so what happens if someone in your class cheats?

Jen2 · Feb 23, 2004

My school has a academic integrity policy that is non-negotiable. If you get caught cheating you are kicked out of school no questions asked. One of our senior nursing students just got kicked out because she copied someones paper from two years ago to the exact word. She didn't think the instructors would remeber the paper. They did and now she has to go to a different school. It was only a two page paper, relly stupid on her part.

Tweety, BSN, RN · Feb 23, 2004

I would think unless your instructor has proof as to who it was and that someone definitely cheated, then making the whole class suffer isn't fair. If someone was doing the old "coughing" trick, how does the instructor know that?

mitchsmom · Feb 23, 2004

I don't think it's fair to punish everyone either...

I'm not sure about the details of the cheating, I was paying attention to my own quiz (it's on the big screen sort of power point style and the questions automatically click to the next one after one minute so you have to pay attention up front, plus I sit 2nd row in a big stadium seating room and I think the cheaters were up in the back), but she made a comment during the test about how maybe the coughers should have stayed home today, and then when it was done she flipped out a little. Then everyone was saying it was the dumb coughing-cheating plan. I also heard that supposedly (?) whoever it is, is currently suspected of cheating in other classes too, but I don't know anything about that. If they are I wish they'd just kick them out and get it over with for the rest of us. I can't believe they weren't at least smart enough to think of a more plausible method of cheating if they felt that it was such a brilliant idea to cheat in the first place. So, not only were they disrespecting the teacher by doing it, but they were also saying "and I think you are so dumb that you are not going to catch on to this caveman plan". sigh

MryRose · Feb 24, 2004

That's really not fair. In my opinion, if the instructor knew it was happening, then they should have found the violators and dealt with them. The entire class should not be held responsible.

Personally I would find out who it is and turn them in. I doubt that anyone is going to Nursing school for the fun of the experience, it's a serious decision. If someone cheats I figure that it will eventually catch up to them and mind my own business. However, when grades come into play, it BECOMES my business and I would take some action.

Sorry you are going through that.... it seems the education in itself is difficult enough without adding these types of issues. I'd be interested on hearing the outcome.

Hugs!

MaryRose

wv_nurse 2003 · Feb 24, 2004

What a risky way to give a test----no wonder there was cheating!

stressgal, RN · Feb 24, 2004

Had this very thing happen last week during midterms. I also sit at the front of the class, so I miss most of the cheaters but a coworker and classmate of mine alerted the instructor as it was taking place. She discretly wrote a note on her test, took it forward to the instructor and acted as if she had a question while he read her note. The instructor then started to walk toward the students in question and they hurriedly put their notes away. He gave us our midterm grades last week, except for the girls in question. I personally work too hard to keep my GPA up, as acceptence into the nursing program is based in part on your GPA and half on your placement test. I will be the first to turn someone in in order to assure I have a fair shot, after all I am not the one who has done anything wrong.

wonderbee, BSN, RN · Feb 24, 2004

Rather than punish all the students, the school should assess the way they give tests and invest in another method. Cheating on tests is a given. Instructors have to count on in happening. All of our tests are given through a computer testing center and the numbering of the questions are scrambled differently for every test. Makes it impossible to cheat in the way you described.

They just gotta build a better mousetrap. As for the cheater, let me tell you that a cheater who I know cheated through much of his prereqs (using the scantron system) is in deep hot water now that he's in the nursing program with our computerized tests. It's just a matter of time.

RedSox33RN · Feb 24, 2004

That is a terrible way of giving a test, but........

it still doesn't give anyone the right to cheat or try to cheat. IMO, you can give a test with the answers stapled on the back, and tell people not to look until the test is over, and honest people won't look. I don't think how a test is given should impact cheaters/non-cheaters.

BUT, it is unfair to punish the whole class. That is not right, in any way. The school and instructor need to do their own detective work and find out who it was, though I agree with the other poster, than as a student it is our moral responsibility to turn in people we know are cheating. I have no problem at all with that. IMO, a person that cheats on a test or term paper would have no problem cheating as a nurse, by blaming others or charting incorrectly, etc.

Cheating makes me really, really angry. I've told my children I would rather have them bring home a bad grade any day than a good one they cheated for.

Marie_LPN, RN, LPN, RN · Feb 24, 2004

They get a hearing, and that determines if they get expelled or not. If they don't get expelled, the grade they get on that test is a 0.

(wonder if they burped for C and farted for D)

treddrn · Feb 24, 2004

My class reported someone cheating in the very first semester of nursing school. Nothing was done about it. She cheated all the way through and she graduated from nursing school. I think that is sad!!

Marie_LPN, RN, LPN, RN · Feb 24, 2004

Unfortunately some pt. of hers will pay for that though.