Cheating during a Final

[once]

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Today I was taking a final exam and a student about 2 desks away from me, pulled out a cell phone and managed to make a call during the exam. He didn't get caught. I doubt it actually helped him at all (it was quantum 1) but nonetheless I can't believe somebody would resort to that form of cheating. He didn't get caught, but I was incredibly conflicted about what to do.

Other students around him felt the same way I think and someone signaled the TA who didn't even notice the guy talking on a cell phone! lol.

On one hand, I feel like I should have yelled out and got him in trouble, but then again I think I acted appropriately because he is only hurting himself.

What would you do in this situation?

 

[CurrySpice]

It is written into our honor code that if you know someone is cheating and you don't report it you are as guilty as the offender.

How often that is actually upheld, I don't know.

I have never witnessed cheating (but I tend to be very focused on my own exam), so never had to make that ethical decision. I would report it if something that obvious was going on.

 

[Cypher321]

 

[lpmarcus010]

I say mind your own business. If it were me, I wouldn't want to wade into that s*#t storm. Chances are, if he needed to cheat, he probably wasn't prepared and you most likely will beat him anyway on the curve. It is like if you see someone smoking a joint, do you call the police or mind your business??

 

[Astarael]

Edit: Redacted.

 

[ozzi22]

I say mind your own business. If it were me, I wouldn't want to wade into that s*#t storm. Chances are, if he needed to cheat, he probably wasn't prepared and you most likely will beat him anyway on the curve. It is like if you see someone smoking a joint, do you call the police or mind your business??

Exactly👍

 

[juliedi]

He just whipped out his phone and made a call during the exam and didn't get caught? Either this guy is a stealthy pro or you had the most *****ic exam proctors ever.

Anyway, I think what you should do depends on the specific honor code or policy at your school. If you have a system like at curryspice's school, then I'd probably report it.

 

[willen101383]

I say mind your own business. If it were me, I wouldn't want to wade into that s*#t storm. Chances are, if he needed to cheat, he probably wasn't prepared and you most likely will beat him anyway on the curve. It is like if you see someone smoking a joint, do you call the police or mind your business??

I would most likely ask them to share!

And I highly doubt this actually happened. Maybe the guy took the phone out and was looking through info but i cant see someone actually calling someone during the test.

 

[Maison]

I couldn't imagine the kind of loser that would honestly yell out in the middle of an exam to bust someone else for cheating.

 

[once]

He just whipped out his phone and made a call during the exam and didn't get caught? Either this guy is a stealthy pro or you had the most *****ic exam proctors ever.

Anyway, I think what you should do depends on the specific honor code or policy at your school. If you have a system like at curryspice's school, then I'd probably report it.

It sounds ridiculous. Yes. I, at first, was just dumbfounded like "what is going on here? Is this guy for real?" The second thing was that there were only two grad students supervising our exam and both of them were on their computers.

 

[once]

I would most likely ask them to share!

And I highly doubt this actually happened. Maybe the guy took the phone out and was looking through info but i cant see someone actually calling someone during the test.

He was in the back row. I was in the second to last row. He leaned his arm against some weird architectural thing that provided a nice visual shield. It was like a pillar that his desk was next to. He spoke very quietly and I guess neither of the TAs heard this...it really happened believe it or not.

 

[scarshapedstar]

Was he actually trying to cheat? I mean, it could have been something serious. I can't imagine what good a phone-a-friend would do in a frickin' quantum final. "Psst, roomie, do you know the wavefunction for a particle in a torus of inner radius r and outer radius 3r? Okay, now what if the torus is in a cubic box of length 9r and the particle is in the space between the torus and the box? Heeeeelp!"

 

[once]

Was he actually trying to cheat? I mean, it could have been something serious. I can't imagine what good a phone-a-friend would do in a frickin' quantum final. "Psst, roomie, do you know the wavefunction for a particle in a torus of inner radius r and outer radius 3r? Okay, now what if the torus is in a cubic box of length 9r and the particle is in the space between the torus and the box? Heeeeelp!"

Good point, I harbored this idea too. I have no idea what he was talking about as he was speaking in another language.

 

[PressPforPi]

Good point, I harbored this idea too. I have no idea what he was talking about as he was speaking in another language. He was asian

So that's how they do it.

 

[YouNeverKnow22]

Today I was taking a final exam and a student about 2 desks away from me, pulled out a cell phone and managed to make a call during the exam. He didn't get caught. I doubt it actually helped him at all (it was quantum 1) but nonetheless I can't believe somebody would resort to that form of cheating. He didn't get caught, but I was incredibly conflicted about what to do.

Other students around him felt the same way I think and someone signaled the TA who didn't even notice the guy talking on a cell phone! lol.

On one hand, I feel like I should have yelled out and got him in trouble, but then again I think I acted appropriately because he is only hurting himself.

What would you do in this situation?

Don't be snitch 👎

 

[young2sj]

Good point, I harbored this idea too. I have no idea what he was talking about as he was speaking in another language. He was asian

where are you going with this..?

 

[deleted393595]

Today I was taking a final exam and a student about 2 desks away from me, pulled out a cell phone and managed to make a call during the exam. He didn't get caught. I doubt it actually helped him at all (it was quantum 1) but nonetheless I can't believe somebody would resort to that form of cheating. He didn't get caught, but I was incredibly conflicted about what to do.

Just out of curiosity, what are you majoring in?

 

[scarshapedstar]

where are you going with this..?

Seriously! As a white person who took two semesters of Mandarin, I reject the racist assumption that only asians can speak their incomprehensible languages. 😀

 

[once]

where are you going with this..?

I edited my post. I wasn't thinking and that last sentence was not at all intended to be a racial jeer.

 

[gettheleadout]

If you saw someone cheating off of your own test would you report it?

If you saw someone cheating off of another person's test would you report it?

If you saw someone using notes to cheat would you report it?

Where's the line?

 

[willen101383]

He was in the back row. I was in the second to last row. He leaned his arm against some weird architectural thing that provided a nice visual shield. It was like a pillar that his desk was next to. He spoke very quietly and I guess neither of the TAs heard this...it really happened believe it or not.

Alright well if he had some cover and was in the back perhaps it could have happened. I never have taken an exam in a room that would have allowed that however.

Either way keep ur mouth shut its ur job to come to class and get good grades and leave. Not to be the class police officer.

 

[bucks2010]

Another dilemma: if you find out there are old exams from frat files circulating around (but the whole class doesn't have access) ... Do you report it or mind your own business?

Sidenote: gtlo I'm honored to be one of your featured quotations

 

[dsoz]

report the TAs to the prof. Maybe they will get their lazy bums fired for neglect of duty. At least get them to put the computers away while they are on duty.

If it comes up, you don't know the name of the cheater, but you do know that the TAs were not doing their job.

dsoz

 

[dbeast]

Good point, I harbored this idea too. I have no idea what he was talking about as he was speaking in another language. He was asian

Whatever you do, DO NOT record a youtube video complaining about him being on the phone!!!

 

[Bungie]

Surprised by alot of the answers. Not reporting a cheating says more about youself than the cheaters.

 

[CaliGirl14]

Maybe he was talking into his recorder, documenting his life as a pre-med and how hard the test is. Don't be jealous he thought of it first.

 

[Maeby Funke]

I remember when I took the SATs the girl in front of me wouldn't stop texting and I found it really distracting. The proctor was totally oblivious.

 

[Astarael]

Edit: Nevermind.

 

[patel2]

[YOUTUBE]http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=uxdqC8kZlQo[/YOUTUBE]

 

[Maison]

Surprised by alot of the answers. Not reporting a cheating says more about youself than the cheaters.

Yeah it says we're not lame-o's. 😎

 

[MSU2009]

Maybe he was talking into his recorder, documenting his life as a pre-med and how hard the test is. Don't be jealous he thought of it first.

Perhaps he could produce a documentary about his pre-med experience....

 

[circulus vitios]

Surprised by alot of the answers. Not reporting a cheating says more about youself than the cheaters.

Unless they're killing the curve for everyone else, who cares?

 

[patel2]

Unless they're killing the curve for everyone else, who cares?

this. Even if someone was cheating and it was resulting in them dominating the curves, I wouldn't snitch out the person specifically.

I'd send an anonymous e-mail to the teacher, telling them that blatant cheating is going on during exams (and how), and request that they have real proctoring to prevent it in the future.

 

[sleepy425]

[YOUTUBE]uxdqC8kZlQo[/YOUTUBE]

haha! I appreciate his take on it. I think the Fresh Prince weighed in on this once too.

[YOUTUBE]bBVBUt4DOQQ[/YOUTUBE]

 

[EpicBearMan]

i'd send an anonymous e-mail to the teacher, telling them that blatant cheating is going on during exams (and how), and request that they have real proctoring to prevent it in the future.

+1

 

[gettheleadout]

Another dilemma: if you find out there are old exams from frat files circulating around (but the whole class doesn't have access) ... Do you report it or mind your own business?

Sidenote: gtlo I'm honored to be one of your featured quotations

I'm honored that you're honored. 🙂

report the TAs to the prof. Maybe they will get their lazy bums fired for neglect of duty. At least get them to put the computers away while they are on duty.

If it comes up, you don't know the name of the cheater, but you do know that the TAs were not doing their job.

dsoz

I would do this, except for the bolded.

Surprised by alot of the answers. Not reporting a cheating says more about youself than the cheaters.

Yep.

Unless they're killing the curve for everyone else, who cares?

You're the professor now in this hypothetical, so you legitimately care about reducing cheating and ensuring fair, quality education for your students. Do you encourage students to report cheaters? Or do you just put all the burden on yourself to catch every single occurrence?

this. Even if someone was cheating and it was resulting in them dominating the curves, I wouldn't snitch out the person specifically.

I'd send an anonymous e-mail to the teacher, telling them that blatant cheating is going on during exams (and how), and request that they have real proctoring to prevent it in the future.

Reporting the cheater's identity and keeping one's own concealed are not mutually exclusive. I still say report the person specifically if you know who it was.

 

[Maison]

I had a teacher once who was encountered with someone outing a cheater. He told them in front of everyone else, "You know I knew people like you, and they never really got very far."

The lesson isn't that someone not outing a cheater *god forbid* approves of the cheating, or is merely apathetic to such sever acts of injustice that entail when someone unfairly gets a multiple choice answer right. It's that most of us just actually learned some key lessons in interacting with people--lessons that you learn in elementary school.

Yeah, you can make straight A's and ace every exam you ever take. But if you're policing the classrooms you're in it still makes you a pathetic little crybaby who can't mind their own business.

While you're at it, go bust some of your fellow students for underage drinking and recreational drug use.

 

[circulus vitios]

You're the professor now in this hypothetical, so you legitimately care about reducing cheating and ensuring fair, quality education for your students. Do you encourage students to report cheaters? Or do you just put all the burden on yourself to catch every single occurrence?

It's my responsibility to provide a fair and proctored testing environment. Why should the burden be on the students?

 

[Charles_Carmichael]

I'm more surprised that once is taking quantum mechanics...

 

[Cypher321]

I'm more surprised that once is taking quantum mechanics...

If it's the tail end class of the calc based physics series then it's not a particularly hard class. Though my mileage may vary as my professor didn't give a f*ck.

 

[gettheleadout]

It's my responsibility to provide a fair and proctored testing environment. Why should the burden be on the students?

You're not placing a burden on the students because you're not encouraging them to actively watch for cheating. You do realize, however, that cheating will likely be witnesses by someone and you are simply asking that if one witnesses cheating, they report it to you. Any conceivable burden placed on the students by asking that little of them is far outweighed by the importance you place on fair evaluation of the students.

 

[Charles_Carmichael]

If it's the tail end class of the calc based physics series then it's not a particularly hard class. Though my mileage may vary as my professor didn't give a f*ck.

Ah yea, that's true. It was the tail-end for the calc-based physics series at my undergrad as well (only half a semester though). I guess when once said "quantum 1," I thought of the upper level series (quantum 1 and 2) that juniors/seniors and grad students generally take, and which goes into far more depth than the calc-based series one does. As a side-note, I really wish I majored in physics rather than bio!

 

[patel2]

You're the professor now in this hypothetical, so you legitimately care about reducing cheating and ensuring fair, quality education for your students. Do you encourage students to report cheaters? Or do you just put all the burden on yourself to catch every single occurrence?

Absolutely it's 100% the teachers responsibility...as a student, scoping/reporting cheaters is above my pay grade

 

[gettheleadout]

Absolutely it's 100% the teachers responsibility...as a student, scoping/reporting cheaters is above my pay grade

Just because you won't be neglecting your duty if you don't report it doesn't mean staying silent is the right thing to do. Regardless of how it affects you personally, is it fair to the other students if someone else gets to cheat?

 

[orthomyxo]

Regardless of how it affects you personally, is it fair to the other students if someone else gets to cheat?

No, but that doesn't mean it's OK to be a complete douche during an exam and scream out to the TA that you see somebody on the phone. If anything, you take it up with the professor in private.

 

[TheTruckGuy]

I have both ignored and reported cheating before. As an underclassman I tended to ignore it, as I got older I tended to report it. Like someone said, it's part of our honor code at my school as well, so as corny as it may sound kinda I felt obligated to do it.

Also, it does hurt the class (if he, or other cheaters, affects the curve) and it affects the school's reputation if it gets known that people cheat and no one comes down hard on them.

 

[deleted307836]

Absolutely it's 100% the teachers responsibility...as a student, scoping/reporting cheaters is above my pay grade

I agree with this for the most part. I've witnessed cheating, but I don't need the added stress of calling someone out on it on top of the stress from the test itself. Also, "telling" would put you in a position where you can't really offer any proof that the cheater was even cheating; he/she could deny it and that's the end of it (unless of course there were many students who saw it, and all of them came forward).

 

[Drrrrrr. Celty]

Unless he's going to kill the curve.. then I wouldn't give two craps. But honestly if he tries this again then he's going to end up in honor court for sure.

 

[mauberley]

(unless of course there were many students who saw it, and all of them came forward).

It's entirely possible that a lot of people witnessed it, but individually they all figured that since they had no proof, they shouldn't come forward.

I've been fortunate to not have been in any academic settings where I've witnessed cheating, but if I did see someone cheat (and knew it was, without a doubt, cheating), I'd report it. If I only thought it looked like cheating...well, I'd probably just give them the benefit of the doubt, unless I started witnessing a pattern of behavior.

 

[MeowMeowCAT]

I would have ignored. GPA's are serious business, especially in college. Also, getting the person in trouble might **** up the person's whole college record, especially if he already has a couple years under his belt. For all you know he might be thousands dollars in dept, working full time, etc.

What you have to understand is the weight of one' college education. Snitching is a lot more hurtful than you might think. It can ruin the chances for future admissions, transfers, professional schools, etc. it can have a long lasting and serious impact on one's education and life.

Embrace sympathy and empathy, and not sadism. It might feel nice to know that you have made the exam more fair by snitching, but in reality you are also taking pleasure in seeing a person hurt, psychologically.

People can get extremely stressed over this sort of stuff. Just read most of the posts in the "premed" section, people going nuts over C's and W's. And well, imagine how being singled out as a cheater might feel. You can't assume it is some fratboy that doesn't care and drinks all day, maybe it is just some "regular" kid trying to get by. So depending on the type of person you can't simply assume their reaction will be "Oh crap, I got caught. Guess I will have to retake the class over." but instead "Oh ****, my life is ****ed."

I mean, some people can take grades pretty seriously, very seriously....I mean, you read stories online about suicidal perfectionists...Yeah...Do you really want to be the trigger to someone's collapse?

Obviously this is not all guaranteed, but I believe it is better to be neutral about this sort of stuff and mind your own business...because honestly, you might not really know what the cheater is going through and especially how he might react to any punishment he might receive.