WWYD: Cheating Classmate?

[Dismagic1]

The mindset is the same. Unless it is going to affect certain people personally, they don't want to get involved. Whether it's cheating on a test, seeing a person shop lift and turn a blind eye to it, because it isn't their stuff being stolen. We tell our kids not to be a snitch, but when a bully hits a myob's kid, oh then people who saw it happen should have said something. that is hypocracy.

Not everything is black and white. There are shades of gray.

 

[beatlesblonde]

I feel for you OP, you were in between and rock and a hard place. I would have at least brought it up to the professor and made sure to stress that you weren't 100% sure that the person was cheating. At the very least it may have made the professor more aware that she/he needs to enforce the "no cell phones while taking tests" rule to discourage future students who may have thought of cheating that way.

 

[princessmom29]

Say nothing, do nothing. You have no hard proof and there is nothing the professor can do as not only is it your word against his, the professor doesn't have the right to look into his cell phone since it's college, not high school. Also, the person you're accusing would know who you are and that's not the best thing for you.

The professor DOES have the right to look at his phone, at least no most college campuses. There is a disclosure agreement int he paperwork you sign to register that says that campus security can search you or your person at any time and that if you are suspected of academic dishonesty you either cooperate with the investigation or you can leave the school. Giving up a cell suspected of being used to cheat would fall under that umbrella. I have seen professors take phones an look at them many times, and when challenged about their right to do it, they just quote the policy. You can choose not to give up the phone, but doing so is an automatic explusion.

 

[Eeyores Butterfly]

That's tough. I hope I would have said something (discreetly) if I were in your shoes, but that is easier said than done. Maybe shoot the professor an e-mail. Just say that you noticed cell phones out during the exam and suggest that next time everything be removed from the desks or that the exam be more closely proctored. It will be up to the professor whether or not s/he wants to pursue it or change their policies.

 

[FireDancer]

What researchers are finding is that it's not the laziness that is the main motivator for cheating. The smart, success-driven student is actually far more likely to be cheating. They do it in order to prevent "failure," which to them may mean not getting into a top-5 university. In other words, it's not that they fear an F, they fear a B+. It's just a homework, becomes it's just a test, becomes it's just a high school class. Once they get to college, they're competing to get to the top of the class to get a job or graduate school. The cheating continues.

How does someone else cheating affect the non-cheater?

- If the exam or course is curved, the cheater can throw off the curve.
- If the cheater obtains a higher grade in the class, the cheater is more likely to get the better reference letter.
- Even if the course is not curved, the cheater with the better score is going to have a better class rank. In this economy, many employers are asking for applicants in the top x%. That cheater may have just taken your spot in the top x%.
- Cheater and non-cheater apply for the same research position or the same limited-enrollment course. The cheater scored better in the basic course, so we'll give him priority in getting into the class or getting the position.
- The rampant cheating and grade inflation have lead admissions staff to place an even greater emphasis on standardized tests, which are generally more closely proctored and harder to cheat on.

These are just a few of the results of saying nothing about cheating. By saying something, you're not becoming judge, jury, and executioner. You're merely a witness. The other jobs are for the faculty and administration.

All of those are really good points but would only benefit the cheater, at least in many cases, in the short term. The job they gained by claiming they have knowledge they don't would be quickly lost when they demonstrated they don't have the knowledge to do it. I could cheat my way through an accountancy program but when I can't balance a GL or can't remember if a receivable is a liability or an asset I will be out the door.

It sounds like the issue could have been avoided if the professor was more vigilant in watching his students take the test. It is unfortunate that his lack of supervision, at least as relayed by the OP, caused her to be put into the situation in the first place. I would have discreetly whispered to the teacher as I was turning in my test that I saw someone looking at their cell phone and let him decide what he wanted to do. At that point it is merely a factual statement of what I saw and makes no unsubstantiated accusation of cheating.

 

[ksumn1]

My college has a very strict honor code in which you are honor bound to report not just cheating, but any suspected cheating or plagarism.

It is hard to rectify the situation after the fact. A simple remark to the professor that a student had a cell phone out during the exam (which is against class policy) would have sufficed to ensure you were following the honor code. Then it would be up to the professor to take action, stroll around the room or just ignore it.

And cheating is a serious offense, IMHO. Not as heinous as murder, shoplifting or theft, but it's still morally wrong. Not to mention, it CAN affect you. If the exam is graded on a curve and this student gets a high grade due to cheating, and you studied, didn't cheat, and didn't do quite so well, you essentially shot yourself in the foot by not reporting it (like in the OP case). If you don't know but you suspect, then report it.

As for it not being the OP's role to play detective, you're right, it's not. It's the professors role, and the academic dishonesty committe's. But some students are good cheaters and it takes another student playing snitch to bring it to the professor's attention initially.


This no snitching mentality also carries through in other ways. Not snitching when you see bullying, or hear a totally false, horrendous rumor about another person that could harm their reputation irreperably. MYOB can be a bad idea.

 

[Dismagic1]

The professor DOES have the right to look at his phone, at least no most college campuses. There is a disclosure agreement int he paperwork you sign to register that says that campus security can search you or your person at any time and that if you are suspected of academic dishonesty you either cooperate with the investigation or you can leave the school. Giving up a cell suspected of being used to cheat would fall under that umbrella. I have seen professors take phones an look at them many times, and when challenged about their right to do it, they just quote the policy. You can choose not to give up the phone, but doing so is an automatic explusion.

Disagree. Campus security nor professors have the right to look into someone's cell phone. There may be a policy where professors can take a phone away from you during class if you're being disruptive and give it back after. But they do not have the right to read private information.

Police can't even look at your phone if they suspect you're texting while driving. If police can't do it, a college professor certainly can't do it.

 

[Dismagic1]

Question to all those who say snitching is perfectly acceptable when its needed let me ask you this.

Let's say you have a brother/sister and you find out they are having an affair. I assume you would run straight to your brother or sister in law and inform them?

 

[paintnolish]

Disagree. Campus security nor professors have the right to look into someone's cell phone. There may be a policy where professors can take a phone away from you during class if you're being disruptive and give it back after. But they do not have the right to read private information.
Police can't even look at your phone if they suspect you're texting while driving. If police can't do it, a college professor certainly can't do it.

I had a professor this semester who would answer a student's cell phone if it rang during class, then hold it until the end of class!

 

[Scurvy]

Disagree. Campus security nor professors have the right to look into someone's cell phone. There may be a policy where professors can take a phone away from you during class if you're being disruptive and give it back after. But they do not have the right to read private information.

Police can't even look at your phone if they suspect you're texting while driving. If police can't do it, a college professor certainly can't do it.

As princessmom29 said in the post you quoted, students do have the option of refusing to allow the professor or administrator to look into their phones. At some schools they can be automatically expelled as a result of that refusal. If a student disagrees with that policy then they need to be careful to choose a school which does not have such policies. If those rules and regulations are included in the paperwork then once they sign the papers to enroll in the school, students are agreeing to be bound by those rules.

I also disagree with your contention that cheating is not a black and white issue. Of course it is. There are no shades of grey when it comes to cheating in class. There is no circumstance under which cheating becomes acceptable in an academic setting.

 

[Disney Doll]

Question to all those who say snitching is perfectly acceptable when its needed let me ask you this.

Let's say you have a brother/sister and you find out they are having an affair. I assume you would run straight to your brother or sister in law and inform them?

No. I'd run straight to my brother and tell him that either HE needed to inform my sister-in-law or I would. And I'd tell him he had 24 hours in which to do it.

If he didn't inform her, then I would.

The people involved don't change the ethics.

In the OP's case, I would have said to the teacher "Bill Smith has had his cell phone out during the test". That is a statement of fact. Then it is up to the teacher to decide what to do with that information.

 

[FireDancer]

Disagree. Campus security nor professors have the right to look into someone's cell phone.

This very well may be true, it also may not. That is why looking at your phone for any reason during a test should be an automatic zero. That way there is no arguing over looking at the phone

Police can't even look at your phone if they suspect you're texting while driving. If police can't do it, a college professor certainly can't do it.

That isn't really necessarily true. The police and agents of the police have a very different set of rules then the rest of us. This is why a school administrator can search a locker for instance without a warrant or a private investigator has much more leeway with what they can present as evidence at trial.

 

[princessmom29]

As princessmom29 said in the post you quoted, students do have the option of refusing to allow the professor or administrator to look into their phones. At some schools they can be automatically expelled as a result of that refusal. If a student disagrees with that policy then they need to be careful to choose a school which does not have such policies. If those rules and regulations are included in the paperwork then once they sign the papers to enroll in the school, students are agreeing to be bound by those rules.

I also disagree with your contention that cheating is not a black and white issue. Of course it is. There are no shades of grey when it comes to cheating in class. There is no circumstance under which cheating becomes acceptable in an academic setting.

exactly. They agreed to abide by the policy when enrolling in the university. They can either give up thier phone, or leave the school. They chose to attend the university and must abide by its rules. It is not the same as apolice officer stopping someone on the street.

This very well may be true, it also may not. That is why looking at your phone for any reason during a test should be an automatic zero. That way there is no arguing over looking at the phone



That isn't really necessarily true. The police and agents of the police have a very different set of rules then the rest of us. This is why a school administrator can search a locker for instance without a warrant or a private investigator has much more leeway with what they can present as evidence at trial.

Yep, the same searh rules apply in college as high school. Any person or vehicle on campus can be searched at any time for any reason. I teach high school and we search lockers and cars all the time. The cops can't come in and do it but we can. The studnets and parents have to sign off on the policy to enroll in school so they cannot claim they were not informed. It makes for a much safer school.

 

[Dismagic1]

This very well may be true, it also may not. That is why looking at your phone for any reason during a test should be an automatic zero. That way there is no arguing over looking at the phone.

I agree that this is a good solution. But if there are no rules in place, the professor can't just say let me see that last message that you sent.

If there are rules in place, then there are rules. If there are not, then there aren't and a professor can't just decide to change those rules when he/she sees fit. Colleges are not dictatorships.

 

[Dismagic1]

I also disagree with your contention that cheating is not a black and white issue. Of course it is. There are no shades of grey when it comes to cheating in class. There is no circumstance under which cheating becomes acceptable in an academic setting.

You took what I said out of context. I wasn't referring to the act of cheating. I would never condone that.

I'm saying how you handle situations is never black and white. You don't just have to run and tell someone everyone time someone is doing something wrong. I've seen many people on these boards comparing this to not standing up for someone getting bullied, etc. Each situation is different which is why I said nothing is black and white, there are shades of gray.

 

[Scurvy]

You took what I said out of context. I wasn't referring to the act of cheating. I would never condone that.

I'm saying how you handle situations is never black and white. You don't just have to run and tell someone everyone time someone is doing something wrong. I've seen many people on these boards comparing this to not standing up for someone getting bullied, etc. Each situation is different which is why I said nothing is black and white, there are shades of gray.

I'm sorry, I misunderstood what you were saying.

In response to your point . . .I agree that you don't have to run and tattle every time someone is doing something wrong. Maybe the grey areas come in when people are only hurting themselves. But when someone is being hurt by another person's wrongdoing, you do need to do something about it. That seems pretty black and white to me. The cheating does hurt other people. Several people have mentioned the ways that cheating can hurt others. If someone in a class I'm in is cheating and it's going to hurt my grade or my ranking then I absolutely am going to do everything I can to prevent that. And if someone else in the class saw something that made them believe a student was cheating, I hope they would also do something about it.

 

[Dismagic1]

I'm sorry, I misunderstood what you were saying.

In response to your point . . .I agree that you don't have to run and tattle every time someone is doing something wrong. Maybe the grey areas come in when people are only hurting themselves. But when someone is being hurt by another person's wrongdoing, you do need to do something about it. That seems pretty black and white to me. The cheating does hurt other people. Several people have mentioned the ways that cheating can hurt others. If someone in a class I'm in is cheating and it's going to hurt my grade or my ranking then I absolutely am going to do everything I can to prevent that. And if someone else in the class saw something that made them believe a student was cheating, I hope they would also do something about it.

See here is the thing though. Ranks are important but not even close to as important as an actual interview. What happens when the person who cheated is an interview and asked about the 3 accounting financial statements. That's going to be a problem since they didn't do their work. It all catches up to people eventually.

 

[Scurvy]

See here is the thing though. Ranks are important but not even close to as important as an actual interview. What happens when the person who cheated is an interview and asked about the 3 accounting financial statements. That's going to be a problem since they didn't do their work. It all catches up to people eventually.

Absolutely, I can agree with that. But the rank and grades are what give you the initial "in" with whoever chooses to interview you. Maybe the interviewer sees the three best students from a given school. Sure, the cheater hopefully won't be given the job, but they've bumped someone who did deserve to be interviewed out of the running. Even though (hopefully) the cheater won't end up benefitting in the long run, other people are still going to lose out because of their rank and grades being lower than they should have been. And in an extremely competitive job market, every little bit is going to matter. I'm not willing to shrug that off just because the cheater will get what they deserve eventually. I'm going to do all I can to ensure that I get every point that I have earned, and that I'm not unfairly bumped lower by someone who has artificially inflated their grades.