this seems like a good topic to post. i was taking a very difficult exam today and two people who were obviously cheating were doing so within earshot of me and others. so, i told them to stop for two reasons.
one, i could see that they were not going to stop themselves. they were engrossed in going from one question to the next without slowing down. in addition, the exam was long and there would be no way those of us around them would be able to concentrate with their constant "what did you get for...?" questions.
the second reason i stopped them was because i am an instructor/professor (not of this class) and it is my professional ethical obligation to stop cheaters and report the students i catch cheating. besides that, cheating is my number one pet peeve! :angryfire i have more respect for students that flat out take an "f" for being unprepared and who later ask for help then those who cheat and think they will learn the information later!
some of you are like me and already have a professional code of ethics you must follow so i would be interested in hearing what you think. i am also wondering what students who are not bound by codes of ethics would honestly do because i have heard different responses from those i know. most have said that they would mind his/her own business if it was not going to effect him/her negatively. so, i think this will be an interesting conversation.
my question to this group of future nurses (and current nurses) is what would you do or have you done in a similar situation? what's your take/spin ladies and gents?
Specializes in ED, ICU, MS/MT, PCU, CM, House Sup, Frontline mgr.
I didn't get the fact that you were a professor from your original post. And I thought you had moved from your seat. Sorry if I misinterpreted your post. As for talking directly to you, I was talking about the situation in general.
i would definitely say something about cheaters to the instructor - quietly, of course, and when the cheaters were not within earshot, but i would say something so that if nothing else, the professor is more vigilant during the next test and stops the cheaters in their tracks. i know that i've been in similar situations in the past and not said something, and i regret it. there's a handful of students in my chem class now that (to my knowledge) don't flagrantly cheat on a exam or quiz, but during the first 5 minutes or so before our weekly lab reports are collected, there's always someone's lab that they are copying in a rush to get it done before they hand it in... and it always bothers me a lot. the next time i see it, i'll say something.
Specializes in Happily semi-retired; excited for the whole whammy.
Not only should the cheaters be gone, but those who know about this and do not report it should be gone just as fast. You have an obligation to report just as you will with someone who committs child abuse or some other crime when you are an RN.
You'd report child (or any domestic) abuse because of mandated reporting laws. Other crimes? I'm not clear of what obligation you speak. Depending upon how you came across the information in the first place, there will be times it isn't even legal to report. None of which addresses the folly of equating cheating on an exam to commiting child abuse in the first place.
Is this protocol in writing? It sounds like a terrible idea to me, on a couple of levels. First, it opens you up to retaliation if the cheater is so inclined. If other students are obliged to do the instructors' jobs for them and root out cheating, at the very least there should be a way to do so anonymously. Second, how on earth do you prove that you've spoken to the person first? Something tells me that they'll be disinclined to confirm your story, once they're caught and they know it was you who reported them.
It's a policy that has been enforced for almost a century at your military service academies (U.S. Military Academy aka "Westpoint", U.S. Naval Academy aka "Annapolis", U.S. Air Force Academy, etc.)... and it's been documented for ages.
If you cheat and don't expect people who see you cheating to report you at those schools, you obviously didn't understand one of the basic traditions of the school and deserve to get kicked out anyways.. and if you're a cheater, how do you expect someone to entrust their life or the life of a loved one under your command?
It's one of the first things drilled into your heads as basics. People who don't report also run the risk of the cheaters dragging them down with them... or run the risk of being included as a witness in the reports and being dragged down as a tolerator themselves. Par example: I was under investigation for toleration of a lying attempt but cleared my own name through a technicality [the investigation was based on hearsay by a nosy faculty member; the guy didn't lie because we stopped him before he could actually perform the act of lying (note that our honor system includes lying, stealing, and cheating... AND toleration)... which is what people should do in the first place.. it's a good way of teaching you to be a good "wingman"].
edit: This is taken from Westpoint's page on their honor code:
a. The Corps of Cadets bears the responsibility to resolve all possible violations of the Code through detailed, independent investigations and, when required, Honor Investigative Hearings. If a cadet (or anyone else) suspects that a violation occurred, then she or he is expected to approach the individual to clarify what happened (this step is optional). If that approach resolves the issue; i.e., the cadet making the allegation realizes no Honor violation occurred, then the issue will be dropped. However, if the person making the allegation still believes a violation may have occurred, she or he is obligated to inform a member of the Honor Committee within 24 hours. Failure to do so is considered "toleration," which is itself a violation of the Honor Code (the 24 hour rule is a guideline, cadets are not automatically in violation of the Code if they take more than 24 hours to report a violation). Once a suspected violation is reported to a member of the Honor Committee, it must be investigated. The two Honor Committee members from the suspected cadet's company will do an initial inquiry and make a recommendation; then two members from outside the company will perform an investigation and make a recommendation; then the Regimental Honor Representative will review the case file and make a recommendation to the Vice-Chairperson for Investigations (VCI). The VCI is the first person who has the option to drop the case. If this decision (either forward or drop) is not in agreement with every other recommendation in the case file, then the Chairperson must make the final decision. If the case is forwarded to a hearing, the Commandant of Cadets must approve the decision and order that a hearing be convened.
I cite them because they basically started the tradition in the way it is implemented in military service academies (it has existed in other schools in other forms.. usually more relaxed).
I forgot to add that in general, you're supposed report them to a cadet involved in the honor system after you verify that they have cheated, but it's in the violating cadet's best interests to self-report.. otherwise, the repurcusions (if they're found guilty) are much worse. I had to reread it (sorry.. it's been over 5 years since I graduated)
Oh... and I did know a guy who was kicked out spring semester of his senior year because he lied to an instructor about missing a morning class by saying he went to sick call (or to the clinic), when he actually slept in... so they're very strict about those things.
The necessity for intolerance of such violations becomes even clearer when one considers the purpose of our training – to produce officers who will responsibly serve their country rather than their personal interests. The non-toleration clause represents the spirit within the cadet wing to hold its standards high and to protect them.
Which adds
A cadet who suspects or knows of an Honor Code violation is first encouraged to speak with the suspected cadet. However, if the cadet has difficulty in coping with the situation, the person is encouraged to talk with a cadet honor representative.
Edit: I should add that I know the code isn't necessarily perfect, but it is a good practice. It teaches you accountability in several ways... but the most important way it teaches accountability is it encourages cadets to take a personal responsibility in taking care of each other by trying to prevent an honor incident from happening in the first place. If you notice a classmate is struggling in a class to the point that he or she feels like he or she must cheat in order to pass, then you take the initiative to help him or her out (or encourage the classmate to get the help needed in order to feel confident in his or her ability to pass the class).. Maybe some students at other colleges don't feel that they should be held responsible or accountable for the learning habits of other students in their class... but it would be awesome if they'd work as a team and help each other out in a postive (or the right) way whenever the help was needed...
(and I don't mean for it to sound condescending if it does.. I'm just trying to explain why the code has a no toleration clause in the first place, in response to mercyteapot's reply.. sometimes I tend to explain things fairly bluntly, so it comes across in the wrong way... I don't know much about the specifics of the original situation being questioned in this thread, so it isn't directed at the person who caught his or her classmates cheating)
Specializes in Happily semi-retired; excited for the whole whammy.
It's a policy that has been enforced for almost a century at your military service academies (U.S. Military Academy aka "Westpoint", U.S. Naval Academy aka "Annapolis", U.S. Air Force Academy, etc.)... and it's been documented for ages.
If you cheat and don't expect people who see you cheating to report you at those schools, you obviously didn't understand one of the basic traditions of the school and deserve to get kicked out anyways.. and if you're a cheater, how do you expect someone to entrust their life or the life of a loved one under your command?
It's one of the first things drilled into your heads as basics. People who don't report also run the risk of the cheaters dragging them down with them... or run the risk of being included as a witness in the reports and being dragged down as a tolerator themselves. Par example: I was under investigation for toleration of a lying attempt but cleared my own name through a technicality [the investigation was based on hearsay by a nosy faculty member; the guy didn't lie because we stopped him before he could actually perform the act of lying (note that our honor system includes lying, stealing, and cheating... AND toleration)... which is what people should do in the first place.. it's a good way of teaching you to be a good "wingman"].
edit: This is taken from Westpoint's page on their honor code:
I cite them because they basically started the tradition in the way it is implemented in military service academies (it has existed in other schools in other forms.. usually more relaxed).
I forgot to add that in general, you're supposed report them to a cadet involved in the honor system after you verify that they have cheated, but it's in the violating cadet's best interests to self-report.. otherwise, the repurcusions (if they're found guilty) are much worse. I had to reread it (sorry.. it's been over 5 years since I graduated)
Oh... and I did know a guy who was kicked out spring semester of his senior year because he lied to an instructor about missing a morning class by saying he went to sick call (or to the clinic), when he actually slept in... so they're very strict about those things.
Are you in a military academy then? I know all about their honor codes; as a matter of fact, earlier in this thread I mentioned them, or maybe it was the other thread on reporting cheaters. Either way, it is kind of funny that you are quoting them to me now. That wasn't the question I asked in my original post, though. I asked if the protocol of which you spoke, at your school, is in writing, not whether one exists anywhere. There are a great many protocols in the military academies that could never be applied successfully to civilian schools, because civilian schools really don't have the same enforcement capabilities.
SummerGarden, BSN, MSN, RN
3,376 Posts
No, do not worry about it.