Massive cheating conspiracy

[TSK]

Life is unfair. People cheat, lie, get things that they don't deserve, and nice guys finish last.

With that being said, if you feel you must do/say something, could you do so anonymously? Unless you have some proof, your prof may think that you're just worried that everyone else may have done better than you and that you're just being a rat. Furthermore, people cheat quite frequently....

So more than half my Chemistry II class cheated on the final today. They were all bragging about it before class and showing each other all the notes they wrote in the front of their book because our professor allows us to use the periodic table in the front cover. Apparently they did it on the last test too. I'm really pissed because I worked hard and studied forever for this grade and these jerks will ruin the curve and get an A they didn't earn. If it was just one or two people, I could get past it, but I'm talking at least 35 people here. Advice?

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[TSK]

Life is unfair. People cheat, lie, get things that they don't deserve, and nice guys finish last.

With that being said, if you feel you must do/say something, could you do so anonymously? Unless you have some proof, your prof may think that you're just worried that everyone else may have done better than you and that you're just being a rat. I don't know how much this bothers you but you may also alienate yourself amongst your classmates.

Furthermore, your prof wasn't born yesterday. Most chemistry/science exams aren't a regurgitation of facts. If your classmates had to write a lot of notes in their books, they were probably grossly under prepared and may not have done as well as they think.

So more than half my Chemistry II class cheated on the final today. They were all bragging about it before class and showing each other all the notes they wrote in the front of their book because our professor allows us to use the periodic table in the front cover. Apparently they did it on the last test too. I'm really pissed because I worked hard and studied forever for this grade and these jerks will ruin the curve and get an A they didn't earn. If it was just one or two people, I could get past it, but I'm talking at least 35 people here. Advice?

 

[dittozip]

RAT THEM OUT! I hate cheaters.

 

[Compass]

They'll get theirs eventually.

 

[jstuds_66]

Personally, I wouldn't care. If it's bothering you that much, instead of confronting the teacher directly (some students may see you and later suspect you of being the snitch), send an anonymous e-mail to the teacher letting him know that cheating went on during the exam.

Being a snitch is just as bad as cheating in my book.

Although I agree with the anonymous email thing, your book sucks dude!!

 

[MinnyGophers]

I believe in karma. Cheaters always end up getting punished for their acts....

Instant Karma

Seriously though, you need to tell the professor what is going on. Like some others suggested here, an anonymous e-mail account, so that even if there is no academic punishment to those who cheated on the final, at least the professor won't make the same mistake again and prevent future classes from cheating also.

If some feel compelled to cheat on a freshman chemistry level class, trust me, they won't get very far....

 

[jackieMD2007]

Personally, I wouldn't care. If it's bothering you that much, instead of confronting the teacher directly (some students may see you and later suspect you of being the snitch), send an anonymous e-mail to the teacher letting him know that cheating went on during the exam.

Being a snitch is just as bad as cheating in my book.

I personally hate this attitude. Not you, fpr85, but this attitude. It makes it seem like the person being honest is doing something wrong; a way to shift the accountability from the cheaters to the student who wants a fair playing field.

Now, do I think the student should go to the prof and say, "Oh, Bob Smith and Jen Brown and..." no. I think the student should point out, like some other posters said, to the prof, that for the final, he should distribute the periodic table instead of letting people use the book. That way people shouldn't be able to bring "Crib" notes.

 

[beastly115]

Why would the professor let them use the periodic table that's in the book in the first place? My gen chem professors always made copies and passed them out to everyone right before the test.

 

[njbmd]

My question is this...what can someone possibly write in the front cover of a chemistry book that would disrupt the curve that much?

I've had chemistry profs let us use graphing calculators, and of course everyone would program notes into it. I was annoyed because basically anyone who had a graphing calc had advantage, but really I didn't see how it would have helped. Chemistry is about concepts and doing problems. I suppose you can write down the formulas instead of memorizing them, but if you have to consult your notes in the front cover for formulas then (1) you're wasting time and (2) it probably means you didn't study enough and won't know how to do the problems.

I mean, they can write all the formulas and definitions they want, but in the end they still have to understand the concepts and how to do problems. If it's a test about definitions or a bunch of identification it's one thing, but if it's your average college chemistry exam than the notes aren't going to help.

Yes, it is cheating, but I doubt it will affect the average that much. I agree with the others that you should somehow let the prof know, and of course do not do it yourself.

Hi there,
I had a Physical Chemistry professor who allowed us to write anything that we wanted on a 4X6 inch index card. I scribbled down a few formulas and walked into the exam with my card. There were folks in the class with microscopes trying to read the small print on their cards to my surprise. It took them longer to find the information than to do the test. As time went on, I put less and less on that card.

Bottom line: There is very little that you can scribble on a crib card, cheat sheet or inside of a book cover that will make a huge difference in your grade if you do not know the material and how to apply it. Chemistry is a class of application not rote memorization.

Do not cheat no matter what. In the end, you will not get ahead and the penalties if caught just do not justify taking the risk. (I am sure that the professor knows that people write notes on the inside of their books in the case of the OP). This could be easily taken care of by hanging a chart of the periodic table on the wall before each exam. (We had these hanging in every room anyway.)

The above post is right on the money.

njbmd

 

[Reimat]

Being a snitch is just as bad as cheating in my book.

Wow. Spoken like a cheater...

But, seriously - if these cheaters don't care enought about your grade and hardwork that they will cheat to get an advantage, why do you owe them any protection? And if "they will get what's coming to them eventually," why not make that 'eventually' now? A lot of people seem to be developing the attitude that they should do whatever is necessary to get ahead, including lying, cheating, and stealing. If you don't do anything about cheating you know is happening, then you are silently ok'ing it.

It pisses me off when people rag on 'snitches'. Basically, it's just a way cheaters try to make honest, hardworking people feel bad for trying to do the right thing.

 

[RayhanS1282]

I also had a cheating experience in my o-chem final. There was a fire alarm in the middle of the final and everyone had to leave the building. While waiting for the A-OK, some students had huddled together and compared notes. At the time, quite a few of us honor-abiding students were rather pissed, but we didn't say anything.

I eventually got to be really good friends with my teaching assistant and a year later we were chatting when that exam came up in our conversation. Apparently, all the teaching assistants had noticed the cheaters as well; they personally knew all of their own students and had made mental notes of who might have taken advantage of the situation. As a result, they took the liberty of strictly grading the cheaters and giving the benefit of the doubt to those that had stood alone quietly.

So maybe your professor and/or teaching assistants knew about it and just didn't let on. They tend to be a lot sharper than we give them credit for.

We had the same thing happen during a G-Chem final, except they called in a bomb threat. It was called after the exam was given out and students just walked out with the exam. The prof was really pissed and changed it from multiple choice to those work them out sorta problems.

 

[ADeadLois]

We had the same thing happen during a G-Chem final, except they called in a bomb threat. It was called after the exam was given out and students just walked out with the exam. The prof was really pissed and changed it from multiple choice to those work them out sorta problems.

Umm, I'm hoping there were further ramifications other than changing the test from multiplie choice to free response.

 

[Law2Doc]

Umm, I'm hoping there were further ramifications other than changing the test from multiplie choice to free response.

Agreed. Calling in a false bomb threat is a serious crime and is something more properly punished by jail time, not a change in testing format. We are not in the academic violation arena anymore with this action.

 

[Uncle_Tbag]

If they're stupid enough to brag about cheating they don't understand the severity of it and deserve to be ratted out. At this point I don't know if there's enough proof to let your prof. take any action, but he should be informed.

 

[macadamianut]

Wow. Spoken like a cheater...

But, seriously - if these cheaters don't care enought about your grade and hardwork that they will cheat to get an advantage, why do you owe them any protection? And if "they will get what's coming to them eventually," why not make that 'eventually' now? A lot of people seem to be developing the attitude that they should do whatever is necessary to get ahead, including lying, cheating, and stealing. If you don't do anything about cheating you know is happening, then you are silently ok'ing it.

It pisses me off when people rag on 'snitches'. Basically, it's just a way cheaters try to make honest, hardworking people feel bad for trying to do the right thing.

First off, nice job throwing around accusations.

Secondly, as ppl mention, unless you're just straight copying answers from someone else, it's really hard to get anything from a set of formulas if you don't know how to use them. And if the test can be aced by writing down a way to do a problem, then the prof needs to make the test less formulaic and more conceptual, so actual thinking is involved.

Thirdly, what's with all this "anonymous" bullcrap. If you actually believed any of this self-righteousness, you'd confront the cheaters themselves and call them out, and perhaps even during a class. Anonymous-ness is just a way to cover up the fact that you're a grade-grubbing anal pre-med.

 

[Jamesmtl]

my advice is: if you do well, don't rat them out. just move on. if you don't do well, and it's due to the curve, then you have more thinking to do.

That's moral relativism. Have some guts and make a decision.

 

[Law2Doc]

That's moral relativism. Have some guts and make a decision.

Agree. As the marines say -- Kill 'em all, let god sort them out.

 

[Reimat]

First off, nice job throwing around accusations.

Secondly, as ppl mention, unless you're just straight copying answers from someone else, it's really hard to get anything from a set of formulas if you don't know how to use them. And if the test can be aced by writing down a way to do a problem, then the prof needs to make the test less formulaic and more conceptual, so actual thinking is involved.

Thirdly, what's with all this "anonymous" bullcrap. If you actually believed any of this self-righteousness, you'd confront the cheaters themselves and call them out, and perhaps even during a class. Anonymous-ness is just a way to cover up the fact that you're a grade-grubbing anal pre-med.

I didn't mean to accuse so much as poke fun - but what I said did sound a little harsh.

However, I don't understand the deferment of responsibility. I understand that the prof should making it difficult to cheat in the first place, but if you're college age, cheating is inexcusable, particularly with the excuse that the prof could have made things more difficult.

And I completely agree with the last point. If you can stand up and call people out, that's the best way to do things. However, you can't expect everyone to be comfortable confronting others. And some people may be grade-grubbers (most pre-meds are), but if you're cheating, taking stimulants, etc... then you deserve to be called out, regardless of whom it's by. Anonymity is clearly to protect an innocent party from retribution.

 

[RayhanS1282]

Agreed. Calling in a false bomb threat is a serious crime and is something more properly punished by jail time, not a change in testing format. We are not in the academic violation arena anymore with this action.

They never caught anyone.

 

[jackieMD2007]

They never caught anyone.

You know what? Even if they didn't catch the sickos who called in the bomb threat, that is not the point. Calling in a bomb threat in this day and age with all sorts of fears about terrorism is seriously f-ed up! That's all.

 

[Learfan]

I hate to bust your bubble but neither the prof nor anyone in the department administration could care less about cheating on lower level class exams. I brought a cheating situation on the calculus 1 final at my undergrad institution to the department chairman. The reaction may be summed up by "Who cares?". As a TA for organic chemistry I caught three students cheating. I told the professor. Same reaction. They do not care. To an academic, what matters is getting grants, publishing papers and getting tenure. Teaching is just something they have to do to pay the bills. Forget it and move on.

So more than half my Chemistry II class cheated on the final today. They were all bragging about it before class and showing each other all the notes they wrote in the front of their book because our professor allows us to use the periodic table in the front cover. Apparently they did it on the last test too. I'm really pissed because I worked hard and studied forever for this grade and these jerks will ruin the curve and get an A they didn't earn. If it was just one or two people, I could get past it, but I'm talking at least 35 people here. Advice?

 

[Wildstang]

I hate to bust your bubble but neither the prof nor anyone in the department administration could care less about cheating on lower level class exams. I brought a cheating situation on the calculus 1 final at my undergrad institution to the department chairman. The reaction may be summed up by "Who cares?". As a TA for organic chemistry I caught three students cheating. I told the professor. Same reaction. They do not care. To an academic, what matters is getting grants, publishing papers and getting tenure. Teaching is just something they have to do to pay the bills. Forget it and move on.

Are you serious? As an organic chemistry TA, my professor told me to report it, and it goes straight to the deans, and they get in tons of trouble. If its just people looking around, it is our job to stare at the student to get their notice, if that doesnt work, we sit nect to them for the entire test.

 

[63768]

my advice as a past cheater (oddly enough a ton of these threads have been showing up on SDN lately), i'd rat them out. you can choose the anonymous or upfront route. people who are allowed to cheat will always cheat until they're get caught and receive punishment.

i was a ***** like them. and i kept doing it because i thought i was under the radar. haha now my app is severely handicapped and i'm fighting a huge uphill battle.

 

[The Madden Bus]

Exactly.

Op, it sucks that these people were cheating but if you do not have any tangible proof then you are out of luck. It is not what you know, it is what you can prove.

Thanks Denzel. lol, j/p. But I think that the professor has to expect something like that if he's letting people bring their own materials into a test, even if it is just a page. He should have made copies of the periodic table or something like that.

 

[francisdoss]

So more than half my Chemistry II class cheated on the final today. They were all bragging about it before class and showing each other all the notes they wrote in the front of their book because our professor allows us to use the periodic table in the front cover. Apparently they did it on the last test too. I'm really pissed because I worked hard and studied forever for this grade and these jerks will ruin the curve and get an A they didn't earn. If it was just one or two people, I could get past it, but I'm talking at least 35 people here. Advice?

If you're not part of the solution you're a precipitate.