Two students caught cheating......

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If you had an assignment worth 5% of your total grade, and you did'nt finish it or forgot about it, would you copy someone else's assignment and turn it in as your own work knowing there is a zero tolerance cheating policy and you signed an integrity statement at least three times stating you are aware of the rule?

What do you think should happen to the students? Only three choices. 1. get a zero on the assignment (remember it is worth only 5%), 2. fail the class, 3. get kicked out of the program with the option to reapply at the next application period?

My thinking is....worth less than 5% and they cheated...what are they going to do in a major situation? I think they should be kicked out of the program. We all knew full well going into our program about the rules and the consequences. I know I may seem cold, but it is about morals, judgement, and honesty. If you do not have those basic qualities....then stop wasting space that could be filled by someone who can handle the stress of the situation.

One girl in my group feels that they should only receive a zero on the assignment. She thinks the other two options are two harsh and the students

should be given a second chance.

Anyone else have this happen in their school? What became of the cheaters?

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Specializes in Critical Care, ER.

In an absolutely just world where everyone who cheated got caught, I would say kick them out of the program. In this world, where others who didn't get caught proceed sans probleme, I would opt for failing the class.

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Specializes in 5 yrs OR, ASU Pre-Op 2 yr. ER.

As hard as i worked to get where i am, no way would i blow it doing something SO STUPID. If someone's going to do something so stupid as CHEAT, whos' to say they wouldn't CHEAT patients later on?

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Specializes in Critical Care, ER.
As hard as i worked to get where i am, no way would i blow it doing something SO STUPID. If someone's going to do something so stupid as CHEAT, whos' to say they wouldn't CHEAT patients later on?
I know many outstanding, moral folks in my class (not me, cuz I'm very picky about my writing) who have borrowed each other's papers. It's not right really, but I don't think it necessarily means that they would be dishonest nurses. Alot of it has to do with the fact that we all feel that our program require us to do all this work that doesn't really pertain to nursing directly at all. Again, I am not defending it or saying that it's right-
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integrity is a huge part of being a nurse. so much so, that it was emphasized greatly in my interview. i was actually asked what i would do if i found a student cheating on an exam.

my answer was that i would confront the cheating student and let them know i had seen the cheating. i would also offer the student my assistance in studying for the next exam so they can avoid cheating. there is no need to cheat; we are all there to help each other thru. but i would also let the student know that if it happened again, i would go straight to the instructor and rat him/her out.

i was also asked about my definition of plagiarism - taking the work of another, which includes fellow classmates and passing it off as my own, which i said was a huge no-no. again, no need to cheat. if you can't do the assignment, either take the zero or see if you can get an extension. but i can see the nursing school's rationale against extensions; nursing is a life and death situation and you don't necessarily get extensions when it comes to dealing with people's lives. i'd opt for the zero personally.

5% is a huge part of the grade considering you would have to almost ace everything else to get an a. and since my school won't allow any grade lower than a b for advancement, 5% hurts!

but i think failing the class is an appropriate option. you do the crime, you do the time.

topcat

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Specializes in 5 yrs OR, ASU Pre-Op 2 yr. ER.
I know many outstanding, moral folks in my class (not me, cuz I'm very picky about my writing) who have borrowed each other's papers. It's not right really, but I don't think it necessarily means that they would be dishonest nurses. Alot of it has to do with the fact that we all feel that our program require us to do all this work that doesn't really pertain to nursing directly at all. Again, I am not defending it or saying that it's right-

My point was to ask: who's to say that they wouldn't do it, though, not that they would.

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Specializes in Med/Surg, Ortho.

If there was an integrity statement that the students signed, they know the consequences they should have been spelled out in the written agreement and it should be followed. Making exceptions is doing nothing but nullifying the integrity of the whole program.

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Topcat, I guess I should have stated the assignment is one of ten. The average of all the assignments is counted as 5%. So, considering the fact that if they could have taken a zero by not turning in the assignment and it would have only counted as 1/10 of the assignment grade total....it was a dumb reason to cheat. In fact, it was an incredibly stupid reason to cheat.

Our school's passing average is a 70. That is pretty generous passing grade compared to most nursing schools, but we have a 95 or 96% NCLEX pass rate ( As long as we continue with the NCLEX pass rate we get to keep the low average passing grade). So with that kind of system in place I cannot understand the cheating.

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Specializes in Emergency Dept, M/S.
integrity is a huge part of being a nurse. so much so, that it was emphasized greatly in my interview. i was actually asked what i would do if i found a student cheating on an exam.

i absolutely agree with you. cheating is lying - saying to a teacher "here is the work i did", when the person didn't do it at all. people get away with cheating or lying once, they'll do it again.......and again......and again. pretty soon, they probably figure it hasn't "hurt" anyone, and justify it by saying it really has nothing to do with nursing - "heck it was only an english paper" or "it was only a math exam". i don't buy it. i've taken courses at several colleges, and even if i don't formally enter a program, i'm given their rules and procedures about cheating and plagiarizing.

it is not fair to the others that do the work. i have no sympathy, and agree they should be removed from whatever program they are in. colleges do not want cheaters. their school logo is on whatever diploma or degree they give out, and don't want it coming back that students cheated to get it.

i would like to say it would tick me off to work my butt off to get a b on a paper, only to find out someone cheated to get an a. but you know what? it wouldn't. they will get what is coming to them eventually (though if i was aware that they had cheated, darn right i'd turn them in.) by spending loads of money for a degree and then end up getting kicked out of school, or worse, graduate with a nursing degree and not be able to pass the nclex. (for the record, i don't think anyone that cheats in school would be able to pass the nclex. i've seen and heard this stated many times myself.) what a waste.

for me, the answer is simple: i want to learn. i want to know why this functions as it does, and that works that way, and the results of giving this for that. cheating just does not enter the equation. teachers and professors are *usually* more than willing to help if you are stuck or don't understand something. they want you to pass. yes, we've all heard about the ogre's, but there are ogre's everywhere. got to get used to them sometime.

and all that for just 5% of their grade? i'd take the incomplete rather than risk all i've worked for.

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Fail. Any student who would cheat should be kicked out. I don't care why they cheated. It doesn't matter if the student thinks that assignment will be important to them as a nurse. Students do not get to decide what is or isn't worth their time in the curriculum. Extremely arrogant to suggest otherwise.

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topcat, i guess i should have stated the assignment is one of ten. the average of all the assignments is counted as 5%. so, considering the fact that if they could have taken a zero by not turning in the assignment and it would have only counted as 1/10 of the assignment grade total....it was a dumb reason to cheat. in fact, it was an incredibly stupid reason to cheat.

even more reason to record an f for the class and for the cheaters to take an early summer vacation.

topcat

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Cheating might appear minor but yet it is these situations, when we are under pressure, that our character is revealed for what it is. Anyone can act within ethical boundaries when everything is going well.

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