I need guidance, I saw one of my classmates cheating on our mid-term pharm test. We self grade so she changed about 12 answers to get a passing grade. NOT only did I see her but in the hall after grading she told me she had to change them just to barely pass. I got an 83% and passing is 78% so sure I wanted a better grade to but would never have changed my answers.
Ethicly I think I know what to do, I just don't want to be a tattle tail and she knows I know so there is my catch 22 .
OP I'm really glad that you decided to go to your professor. Reporting what you saw realistically has nothing to do with the student you witnessed cheating; it has everything to do with your willingness to do the right thing.....even when uncomfortable.
I agree with what llg said, if you can let the instructor know there is cheating happening without naming names, do so. But yes, being willing to report it is to your honor.
I throw out questions if too many people get it wrong, because it means I either didn't teach it well enough or there is something wrong with the question. Its called fairness.
that instructor has no business allowing students to grade their own paper in the first place. thats just cheating waiting to happen....what did she think would happen? everyone was going to be honest? yea right... and secondly, where is your proof? now now dont get me wrong i am not saying that you are lying or anything.. but this is the question i would bet that the instructor or director will ask you.
as much as we all would like to we can't force people to be honest.. not everyone is going to do the "right" thing.
this particular student is looking for trouble and that is exactly what she will find one day.
My first move would be to drop my classes at this school and get a refund, and then I would enroll at a reputable school. No school worth its salt should let students grade their own exam!!
I just finished nursing school in August and we had that problem as well. Ths is how our instructor handled it. A bunch of us told the instructor that this person was cheating and we also had self scoring. What the instructor did was when you were finished you handed in your test and then were able to exit the classroom for a break until everyone was finished. When everyone was finished she took the tests and copied them and then she had the proof of the ones that cheated. BYE-BYE cheaters!
Specializes in Wilderness Medicine, ICU, Adult Ed..
Wow. There just are no pain-free solutions to this sort of thing. Every option carries risk. I am reminded of a lecture delivered by an expert on ethics. He commented that one of the myths about ethical behavior that often hangs people up is the myth that if you do the right thing, you will be rewarded, and if you do the wrong thing, you will pay a price for it. Wrong. This is an unfare world, and right and wrong do not correlate with happy or sad, rich or poor, popular or reviled. The essence of ethical behavior, he argued, is to do the right thing and calmly accept the price your ethical behavior exacts, even if the price is high. He pointed out that the people we admire for their moral courage often suffered unjustly as a result of their decission to do the right thing.
Last thought: if we believe that nursing is a profession, and that autonomy and self-regulation are components of a profession, than we cannot leave it to others to police our ranks. Some have argued that the cheating student will eventually be found out. Maybe. However, how many patients will suffer before someone else catched her?
Best wishes to all in your journey through this unfair, painful world.
If the instructor has been checking her work all along (and sees where she has issues) and she suddenly does "well" on a self checking exam--he might give it a raised eyebrow. She'll be found out. Just keep minding your own "store.'
There is no doubt that this is an ethical problem. The student cheated, was observed cheating, and should be reported. This is a very hard thing to do, but ethically must be done. You know that this is the right thing to do ethically, because it is the hard thing to do. The easy way out is to do nothing, but nursing then gets an ethical nurse. If nursing does not police itself, someone else will, and we don't need another person looking over our shoulders telling us what we can, and cannot do. Let the instructor know, and let her decide what to do. As an instructor I depend upon the ethics of the students to help me. I cannot see or hear everything that goes on in the classroom. Self-grading exams is not logical, because you almost set up the students for cheating. If you do not report this, what will you report as a nurse? If not now, then when? Good luck.
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CuriousMe
2,642 Posts
OP I'm really glad that you decided to go to your professor. Reporting what you saw realistically has nothing to do with the student you witnessed cheating; it has everything to do with your willingness to do the right thing.....even when uncomfortable.
All the best to you!