Hello! I decided to post this in the general nurse forum in hopes to get more responses and to also get some much needed professional opinions on this. Here it goes:
Last week we had our first test this semester. I truly do not think that the test was all that bad and I am actually expecting to get around a %90 on it (They wait a week to give us our test back). Anyways one of the students in our class brings in an NCLEX book the next day and the first 35 out of 50 questions were taken directly from this book word for word. Not a thing was changed. The questions were even in the same order, the answers were exactly the same and even the a,b,c,d, were in the same words and order. I am livid.
Even though only like 5 students in the class have this book it is unfair. I am not saying this because I failed the exam, because I actually think that I did really well. I am just upset becasue instead of being tested on our lecture material that was given to us in class this instructor chose to steele answers word for word from a published NCLEX book. What upsets me even more is that I studied my rear end off for three weeks in a row, did all the required readings and a person majoring in basket weaving could have passed this exam if they had this book.
I can understand an instructor using a book like this to guide them to make up questions that pertain to our material, but just copying them down word for word and them putting them on a test is absurd. Whether I pass or I fail I want it to be because I did it with the material that they teach us, not material that comes from a $30 book. I have over $500 wrapped up in required nursing texts that I studied from and I could have paid $30, memorized these questions the night before and passed this exam (the one person in my class even admitted that they did not study anything other than this book).
Our whole class is now just torn on what to do. I don't know what to do myself. I no longer have any respect for this instructor at all. I mean if I copied a careplan from a book I'd get kicked out of school, and if I forgot to cite something in APA format on a paper I'd get kicked out of school. What do you all think? All suggestions/opinions are very welcome? Thanks so much!
Specializes in private duty/home health, med/surg.
So basically, someone taking this course who doesn't really have their heart into it & is going into nursing for all the wrong reasons doesn't have to bother learning anything--no critical thinking, looking at the big picture, problem solving. All they have to do is memorize the answers in the NCLEX book and they've got a great deal of test questions in the bag, just guess on the rest and they pass the test.
I know all about going along with instructors in gray areas, but this area is NOT gray. I seriously doubt the legality of it, and if the instructor isn't good enough to formulate his/her own questions then he/she should not be teaching. The purpose of these quizzes are to test how well students are grasping the material, not to see who has found the loophole.
The instructor never told the class that she was going to use the NCLEX study guide questions for her test right? So the students didn't have an unfair advantage b/c they didn't know that those questions would be on the test. So in response to a previous poster, those students can't just skim by in nursing school, b/c not all professors are going to get their questions from the NCLEX book. I say, just let the instructor know that people have the NCLEX book, so you feel that if the professor keeps using it, THEN the students will have an unfair advantage. Maybe if you don't want to get on the professor's bad side you could maybe leave her an anonymous note.
Thanks everyone for your replies. I don't plan on saying anything because it's just going to open up a big old can of worms. Those students had no idea that they were studying the exact test, so it's not their fault, but a few of them wouldn't know squat about a chest tube because it wasn't one of the regurgetated questions, but that's not my problem. I just really needed to vent. In the long run I know that I know the material and will be able to answer these types of questions no matter what format or from what NCLEX book. That truly is all that matters to me. However, I have still lost respect for this instructor. I also know that the grade that I get will be based on my knowledge of the material and not just spending a couple of hours the night before the exam studying from a NCLEX book. Thanks for letting me vent and for your opinions. Now that I have calmed down and heard others views I know that I am the only one that I need to stay true to. Thanks.
rnmi2004
534 Posts
So basically, someone taking this course who doesn't really have their heart into it & is going into nursing for all the wrong reasons doesn't have to bother learning anything--no critical thinking, looking at the big picture, problem solving. All they have to do is memorize the answers in the NCLEX book and they've got a great deal of test questions in the bag, just guess on the rest and they pass the test.
I know all about going along with instructors in gray areas, but this area is NOT gray. I seriously doubt the legality of it, and if the instructor isn't good enough to formulate his/her own questions then he/she should not be teaching. The purpose of these quizzes are to test how well students are grasping the material, not to see who has found the loophole.