Is Cheating a Lucrative Business for College Students?

[NeoDevin]

He's not only taking into account relative marks in determining who cheated and who succeeded honestly. From what I've read, they're also finding out who purchased/accessed the answers.

From the marks statistics, he can make a list, and be confident that every cheater is on the list. He can't be confident that every person on the list is a cheater.
From the information about who accessed the answers, he can make a separate list, and be confident that every person on the list is a cheater, but not that every cheater is on the list.

He can only submit the second list for punishment, as they are the only people that can be proven to have cheated. As some of the cheaters will certainly be overlooked, the fairest solution for the non-cheaters is to force everyone to retake the test. As far as marks in the course go, it is to the benefit of the non-cheaters that everyone in the class retake the exam.

 

[stevenb]

It is the professor himself who should sit in a ethics class.

I disagree.

You may not agree with the professor's choice and I read your points above and understand your point of view, but, there is nothing unethical in his actions. Real life situations don't always offer a clear ethical path. Each path has its own ethical issues, and a person has to weigh many factors and make a personal choice.

The professor is offering a type of forgiveness and a fair shake to the cheaters. He is offering them a chance to learn from their mistake and not suffer permanently for a poor choice they made. He is allowing them to get a grade that measures their actual knowledge. He is possibly saving the parents of the cheaters from a total loss of the investment they made in their kids education. (assuming cheating could be conclusively proved, which is decided by others and is out of his hands, by the way)

The teacher apparently feels he has no choice but to force all to retake the exam. He may have a good idea who cheated and who didn't, but he can't be sure. Ethically, he can't allow grades that are certainly corrupted by cheating to be counted. By forcing a reexam, he can be sure that all get a fair grade. Yes, the noncheaters are inconvenienced, but that's the fault of the cheaters. It's not unethical to inconvenience someone. It can be unfair, but may be unavoidable in some cases. Personally, if I did not cheat, I would rather retake the exam, than let the cheaters keep their good grades. The additional exam also allows further discrimination of the cheaters from the noncheaters. (statistically at least) Postmortem analysis is important and even ethical.

There is nothing unethical in the professors behavior. He is a human being in a no-win situation making a decision that he feels is the most fair and compassionate to all involved.

I could just as easily say that your choice of action is unethical, but I wouldn't do that because it would be unfair since you are just putting different weights to the ethical concerns and making your own opinion about what is the most ethical decision to make.

 

[DanP]

The professor is offering a type of forgiveness and a fair shake to the cheaters. He is offering them a chance to learn from their mistake and not suffer permanently for a poor choice they made. He

Dont do-it at the expense of fair students by forcing all to re-take the exam. This is clearly a unethical choice. It is simply wrong to punish the innocent and at the same time be lenient to
the real cheaters, giving them a chance.


He and the school ****ed it up badly IMO. Their process is very badly flawed if they get such high percentages of cheaters.

 

[disregardthat]

What would count as definitive proof of cheating? What basis of accusation is needed before the professor can expel someone? Surely a statistically suspicious result on a multiple choice test could not be sufficient.

I would rather have 100 cheaters free of accusation than one honest student expelled and I hope most would feel the same.

I think the professor is right in making all retake the exam. First of all, the cheaters cannot be graded on this test, and second of all the honest students would have an unfair result relative to the global outcome. Statistically you'd get the same result on the next test. DanP; making students retaking the test isn't punishment, being expelled is punishment. The professor has clear and objective reasons for making all retake the test.

 

[stevenb]

Dont do-it at the expense of fair students by forcing all to re-take the exam. This is clearly a unethical choice. It is simply wrong to punish the innocent and at the same time be lenient to
the real cheaters, giving them a chance. He and the school ****ed it up badly IMO. Their process is very badly flawed if they get such high percentages of cheaters.

How is letting the scores stand fair to the noncheating students? It's harmful to them to have lower scores relative to the average. He's not punishing the innocent. He is trying to somehow get back to a level playing field as best as possible. Your statement that forcing a retake is unethical is unfounded. It's unfair to the students who didn't cheat, but it's also unfair to let the scores stand. This is a no-win situation. Your solution is just as unfair, but again I wouldn't call you unethical if you decided that was best. However, if I were an noncheating student, I'd be pissed off at you for sure. You seem to be saying that taking a test is akin to torture or some other horror. I'd retake a test any time if I knew that 1/3 of the class had the answers prior to the test the first time. Even if I do slightly worse, I'm sure to do much better relative to the class.

I agree that this issue of showing lenience is potentially unfair, but forgiveness is not unethical. Perhaps he has no right to forgive them on behalf of the noncheating students, but the complication is that he can't prove conclusively who cheated, so maybe it's better to just identify them by letting them confess. Again, your accusation of unethical behavior is unfounded.

 

[Grep]

Ethically, he can't allow grades that are certainly corrupted by cheating to be counted. By forcing a reexam, he can be sure that all get a fair grade. Yes, the noncheaters are inconvenienced, but that's the fault of the cheaters. It's not unethical to inconvenience someone. It can be unfair, but may be unavoidable in some cases. Personally, if I did not cheat, I would rather retake the exam, than let the cheaters keep their good grades.

I do understand the point that the innocent shouldn't have to pay for other people's dishonesty, as I'm pretty sure you do too. I know I'd feel that way at first. I always really hate it when I'm treated by someone else as if I'm dishonest by default, since I know I'm pretty much honest to a fault (but not to stupidity... For example, I know that "Do I look fat in these jeans?" is a TRAP!) - and don't get me wrong, I'm far from perfect over here.

But I still agree with you on your points. I think if I was one of the innocent students, I'd be angry at first, but then I'd realize that it's probably the only fair way to handle it. And that it's the cheaters that put everyone in this situation in the first place.

I'd also realize that I get a chance to get an even better score since I got a practice run. I should have an idea in which areas I was weak, and get a chance to brush up. Either way I should be able to better my score, I figure. Though if the new test is purposefully harder than the first, that would be maybe a bit unfair. Hopefully it's roughly equal in difficulty.

On the other hand, if I was one of the cheating students, I'd hope that I would learn a lesson from this. That what's important is not if you cheat or not, but whether you got caught. KIDDING!

 

[Gokul43201]

It is simply wrong to punish the innocent ...

And letting the grades of the non-cheaters be unfairly pushed down by the high scoring cheaters is a better outcome for the innocent?

and at the same time be lenient to the real cheaters, giving them a chance.

Yet you propose doing nothing. Is that not more lenient than making them retake the test?

 

[lisab]

And letting the grades of the non-cheaters be unfairly pushed down by the high scoring cheaters is a better outcome for the innocent?

Exactly! Remember, a lot of classes - especially science and math - are graded on a curve.

The cheaters are screwing the honest students out of their hard-earned grades.

 

[mugaliens]

Florida college professor gives cheating business students an ultimatum - confess, retake the test and attend an ethics class, or don't graduate.

Hooray!

Exactly! Remember, a lot of classes - especially science and math - are graded on a curve.

The cheaters are screwing the honest students out of their hard-earned grades.

Aha! I knew there was a reason I...

 

[Proton Soup]

original link is dead, but from the discussion, it sounds like we've got ourselves a lazy teacher. disciplinary action is being wielded in the wrong direction.

 

[Gokul43201]

original link is dead, but from the discussion, it sounds like we've got ourselves a lazy teacher.

Justify?

disciplinary action is being wielded in the wrong direction.

Explain?

 

[Proton Soup]

Justify?

Explain?

instructor is lazy and generates exams from a testbank.

 

[electrical_ck]

If somebody would have given me a possible final exam test, I would have taken it and continued my normal studying.

Bad/Lazy teacher IMO.

 

[Gokul43201]

instructor is lazy and generates exams from a testbank.

Still waiting on an explanation for the other part.

 

[stevenb]

If somebody would have given me a possible final exam test, I would have taken it and continued my normal studying.

Even if you are not ethical enough, one would hope you would at least be smart enough to not take the possible final exam test. Your willingness to risk expulsion and the loss of invested college tuition and valuable years of your time, when very little is to be gained, does not speak well of your common sense.

Being truthful is the one bright spot in your comment, but I wonder if you would be honest enough to say that to your parents, and prospective employers. If yes, then at least here you would be putting truth ahead of common sense, which is a step in the right direction.

I would recommend that you aim higher. Try being ethical and smart at the same time. You'll be amazed at what unexpected rewards often come of it.

 

[waht]

Evolutionary speaking a cheater would be a favorable trait among many. And this is what we see in the real world. Many people cheat all the time, whether at blue collar jobs or white collar jobs, whether young or old, whether married? Whenever there is a possibility to MILK the system, you will find lots of people lining up for grabs. One can even argue that the economic crisis was a direct result of cheating.

And so, there is no point in zeroing in on bunch of students. This system is basically a combination of upbringing, socials norms, peer pressure, (nurture), and human evolution (nature). And you have no control over these forces. While I'm not supporting cheating, I recognize those who did cheat simply exercised the physical laws that makes them up, the mind and the body (Ashby). Cheating is an emergent process.

Therefore, if you don't like it and don't and want to impede cheating, you have to fight it. Don't expect and drool over arbitrarily moral axioms and expect everyone will bend over. Take active action.

 

[electrical_ck]

Even if you are not ethical enough, one would hope you would at least be smart enough to not take the possible final exam test. Your willingness to risk expulsion and the loss of invested college tuition and valuable years of your time, when very little is to be gained, does not speak well of your common sense.

Being truthful is the one bright spot in your comment, but I wonder if you would be honest enough to say that to your parents, and prospective employers. If yes, then at least here you would be putting truth ahead of common sense, which is a step in the right direction.

I would recommend that you aim higher. Try being ethical and smart at the same time. You'll be amazed at what unexpected rewards often come of it.

umm ok mr high horse? Do you have a problem with students passing around old exams for studying purposes? When a student would give me an old exam from previous semesters I would practice those problems, I never said I would bring an old exam or anything to the actual exam. I would use it as a study guide if anything.

 

[stevenb]

umm ok mr high horse? When a student would give me an old exam from previous semesters I would practice those problems, I never said I would bring an old exam or anything to the actual exam. I would use it as a study guide if anything.

Ah, studying from old exams is not cheating, but you said "If somebody would have given me a possible final exam test I would have taken it ...". This sounded like you would be taking a possible copy of the exam you are about to take, which would be cheating.

If you are saying the former and not the latter, then I'm sorry. I don't think this case is about students studying from old exams. It seems to be about students knowing they had THE answers to the present exam. There is a huge difference here.

 

[electrical_ck]

Ah, studying from old exams is not cheating, but you said "If somebody would have given me a possible final exam test I would have taken it ...". This sounded like you would be taking a possible copy of the exam you are about to take, which would be cheating.

If you are saying the former and not the latter, then I'm sorry. I don't think this case is about students studying from old exams. It seems to be about students knowing they had THE answers to the present exam. There is a huge difference here.

Yeah I would never bring anything like that to an actual final.

 

[stevenb]

Yeah I would never bring anything like that to an actual final.

Ah, good! I'm sincerely happy to hear that. I apologize.

 

[Proton Soup]

Still waiting on an explanation for the other part.

what is there to explain? you discipline the teacher for being lazy and using a testbank to generate the exams.

sure, it's great to believe that there's this awesome labor-saving device from the textbook companies. and it's a great way to get teachers to use your book. but this stuff gets stolen and has been out there for a long time now. you would think even an inkling of common sense would exist at the university level. but no.

i also find his theatrics just a wee bit incredulous(i did find the vid on youtube, tho it seems it's being scrubbed from the net as we speak). flabbergasted and floored is he? i guess i would be too if my *** were exposed.

 

[Gokul43201]

what is there to explain? you discipline the teacher for being lazy and using a testbank to generate the exams.

So the teacher should be disciplined for breaking the unwritten code of "thou shalt not be lazy", but the students that cheated deserve no punishment for violating clearly written rules?

 

[Pengwuino]

Some people seem to see Teacher vs. Student as some sort of competition! NO, students are NOT in a competition with the teacher to con them out of giving them passing grades and teachers are not suppose to see students as a pack of criminals that must have every defense built up against their need to cheat! That seems to be the problem with students. They have no idea what it means to "earn" a grade. Someone at another department has an article posted on their door about how students don't believe they have to "earn" grades (although the article focused more upon "A for effort" thinking). I need to get a hold of that article...

 

[xxChrisxx]

Don't you think this is an inherent trait of multiple choice tests though? (I'm still assuming this is multiple choice, as there has been nothing to show otherwise yet and even 50 short answer questions would be a pretty hefty exam). I can see the justification, as marking 600 long answer tests would take rather a long time.

It's just far more difficult to cheat at long answer questions (you'll need a bloody big crib sheet or eyes like superman), as you get most of your marks for method rather than the answer.

And frankly method marks have saved my bacon more than once.

 

[DanP]

I agree that this issue of showing lenience is potentially unfair, but forgiveness is not unethical. Perhaps he has no right to forgive them on behalf of the noncheating students, but the complication is that he can't prove conclusively who cheated, so maybe it's better to just identify them by letting them confess. Again, your accusation of unethical behavior is unfounded.

Then he has no case. He should lie down, and realize that the fault is his and the school's for the poor processes which led to such a situation.

Second, it is of utmost stupidity in life to confess anything which can't be proven by a investigator. It's naive to expect to identify ppl "by letting them confess". SOme will crack, most wont.


Third, yes, I can say he is an unethical man. He favors cheaters. He basically screams "Hey, cheating pays off. Ill forgive you cheaters, and Illl hit in fair students for you"

 

[JaredJames]

Why is it always students vs teacher here?

I'm somewhat dubious about what constitutes cheating, but if there was a possible 700 questions and they were able to access the answers to the exact ones on a test then they clearly had access to the questions before hand - as long as the teacher didn't provide them, that is cheating.
If they had all 700 multiple choice answers on their person going into the exam, that is cheating.
If they had all 700 questions with answers and used them to study from, that isn't cheating.

Do we know which of the above it was?

The first is cheating on the students part.
The second is cheating on the students part, but I'd also put some blame on the lecturer for using such an easily breached system for generating exams.
The third is, from my point of view, not cheating on the students part. It simply the lecturer using an unsecure method of generating the exams and the students studying from the materials they know will come up - pretty much revising from past years papers (in my uni, although the questions change, the general theme of them is the same).

So far as letting them resit the test goes, this is plain ridiculous and is screaming to me that he feels he had a part in this problem. He is trying to cover his mistake. The ethics class, I don't think he can force on anyone unless he can prove who cheated.
I have to say, innocent until proven guilty. This isn't about "letting the cheaters go", this is about proving who has cheated and punishing accordingly. Otherwise you end up in a situation where possibly only some of those who cheated get punished and face potentially punishing those who didn't cheat.

 

[BobG]

Second, it is of utmost stupidity in life to confess anything which can't be proven by a investigator. It's naive to expect to identify ppl "by letting them confess". SOme will crack, most wont.

Except in this case. Of an estimated 200 cheaters, about 75% confessed and took the professor up on his offer. Most cracked. And of those who cracked, how many will tell who they got the answer sheets from and who they shared the answer sheet with?

Any cheaters that didn't confess will experience huge stress at a minimum and at least some of the non-confessing cheaters are going to face full punishment.

I agree that if all the students had stood pat and said nothing, there wouldn't have been much the teacher could have done.

As things worked out, the teacher inconvenienced all the students, with their consolation being two chances and their grade being the best of their two chances. He also made the incident very unpleasant for most of the cheaters and possibly devastating for some of the cheaters. (And the ethics class is for the confessed cheaters, not for all of the students.)

There's only one possibility that hasn't been covered. The cheater that confesses and then lies about who gave him the answer key and who he shared it with. In other words, he and/or a few other cheaters implicate innocent people just to obtain a small amount of revenge on the professor by turning his plan into a fiasco.

 

[stevenb]

Then he has no case. He should lie down, and realize that the fault is his and the school's for the poor processes which led to such a situation.

Sure, some of the fault is with the professor and the school. They were not good enough policeman. Still, the police don't lie down, blame themselves and not-deal with the crime and the criminals just because they were not good enough to prevent the crime.

Second, it is of utmost stupidity in life to confess anything which can't be proven by a investigator. It's naive to expect to identify ppl "by letting them confess". SOme will crack, most wont.

In life it might be stupid to confess, but here (in a school) is was a good choice. It's not naive to expect ppl to confess. They do it all the time. Here most did crack, so again you are wrong, as clearly shown by the data.

Third, yes, I can say he is an unethical man. He favors cheaters. He basically screams "Hey, cheating pays off. Ill forgive you cheaters, and Illl hit in fair students for you"

Nonsense. Giving someone a second chance is not unethical, it is not favoring and it is not condoning the behavior. Note that I'm not saying I necessarily agree with all actions of the professor, nor do I necessarily disagree with all of your points. I just think an accusation of unethical behavior back at the professor is unfair and even unethical in itself.

 

[BobG]

Bob,

Lets say research assignment, back to my original question then:


Is it plagiarism even if credit is given by the student to the source, what would the professor's options be given this circumstance ?

Rhody...

It's a funny world. Some people have trouble writing their own memoirs without resorting to plagiarism.

http://www.huffingtonpost.com/2010/11/12/george-bush-book-decision-points_n_782731.html#s180908

Is it ethical to challenge the accuracy of someone's description of events and then later use that description almost word for word in your own memoirs?

I can only hope that someday he'll regret admitting to torture in his memoirs and respond with the age old defense, "I was misquoted".

 

[Proton Soup]

So the teacher should be disciplined for breaking the unwritten code of "thou shalt not be lazy", but the students that cheated deserve no punishment for violating clearly written rules?

maybe a little of both. but you need clear evidence of cheating.


another question might be just how much this is a cheat. 700 questions in the test bank. if you're studying 700 questions, then one might reasonably conclude that you're studying the material itself. and if you learn the material, then you deserve the grade.