Group chats and cheating?

[Emeraldstorm]

Good morning! 

I am a first year nursing student and have been totally online (besides labs) because of Covid. Our program is usually all in person. Because of this, the people in my class wanted to make a group chat so we can get to know each other and help each other out with studying etc. Unfortunately it has turned into helping with quizzes. Not so much exams because they are proctored but now I’m stressing about it because some of them are blatantly asking for direct answers and others are giving them. I don’t know what to do? Do I leave the group? I’m scared I’m still going to get in trouble because I was part of the group but the majority of our class is. But I don’t want anything to do with all that cheating. ?

[JKL33]

Leave the group pronto.

[cameron5575, BSN, RN]

Yep, without a doubt - leave the group right now. If this gets out, I would imagine they can and will take disciplinary action against you, regardless of whether or not you actively participated in the cheating.

[Emeraldstorm]

I left immediately. I guess I meant do I leave the group alone? Do I report to just leave it be? I am so disgusted about it, but I don't want to get in trouble for just being in it. I am livid. 

[Rose_Queen, BSN, MSN, RN]

Review your student handbook for guidance. You may find under the academic dishonesty section that you may be obligated to report if you have knowledge. 

[JKL33]

There will be differing opinions about that one. I'll tell you my take: This is not ultimately my responsibility. My primary responsibility is to not participate in it. I am not the po-po and beyond that this isn't my circus either. I reject any insinuation that I have a moral/ethical responsibility other than to not participate. There are ways to make it much less easy to cheat; even as you mention in your post--the difference between the quizzes and the proctored assessments. The people with the primary responsibility in regard to this matter are 1) the cheaters 2) the people administering the tests they claim are fair and rendering the grades they claim are fair.

Keep in mind that if someone rats out this group your school may not agree with me with regard to your responsibility. This is strictly my opinion and what I would do about your scenario which is just to disassociate myself from cheating behaviors.

[cameron5575, BSN, RN]

1 minute ago, Rose_Queen said:

Review your student handbook for guidance. You may find under the academic dishonesty section that you may be obligated to report if you have knowledge. 

I second this. It could be that, if word gets out that you used to be a part of that group chat, they may still blame you for not reporting it. So definitely check to see if there is a specific policy on this first. However, even if there is no specific guidance on it, your conscience may bother you and you may feel compelled to report it any way. This is ultimately your decision and there's certainly nothing morally wrong with that. At the same time, I personally wouldn't feel morally responsible for bringing this to the attention of the teachers. There are sadly many things that people do that are wrong but that we kind of have to just distance ourselves from them and move on. I try to pick my battles and only combat those that could potentially harm others. In the end, by cheating on quizzes, the only people that these students are hurting are themselves.

[Emeraldstorm]

I

6 minutes ago, JKL33 said:

There will be differing opinions about that one. I'll tell you my take: This is not ultimately my responsibility. My primary responsibility is to not participate in it. I am not the po-po and beyond that this isn't my circus either. I reject any insinuation that I have a moral/ethical responsibility other than to not participate. There are ways to make it much less easy to cheat; even as you mention in your post--the difference between the quizzes and the proctored assessments. The people with the primary responsibility in regard to this matter are 1) the cheaters 2) the people administering the tests they claim are fair and rendering the grades they claim are fair.

Keep in mind that if someone rats out this group your school may not agree with me with regard to your responsibility. This is strictly my opinion and what I would do about your scenario which is just to disassociate myself from cheating behaviors.

I totally agree! It was my instructor who told us to create the group, but she didn't say to use it to cheat. Our entire cohort is in there, give or take one or two people who don't have facebook. They would basically have to expel the entire cohort if they are going to expel anyone who was in the group. I am so sick about it. I basically got out, and took a screen shot that I did, and did a time stamped letter stating I did not want to participate in the group because of the cheating. I don't know what else to do, except move and on pray it doesn't land on me if they continue to cheat and there is evidence I was once in the group before the cheating started.

[Professor X, MSN, RN]

1 hour ago, JKL33 said:

There will be differing opinions about that one. I'll tell you my take: This is not ultimately my responsibility. My primary responsibility is to not participate in it. I am not the po-po and beyond that this isn't my circus either. I reject any insinuation that I have a moral/ethical responsibility other than to not participate. There are ways to make it much less easy to cheat; even as you mention in your post--the difference between the quizzes and the proctored assessments. The people with the primary responsibility in regard to this matter are 1) the cheaters 2) the people administering the tests they claim are fair and rendering the grades they claim are fair.

Keep in mind that if someone rats out this group your school may not agree with me with regard to your responsibility. This is strictly my opinion and what I would do about your scenario which is just to disassociate myself from cheating behaviors.

Seriously not your responsibility? And when you are a practicing nurse and see a colleague pocketing drugs or falsifying documentation, that will also be "not my responsibility"? 

[JKL33]

Yes, I am very serious. I've been a practicing nurse for quite some time and will not be shamed by you with regard to my professional assessment of this. I spend quite a bit of time analyzing things to come to my conclusions. Your comparison of this to the two examples you mention is practically anti-intellectual and appears devoid of a competent comparison of the situations.

Feel free to explain to everyone why I would be morally compelled to feel some duty for a situation where 1) the cheaters are the ones cheating and 2) the persons in the best position (besides the cheaters) to maintain the integrity of the assignment/quiz have specifically chosen not to take steps to do that.

I have very little tolerance for situations where someone attempts to impute an additional moral/ethical responsibility to me as a substitute for making a necessary change. It actually is *not*  my duty to make sure a random student isn't cheating on someone's random freebie quiz that they put out on the interwebs like an open-book assignment.

I have some more thoughts about how opinions like yours affect  this profession, but I will wait to hear what you have to say for yourself first.

[Professor X, MSN, RN]

Wow, you certainly put me in my place and totally changed my mind about this situation. Now I see that cheating students do not in any way affect the integrity of the profession and should just be allowed to continue cheating. Thanks for setting me straight.

[JKL33]

I see you don't want to defend your position.