catches up to them, and it will, you don't want to be anywhere close by.

[Moogie]

They're getting specific information about a test before they take it...that's cheating. I understand how you feel, spending so much time studying to earn your grade while others take the easy route and cheat. While taking A&P, I saw a classmate look at someone else's test during a lab exam. I wasn't sure what to do about it. I thought about telling the professor, but really it'd be my word against hers.

Personally, I wouldn't get involved. Keep your nose clean and far away from those that cheat. When their bad behavior catches up to them, and it will, you don't want to be anywhere close by.

Gumby, I completely understand why you wouldn't want to get involved. I once discovered someone cheating and brought it to the attention of the instructor and nothing was done. It was a very stressful experience for me and it's rather demoralizing to think that I went through a great deal of angst over the situation while the student who cheated probably didn't feel even a twinge of guilt.

Still, as the instructor, I would want to know so that I could be more vigilant during exams and watch more carefully for students who might be cheating. It would be useful feedback for me so that I could prevent people from trying to cheat. It is surprisingly tough to be a proctor for an exam and remain alert but not seem like one is hovering or being a control freak. I would look at this type of feedback from a student as a way of helping me be a better exam proctor even if there was nothing I could do to the person who may have cheated.

[gumby1411]

I would look at this type of feedback from a student as a way of helping me be a better exam proctor even if there was nothing I could do to the person who may have cheated.

That's a good point. I guess I was afraid of some kind of confrontation or being dubbed as a tattle-tale (as immature as that sounds). I figured that there was nothing that the instructor could do to punish the guilty party since she didn't actually see the cheating happen. I didn't think of it from the stand-point of beneficial feedback for the professor to improve the way they administer exams.

[coast2coast]

Sometimes, new faculty or part-time/adjunct faculty may be unaware of situations like this. If I were the instructor I would want to know. It's tough because you don't want to feel like you're tattling but you need to discuss your concerns with your instructor.

This! New instructors can be shockingly naive about cheating.

Since you don't have proof ... I would contact your instructor and tell them what you heard without naming names. Say simply that you would like to make them aware of a possible cheating situation.

DON'T bring this up with your classmates. Don't talk to the people who may have cheated, and don't gossip about them to anybody else. There's no reason to create drama here.

[~Mi Vida Loca~RN, ASN, RN]

So on the lines of what is considered ethical or not, I am curious how you all feel about this situation.

Student A is in 2nd, 3rd or 4th semester of their nursing program. They run into a group of first semester students. (you can spot them by the fear in their eyes in the hallway waiting to do their first skills test) LOL Anyway, so one of the students is saying how they have to take their first exam for math and if Student A has any pointers. Student A tells them to make sure they know their definitions.

Doesn't tell them which definitions or anything, just says to make sure they know them.

Is this cheating?

[ziggysgal,RN]

Doesn't tell them which definitions or anything, just says to make sure they know them.

Is this cheating?

My theory is that it is not cheating because it is not information specific to the test... but I'm interested in hearing other perspectives on this.