hmm....report cheaters?

[supernareg]

okay... well if i knew someone was cheating, i WOULD NOT rat em out... i wouldnt snitch on em....


what would u guys do? i mean honestly, would u really snitch on someone that cheated? who cares really if they get an A... as long as i study and i get the grade i want, why would i care about the others....


and the people who say "ya i'll report them".... lol you wouldnt live 2 seconds in my hood

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[estairella]

It heavily depends on context. For example, say you're in the same class as a group of cheaters. You know they'll all get 99-100% and it's a small class. You also know the professor scales the average to make it 50%. Suddenly, if you don't report them (or get in on the action yourself), you'll be screwed.

So yah, for me, if cheating only hurts (and/or helps) the person who cheats, whatever. To cheat is like gambling online (illegally) - I personally don't gamble but I'm not gonna report you because I'm "jealous" of the fun you're having. lol

However, if the cheating hurts those around you, then it's something else. Then Romeo must die.

 

[bigDee]

To cheat is like gambling online (illegally) - I personally don't gamble but I'm not gonna report you because I'm "jealous" of the fun you're having.

Pretty good example.

As you guys probably know from a topic I created on wednesday, I was placed in a position where a couple of people in the class cheated on a big test and yet the teacher didn't care to notice. I doubt he gives curves because of the how much extra credit we get so the grade everyone else makes isn't going to hurt me. And in that case, in the dellima I was in this week where a guy asked me to give him the answers for $50, I didn't bother reporting him because that's just not my thing.

I don't like the idea of reporting people for an apparently victimless crime. His undeserved A may hurt someone way down the line but I don't care enough to go out of my way to fix it. I don't feel obligated to intervene.

And simply enough, if there was a curve and their high grade had a direct effect on me and my friends in the class, then yes I would definitely report them.

 

[bigDee]

btw I'm going to go ahead and vote no because I haven't been in a class with a curve yet.

Edit: Oh wow I just realized my thread was closed before I got a chance to respond to the replies. Ah well.

 

[Law2Doc]

To cheat is like gambling online (illegally) - I personally don't gamble but I'm not gonna report you because I'm "jealous" of the fun you're having. lol

The big difference is that you are on the road to entering a self regulated profession and will be OBLIGATED to turn people in. Some undergrads and most med schools have you sign an honor code which requires you to report stuff. In the profession you are going to be required to report stuff. Your insurance carrier is going to require you to report stuff your partners get involved in. And so on. So if you guys feel like reporting stuff is "being a snitch" you probably should choose a career that is not part of an organized profession. Because in medicine, you are duty bound to clean house. Get used to it. If you don't want to be burdened with duties and higher ethical standards required of members of this profession, you are making a bad career mistake.

Gambling is a terrible analogy because it is not an organized profession, you are not held to any ethical standard, and victimization is much more self inflicted. But if someone cheats on an exam, it (1) displaces somebody lower on the curve, (2) can give the school a damaging reputation if it becomes known for cheaters, and (3) can cost the school money on surveillance and additional proctoring if cheating is deemed a problem (there are video cameras at some undergrads). So There are true victims and costs with cheating. But again, see my above point -- this road is full of obligations, and if you aren't up for them, get off the road while you still can.

 

[riceman04]

It heavily depends on context. For example, say you're in the same class as a group of cheaters. You know they'll all get 99-100% and it's a small class. You also know the professor scales the average to make it 50%. Suddenly, if you don't report them (or get in on the action yourself), you'll be screwed.

So yah, for me, if cheating only hurts (and/or helps) the person who cheats, whatever. To cheat is like gambling online (illegally) - I personally don't gamble but I'm not gonna report you because I'm "jealous" of the fun you're having. lol

However, if the cheating hurts those around you, then it's something else. Then Romeo must die.

I am going to have to agree with trozman.

 

[riceman04]

will be OBLIGATED to turn people in.

Very interesting point Law2doc. But what is even more interesting is that docs do not usually make a final decision to turn in a colleague until a significant amount of damage has been done to patients already. We read a few things in my med. soc class regarding intraprofession behavior enforcement within the hospital setting.

 

[Pansit]

Law2doc is correct but that is when you are already in medical school and beyond, when basically everyone is held at a much higher level of responsibility than undergrad (like you said, you have to sign an honor code...etc). Cheating in undergrad hurts the individual (except the group cheating example with curve), so if they do it, than I often dont care enough to report them. They pay thousands of dollars a semester to go to class and learn, yet they still cheat. So they are just wasting their money. People's careers, lives, or health arent at risk, when some joe shmoe decides to peek over someone's shoulder to get an answer to question # 5. Let them be, hope they caught because sooner or later it will eventually come back to get them.

 

[Law2Doc]

Law2doc is correct but that is when you are already in medical school and beyond, when basically everyone is held at a much higher level of responsibility than undergrad (like you said, you have to sign an honor code...etc). Cheating in undergrad hurts the individual (except the group cheating example with curve), so if they do it, than I often dont care enough to report them. They pay thousands of dollars a semester to go to class and learn, yet they still cheat. So they are just wasting their money. People's careers, lives, or health arent at risk, when some joe shmoe decides to peek over someone's shoulder to get an answer to question # 5. Let them be, hope they caught because sooner or later it will eventually come back to get them.

When they bump that one person on the cusp of the curve from getting an A, they hurt others. Also when they get nabbed and the school/program gets a rep for cheaters it hurts the whole school.
Again -- if you consider this snitching or distasteful, you are on the wrong path, because whistleblowing is part and parcel of being in a profession. Might as well start now; makes it easier to do later.

 

[BluePhoenix]

Regardless of whether it hurts you or not, you should turn them in. First off, most schools with honor codes require you to report cheating or other violations. Secondly, it's everyone just letting it go for someone else to do something about that makes it ok and so commonplace in schools. Most schools have honor codes that require you to report cheating, and thus by not reporting it, YOU are violating the honor code. Maybe this doesn't mean much to you, but it should. The atmosphere of places where integrity is highly values and taken seriously is much different than on campuses where cheating is widespread, well known, and no one cares. I value my work and the work of my fellow students, and cheating is simply not acceptable.


Like some of people above pointed out, medicine is one of those jobs where you're obligated to report things like abuse or unprofessional behavior. No one wants to be a snitch, but someone needs to step up to the role and do it. If you see something and choose not to report it, I question YOUR integrity, that you choose to allow it to continue rather than to help fix the problem.