Is cheating a double standard?

Nursing Students General Students

Published

My nursing school took great measures to fix grades when not happy with outcomes. However, this nursing school took great measures to prevent students from cheating. They had a zero tolerance policy towards cheating and any students caught cheating would almost certainly be dismissed from the program. The clever, deceitful, and crooked way in which final grades were fixed at the conclusion of the final semester of the two year associates of science degree in nursing program was a grade fixing scandal of monumental proportions. I was dismissed from the program as a result of not achieving the 75 required to pass the final course of the semester only to have insider information disclose to me that 28 of 79 students initially failed the course with zero "A" students. Ultimately, only 5 unfortunate students including me were not passed and graduated and I strongly believe that I was used as a cover up by the school for their grade fixing scandal just so the school could make the outcome of the semester look realistic. Is cheating a double standard?

How about you work your butt off and make grades that are no where near failing.... Problem solved!

I will never understand people who blame others for their failure, if you don't make the grade you need to work harder or smarter or both! Simple as that. When I failed an exam, i used it as a learning experience.

Up Vote Up Vote ×

"WAHHHHHH!!! I didn't get away with failing and others did!!!" YOU failed. Whatever else happened, YOU FAILED. You. Whatever the school did. Whatever yur classmates did. YOU failed. YOU.

Quit worrying about everyone else. If YOU do well enough, it doesn't matter what others do.

Up Vote Up Vote ×
Specializes in Cardiac Step down/ LTC.

Because I'm bored I read your previous thread. You seem to be having a hard time getting over and moving on from your past situation with that school. Maybe you should consider some counseling since you are having a hard time moving on.

Up Vote Up Vote ×

YOU just don't "GET IT". And that's the issue at stake here. The "fixed" passing standard was 75. Who knows what the real passing standard was since no changes to final grades were ever identified or explained. But one thing for sure, the "real" passing standard was well below 75. Without defining the passing standard as 75, YOU nor anyone else can prove I failed the course. (I was actually issued a final grade of 74.)

Up Vote Up Vote ×

I already went in for counseling.

Up Vote Up Vote ×

Should course instructors have unrestricted freedom to fix grades?

Up Vote Up Vote ×

My instructors would occasionally throw out questions, or adjust scores based on class outcomes. If they adjusted everyones scores the same way, and you still received a score of 74% you did not meet passing standards, even if some other students managed to come above passing. I think it is wrong for schools to throw out full exams, or mass amounts of questions to adjust their rates. Luckily, I was never very close to the passing standard, so I did not rely or expect questions to be thrown out just for me to meet passing levels.

This happened awhile ago, and you received a settlement. There is no point to continuously dwell on your outcome.

Up Vote Up Vote ×
My instructors would occasionally throw out questions, or adjust scores based on class outcomes. If they adjusted everyones scores the same way, and you still received a score of 74% you did not meet passing standards, even if some other students managed to come above passing. I think it is wrong for schools to throw out full exams, or mass amounts of questions to adjust their rates. Luckily, I was never very close to the passing standard, so I did not rely or expect questions to be thrown out just for me to meet passing levels.

This happened awhile ago, and you received a settlement. There is no point to continuously dwell on your outcome.

Finally a critical thinker!!

Up Vote Up Vote ×
Pretty much every school has strict penalties for cheating.

Many schools grade on a curve, and, as a result, adjust the final grades.

These are two totally different issues, I fail to see the problem and the double standard.

The double standard is that it is ok for

schools to cheat but not ok for students

to cheat.

Up Vote Up Vote ×

Here's my story: after my first semester of med/surg, my school changed their med/surg curriculum. That was another $300+on new books, plus a totally different set up as far as structure was concerned. Our first exam, everyone bombed. I was consistently making As and barely passed that test (our pass was a 77). The instructor scrambled...after all, it was her first time teaching from this book and the layout was totally different as far as content from the previous one. She threw out a bunch of questions which were "poorly worded or ambiguous". Many grades went up. Mine? Went down. Why? Because I got those questions right. Fair? Not entirely, IMO, but it happened. So I beat myself up for a couple of days and got back into studying for the next one. I graduated magna cum laude. If I'd let one test and the "it's not fairs" dictate my nursing career I'd be in poor shape. And guess what? That's life. It isn't always fair. But it is what you make of it.

As LoveNeverDies said, there is no point dwelling on the outcome.

Up Vote Up Vote ×
Specializes in ED, Medicine, Case Management.

Apparently my critical thinking skills are on hiatus, as I fail to see what EXACTLY your point is here...?

I feel as if some crucial facts are not going to change by dwelling on them:

1. It was determined by your nursing school that you did not meet the passing standard.

2. You apparently sued and won.

3. You cannot do anything about it now.

While I understand you feel wronged and misused, you are not finding much support here. Perhaps it is time to put that energy into formulating a new plan to get into another nursing school or to find another path.

Best of luck to you.

Up Vote Up Vote ×
Apparently my critical thinking skills are on hiatus, as I fail to see what EXACTLY your point is here...?

I feel as if some crucial facts are not going to change by dwelling on them:

1. It was determined by your nursing school that you did not meet the passing standard.

2. You apparently sued and won.

3. You cannot do anything about it now.

While I understand you feel wronged and misused, you are not finding much support here. Perhaps it is time to put that energy into formulating a new plan to get into another nursing school or to find another path.

Best of luck to you.

Your critical thinking skills are not on hiatus, VivaLaVespaGirl.

Up Vote Up Vote ×
+ Add a Comment