Would you turn yourself in?

[closertofine]

Just curious since I know someone who may be in this situation...if you were on the "honor system" not to use your notes while doing a take-home assignment, but you did anyway, would you turn yourself in?

It might sound stupid to do so, but by my logic, the guilt or shame over having cheated could be worse, at least over time. Then again, this person could get kicked out of med school (I don't know how this works), but then again, maybe he shouldn't be in med school if he is cheating?

Any thoughts?

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[anamarylee]

In the end, patients will not care about what grades you got while in school. They'll care about the kind of physician and human being you are. Cheating while on the honor system says a lot about what kind of person you are.

In the end, sooner or later, everything catches up to you.

I wouldn't do it. I like seeing the reflection in the mirror looking back with a smile and not a guilty look.

And yes, if somehow he is caught, he could get an academic dismissal.

 

[ToxicFugu]

A take home assignment that you are not allowed to use notes on??? What's the point then? They should just give an exam. That's the most rediculous thing I've ever heard of. I think few people would be able to "resist" using notes on the assigment, and even fewer, if any, would feel so guilty afterwords that they'd "turn themselves in."

If it's cheating on an exam, I can understand that. I could never live with myself if I cheated on an exam. But if an assignment can be done as a "take-home" project, then it can't have been all that important to being with. I don't think I would lose any sleep if I used notes on it. Much less feel so guilty afterwords as to sabotage my entire future because of an obviously trivial assignment.

 

[Sohalia]

Just curious since I know someone who may be in this situation...if you were on the "honor system" not to use your notes while doing a take-home assignment, but you did anyway, would you turn yourself in?

Yes! I would turn myself in AND light myself on fire.

Because of the shame!

O God! The SHAME!

 

[SaltySqueegee]

Has anyone discussed with the person who has assigned this fictional assignment why they would say not to use the notes? And further more, I think that learning how to use various resources, MDConsult, harrison's, etc. is part of the medical education. Why would a teacher leave it out?

Is this an Ethics course, per chance???

 

[closertofine]

Has anyone discussed with the person who has assigned this fictional assignment why they would say not to use the notes? And further more, I think that learning how to use various resources, MDConsult, harrison's, etc. is part of the medical education. Why would a teacher leave it out?

Is this an Ethics course, per chance???

No, not an Ethics course...good idea, though! And no specific reason was given not to use notes, except for the fact that the assignment was graded, and I guess it's kind of assumed that your answers are based on your own knowledge of the material from class.

 

[anthoncr]

A take home assignment that you are not allowed to use notes on??? What's the point then? They should just give an exam. That's the most rediculous thing I've ever heard of. I think few people would be able to "resist" using notes on the assigment, and even fewer, if any, would feel so guilty afterwords that they'd "turn themselves in."
.

Am I missing something? It sure sounds like the "test" had nothing to do with the subject matter but if you WOULD or WOULD NOT cheat. Perhaps I'm being a little too holistic here.

~Tony

BTW: Who was it that said integrity is what you do when nobody's looking?

 

[GrandMasterB]

no.

 

[ParisHilton]

Of course! I wouldn't be able to live with myself - but that's just me.

Sincerely,
O.J. Simpson

 

[Cuteasaurus]

If you felt "morally compelled" to turn yourself in, wouldn't you have decided not to cheat in the first place?

 

[stoic]

Don't turn yourself in. That's stupid. I had a closed book, take home test once. I used my book, and judging from the 97% class average, so did everyone else. It just makes no sense to have a closed book take home exam. It's not enforcable, because you could never prove anything. It's not practical, because in the real world you have resources. Use your book and don't feel bad about it.

 

[LukeWhite]

If you're interested in ethics rather than pragmatics:

Turning in the assignment without mentioning this would be unethical, since when one returns an assignment it's generally assumed that the terms were kept (no plaigiarizing, etc.)

In this case, though, one of the terms is, well, dumb, and as others have pointed out, many others are probably ignoring it. The most ethical thing for your friend to do at this point would probably be to turn in the assignment with a note: Professor, I have to inform you that I used my notes despite your request not to. I did this on the knowledge that many others in class will have done this, and the belief that a take-home test that doesn't allow references and contains no way of policing the test-takers is less an exercise in aptitude than in morality. I hope that you'll judge my aptitude based on my ability to synthesize the information I got from the notes, and my morality based on this note, not on the assignment it's attached to.

And then the professor will likely fail your friend. But it'd be a good fail.

 

[adrenal_medulla]

People make mistakes, and it's part of learning. The biggest part of that learning process is how to deal with our mistakes. The right thing to do is own up to it. Don't forget that you and your friend agreed to abide by a scholastic code of conduct. Some people here might be able to suck it up (a point which scares me), but that little thing will nag your friend forever unless it's made right. Even if everyone else cheats, your friend and everyone here should have a little pride not sink to that level. More than likely your dean/course director or whoever takes care of this stuff is aware that cheating goes on and will be merciful due to your friend's own-upmanship.

 

[SaltySqueegee]

I would solicit my friends to all put BAD Recommendation comments in the little "Student Suggestion" box at the back of those lecture halls regarding the issue. If the student body as a whole is unhappy and makes it known, the administration will (hopefully) 'take action'.

 

[AF_PedsBoy]

I agree - if you'd feel bad enough to turn yourself in, you wouldn't do it in the first place. I personally would rather fail on my own merit than pass by cheating.

All through high school I thought, "They're getting away with it, but they'll get theirs when they try that in college." All through college I thought, "They're getting away with it, but they'll get there's when they try that in medical school." All through medical school etc. etc. Only one girl got caught cheating and all they did was hold her back a year - most of us think a public flogging and banning from medical school would have been too light. Most of this crap they test us on will be quickly forgotten because you just don't use most of it when you start to practice, but what you'll hold on to is your honor and your ability to work hard. You can only hope they'll slip up when they finally cheat their way through med school - too bad it'll only come out when they end up hurting a patient.

 

[paumera]

Yes! I would turn myself in AND light myself on fire.

Because of the shame!

O God! The SHAME!

YES....I too would light myself on fire.
I cannot believe a human being is capable of such atrocities!

Seriously though, this thread is ridiculous, and I am pissed at myself for reading it all the way through...get over it.

 

[me.]

Just curious since I know someone who may be in this situation...if you were on the "honor system" not to use your notes while doing a take-home assignment, but you did anyway, would you turn yourself in?

It might sound stupid to do so, but by my logic, the guilt or shame over having cheated could be worse, at least over time. Then again, this person could get kicked out of med school (I don't know how this works), but then again, maybe he shouldn't be in med school if he is cheating?

Any thoughts?

if this person turned himself in, should i ever see this person on the street, i would run over to him and burst out laughing at him until i fell over. then i would go get a megaphone and yell in his ear, "You idiot!" then i would laugh at him some more.

 

[Smurfette]

if this person turned himself in, should i ever see this person on the street, i would run over to him and burst out laughing at him until i fell over. then i would go get a megaphone and yell in his ear, "You idiot!" then i would laugh at him some more.

I agree with the above post. Frankly, I would ASSUME the whole class would "cheat". Med students by nature are very obsessive-compulsive and anal (I'm generalizing here). But since it's a take-home test, is it really cheating? Seriously, no prof is dumb enough to truly believe that 100% of the class will not so much as peak in a book. There's NO way to regulate it.

If you're that torn about the guilt of "cheating", I can turn you (or your "friend") in via an anonymous phone call. No one in his right mind would turn himself in out of the blue. What school you go to?