cheating? what would you do?

[Paws]

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[/QUOTE] However, you don't want an unfair advantage for you or the rest of you class. BTW, a bunch of Air Force Cadets were just expelled from the Air Force Academy due to a situation exactly like the one you are in. They all failed to come forward and it led to them violating their honor code and being forced to resign or be expelled.[/QUOTE]



I would probably go and talk to the professor. I have been out of school for a few years and so I appreciate the working world and what it means to be a tired teacher or whatever. I also can think of times when I didn't have to be so honest and yet I was, and the other person really appreciated it.

So I would say, yes, be the bigger person and step forward and say: you know, I just feel uncomfortable about this exam because I studied the practice test, etc. While the professor might get mad, my sense is that if it bothers you this much (and integrity is a good thing!) then that will come across when you talk to your professor and s/he will surely appreciate that. Just be sincere and honest and be clear that you'd be happy to take the exam again. I think it's better to come forward and deal with a weird situation rather than wait and have stuff hit the fan.

And most people really do respect honesty - especially when you take the action and do it despite your own fears and doubts. It takes courage to be so honest.

 

[SpiritiualDuck]

I would shut up and just be happy that you passed the dang thing. You did well. Let it go.


Come on people, there are bigger things to worry about in life. This is minor. Let it go.


I went to a prof and told him that past exams were floating around. I told him that the ones benefitting from it were just the Frats. he said that he knew they were out there and that it didn't matter because the class grades fit a normal curve. I said it was fair. He didn't care.

 

[SJBX]

I'm sorry, but to all the moral superiors on here, if a professor doesn't collect his/her exam copies and you are able to get a hold of them from a person that had the class before, the library reserves, etc., it is NOT cheating.

Unethical? I don't think so. Let me second what Petitpois posted. The professor obviously did not have any concerns about his/her exams being passed around, or the prof would have strict measures to secure them. I can't see how you what you did is unethical since I can not see anywhere along the line where you were at fault or did something wrong.

If you think you are the only one in the class, I highly doubt it....You don't think out of the other 38 people in the class, no one else was able to come up with something? Especially if your school has frats. Some of those places have more exams saved up than the actual professors have saved on their computers. You also say the person kept "everything under the sun." Well, that is how it usually happens. Most college students a) trash everything after the course or b) save everything.

I agree with everyone here that there is no way you should approach the prof. unless you do it anonymously - You have no clue how he/she will react and some of the most laid back ones flip even at the suggestion that their exam was compromised. Plus, your prof messed up, not you. You did nothing wrong.

 

[SJBX]

The difference is in one case the exam was two years old and the course was over, where in this case (the USAFA), the questions that were being passed around were for a current exam in progress. As a student athlete, I was faced with similar situations many times since I had to take a some exams over the years early before I left on a trip. In those cases, I did not speak to anyone about the exam and in some cases, I had to sign a waiver stated I would not discuss the exam until such and such a date (which I never did). But, if one of my teammates asked for any old materials I had for a course I took in the past, I would gladly give them the materials, including any exams that were handed back to me.

I do not see how that is that different. They had the exact exam questions before the exam and did not come forward. As the Denver Post said:

" Only one version of the exam was offered for the freshman class, but it was administered over a three-day period. Officials believe that answers were passed around before the test. Numerous cadets finished the exam in less than three minutes, and many got the same one answer wrong."

This is not that different from the Op's scenario where he had the exact same questions as the exam before the exam. There might be a difference in intent. However, as my good friend who just graduated yesterday from the AF academy told me "Some of the people who are in a lot of trouble now are in trouble for not reporting the situation even though they just used the questions to study from. Everyone assumed that the tests would be different and they were just using the questions as study guides." Obviously, there is not much of a difference there. I doubt any of the cadets would of gotten in trouble if they reported the same questions immediately.

 

[hakksar]

But it was a computer test. Many of the cadets assumed that there would be different questions on the other tests (very reasonable with a computer test especially when the same test is administered 3 days in a row). Not that different than a 3 year old test. One would also assume the questions would be different. The common denominator is that they should of both come forward and said I have already seen all these questions ASAP.

 

[Ms.Doctor]

Since I am not from CO, nor do I know people at the AFA, I don't know what was assumed or what was told to the students. The article referenced said "Only one version of the exam was offered for the freshman class, but it was administered over a three-day period." The differences are: This was an exam in progress, which has been said. Also, the questions were *not* handed back to the students at the end. Which means, at that moment in time, they were not to be in circulation (because it would be the same exam the next day). Again, I don't know how this was pitched to the students, but this is an exam in progress and a current course-- as SJBX mentioned, this (The AFA) is like taking an exam early for a course in progress and then telling people from the class what was on it.

 

[Ms.Doctor]

Conquistador, let us know how things went-- I think you mentioned you would likely get your scores today!

 

[SJBX]

Exactly. An exam in progress is a whole other ballgame than studying off of exams that the prof knows he /she did not collect. Exams that are given over a period of days or different times throughout a single day should never be discussed until the examination period is over.

Since I am not from CO, nor do I know people at the AFA, I don't know what was assumed or what was told to the students. The article referenced said "Only one version of the exam was offered for the freshman class, but it was administered over a three-day period." The differences are: This was an exam in progress, which has been said. Also, the questions were *not* handed back to the students at the end. Which means, at that moment in time, they were not to be in circulation (because it would be the same exam the next day). Again, I don't know how this was pitched to the students, but this is an exam in progress and a current course-- as SJBX mentioned, this (The AFA) is like taking an exam early for a course in progress and then telling people from the class what was on it.

 

[Conquistador]

I'll let you guys know what happens when I get back from class today. I'm probably drowning in a glass of water here, the prof. really has no way to prove anything, but it bothers me that he could suspect something. I don't feel that my situation is anything like what happened at the AFA. It seems that those kids intentionally cheated, they were looking at exam questions they knew might be on their test, not some sample or practice test from the year before. I agree with hakksar however that I should've not went ahead and taken the test, but I did and I can't reverse it now. Thanks for all of your advice and hopefully my situation will help some of you if you're ever in a spot like this.

 

[Conquistador]

The prof hasn't graded the exams yet but I went to my academic dean and talked to him about the situation. The first I told him was that I wanted to remain anonymous on this and I just wanted to know if I had violated the honor code. He ensured me that if the test I looked at was marked as a "sample test" and intended for review material, I was OK. He asked for me to go to my prof. and tell him about what happened, but to do so after the test was graded. My dean guaranteed me that he would personally insure that I am not forced to retake the exam. In his opinion this is the profs. fault and I shouldn't worry.

 

[McP]

Smart thinking, going to the dean. They're the ones who have the final say on Honor violations anyhow.

 

[greggth]

I'm having a pretty tough time deciding what to do about a test I took today ... when I was handed my test in class it was exactly one of the sample review tests the guy had given out 2 semesters ago. I went ahead and completed the test ... I feel pretty guilty ... I was thinking of going to my professors' office and talking to him about this to maybe have him make up another test for me. Is this insane? ...

1. No, it's not insane. That's exactly how a person of good conscience and character should feel.

2. YES, go talk to the professor about it. Explain the situation. If you don't, you may feel a little guilty about it for the rest of your life. Do you want that?

3. NO, don't ask to retake the test. Just let the prof decide what to do.