What can I do about undergraduate students cheating?

Question

So I lecture at a university on the department of mathematics and statistics, and this year I am teaching calculus for future mathematicians. One good thing about the mathematics course is that very seldom I have seen students cheating, since people who choose the academic path are more bound to be interested in learning the subject rather than just trying to obtain a diploma.

Well... At least until now.

There is this small group of students who sometimes whisper during the tests. The other times their class had tests I thought they were asking for an eraser or something like that. But this time they were whispering more than usual and they started stopping after I glared at them. I thought it was suspicious so I waited until the end of the test and went to check their sheets and ditto. They all wrote the exact same thing. (For those familiar with maths they didn't copy a thing or two, but two actual entire theorem proofs.)

Now next time we have tests I could try separating those guys, asking them to sit on other chairs, staying behind the class in order to make it difficult for the students to cheat and stuff like that, but in all seriousness... Those measures make it look like I'm dealing with kids. I'm not a teacher. I'm a professor. I shouldn't be dealing with kids.

Basically I want to do something about this but I don't want to start making the class look like a high school. Those guys are future math teachers/professors and I'll be damned if I have to organize the class preventing future professors from cheating like this was a normal occurrence.

So what should a professor do in this situation? Are there any things you fellow professors have done and worked? Thanks in advance.

Answer 1

Unless you have very weird exam regulations or are allowing people to take exams in groups, no one should be talking to anyone else except via the proctors. I would view this as an infraction of the exam regulations and stop them from proceeding with the exam, and file for the appropriate sanctions.

Answer 2

I thought it was suspicious so I waited until the end of the test and went to check their sheets and ditto.

I think you made a strategic mistake here. If you want to prevent cheating, you need to intervene on the spot in the moment it is (or appears) happening.

In this case you would not only stare at the students but walk up to them and say "You are not allowed to talk to each other or whisper during the exam. Do not do it again." If you hear whispering again, go there again and repeat but amend with "If you talk to each other or whisper another time you fail the exam." If you hear whispering again, they fail.

Of course, it is your job to prevent cheating. This does not mean that you have to everything possible but it also does not mean, that (because you deal with adults) you don't have to do anything. Just be there at the test and take action as soon as you observe any suspicious behavior.

To prevent any whispering from the start you should explicitly announce what anybody needs to bring. Also, be prepared yourself with some paper and pens. Then announce, that people raise their hands if they need anything and seat them such that you can reach everybody. This should lead to no need of any talking between students whatsoever.

Answer 3

So what should a professor do in this situation?

There are probably all sorts of things you should/could do, but one big thing I would advise you to do is to work on your own mindset and free yourself of several misconceptions and false premises that I think are implicit in your question. Specifically, you write:

Those measures make it look like I'm dealing with kids. I'm not a teacher. I'm a professor. I shouldn't be dealing with kids.

[...]

I'll be damned if I have to organize the class preventing future professors from cheating like this was a normal occurrence.

The false premises here are:

1. A professor is not a teacher. Well, My dictionary defines “teacher” as “a person who teaches, especially in a school”. I understand that you wrote “teacher” but probably meant more specifically “schoolteacher”, but this is a good opportunity to remind yourself that as a professor, you are actually a “teacher”. Part of your job is to teach, and part of teaching involves mundane tasks like giving exams and enforcing rules of academic honesty, and occasionally disciplining students who violate those rules. If you adopt the mindset that such tasks are beneath your dignity because “I’m not a teacher. I’m a professor”, I foresee a lot of frustrations in your future “professing” career.

2. Only kids cheat. That’s objectively false. Many kids are dishonest, but it’s a fact that many adults are also dishonest and try to cheat their way through life. Your expectations that because your job is to teach adults you “shouldn’t be dealing with [dishonest behavior that you think only kids exhibit]” are unrealistic. Again, if you don’t break free of this mindset and adapt your expectations to fit reality, I predict that you will suffer a good deal of disappointment and frustration down the road.

3. Cheating is not a normal occurrence. Sadly that’s not true in places I’m familiar with. Cheating is a fact of life (though thankfully relatively rare where I am), and dishonest behavior among students is merely a reflection of the broader societies we live in. Until our society changes drastically you should expect to continue to encounter cheating on a fairly regular basis. In my opinion, having realistic expectations is again key to not allowing this to drive you insane. Good luck!

Answer 4

I'm a professor in the US. At most of the universities I have taught, this (witnessed whispering, identical proofs on exam) would be enough to file a report about academic dishonesty. Possibly your university will require you to speak with the student before filing this report, but not necessarily.

File the report. Give a zero on the exam (or at least on the problem, if you are feeling generous). The only thing to prevent students from cheating is for there to be consequences. If you just give them a stern warning, the best you can hope for is that they won't cheat again in your class, and will start again next semester. Most of the real consequences will then be decided by the university based on whether or not this is a first/second offense, etc.

(In all likelihood, if they do not already have an infraction on file, which they probably don't since many professors won't file them, their consequences will be minor. But it's important for you to put this one on file, otherwise there is not much that ends up getting done about repeat incidences.)

Answer 5

I am answering this question in a student's perspective. It's been three years now since I graduated from Federal University of Rio de Janeiro, as a Chemical Engineering Bachelor.

I have a ton of friends that were avid cheaters during college. That was their most comfortable game. Your students that you caught during this exam are complete newbies in this world, and their technique is totally lacking. My colleagues would set up truly intricate schemes to avoid being caught.

However, I can assert with significant confidence at this point: those are the ones that have been struggling the most since they've been out of college. There is no possible cheating when you enter the job market. There is no 'answer sheet' waiting for you somewhere to be copied from. The very scarce opportunities you will find to shortcut difficulties will usually have a percent chance to put you in jail.

That said, I believe that your best lesson, as a professor, is to take the test from them and assign a zero. Make them fail the course by breaking the rules, and you will be providing them a much more valuable lesson than mathematics: you will be teaching them to do the right thing and assume the consequences for their lack of preparation and dishonesty.

Transporting a lesson from the startup world: fail cheap and quickly, so that you learn your needed lessons fast and at a low cost. Let them have this opportunity.

Answer 6

Like you say, you shouldn't be (and aren't) dealing with kids. Before the next exam, remind everyone of the cheating policy and the punishments for violating it. Even put it in writing exactly what the consequences of violating the policy is. Then, at the next exam, if they violate engage in cheating, follow through with the punishment.

If the punishment is to assign a 0, then do that. If you feel the need to do so, you could even take the offending parties' exams immediately and ask them to leave so they do not disrupt the other students. As stated before, these are not children. These are adults entering the real world of real academic integrity laws. Going easy on them here will do no good.

Answer 7

In my Year 10 computing class, I did an assignment quite easily. What I didn't know was that the rest of the class had all copied from the other bloke in the room who also found it easy. When I say copied, they actually passed a 3 & 1/2 inch floppy around the room and duplicated the text file. So, of 30 students, 29 of them provided exactly the same response. When class came the next day EVERY student except me was given a fail mark for the course and asked to write to the parents to explain why they chose the lazy path. While I felt a little maligned by the approach (I was made out to be the 'teacher's pet'), not a single one of them ever cheated again on a test (to the best of my knowledge) - they knew it wasn't worth it. A few of them had to explain why they left someone else's name at the bottom of their report... #idiots. So, immediate action and consequence made its mark. The teacher they all thought was 'easy' suddenly had a backbone and they knew they couldn't get away with idiocy anymore.

Answer 8

Unfortunately, cheating is a reality in higher education. You may have to make some small changes in your classroom if you want to combat cheating.

1. Know your institution's policy.

At some institutions, professors cannot determine the penalty for cheating or sometimes even whether cheating has occurred. At my institution, we are to collect evidence (e.g. student testimonial, photographs, video - yes, with our phones) that cheating has occurred, then turn that information over to a committee that reviews the evidence and decides the fate of the student(s). Before you assign some sort of punishment, be sure you can actually do so.

2. Make expectations clear.

In the syllabus, put a small paragraph on academic honesty. If your university gives you the ability to punish those who cheat, then outline how you will do that. Refer students to your institution's page on academic honesty and point out the consequences of violating the honor code during the first week of class.

3. Create more than one version of your exams.

I'm also in a mathematics department and occasionally do this to prevent - or, at least, to complicate - cheating. Creating multiple versions of exams can be as extensive as having completely different questions or as simple as reordering the same collection of questions. Many of my colleagues also print different versions of their exams on paper of different colors. Some even make only two versions of an exam but in four different colors to trick students into thinking there are four different exams.

4. Place yourself near the problem.

When you suspect a student (or, in your case, a group of students) is cheating during an exam, walk toward them, pause in front of them, and look directly at them. When you are quite sure cheating has occurred, stand in front of them for an uncomfortable amount of time and make eye contact, if you can.

Don't be demeaned by enforcing academic honesty policies, and don't let cheaters take advantage of you. Instead, do what you can do to make sure cheaters don't prosper.

Answer 9

I suppose you’re in a big lecture hall? If the ‘cheating’ is just verbal communication it’s hard to deal with, save for splitting groups up. You might consider recruiting some grad students to stand proctor, walk around a bit to cut down on it. Consider also the form of your tests. Multiple choice is easy and quick to communicate. Essay and show-your-answer is way harder to cheat on. For multiple choice, creating multiple versions might help.

Answer 10

To minimize cheating in the future, I recommend the following techniques that I used:

1) Assigned random seating. 2) Alternate versions of the exams between seats 3) Absolutely no communication during exams with anyone but me (or other proctors). 4) Constant vigilance. Don't just sit at the front while they take the exam, wander throughout the exam. They shouldn't feel comfortable doing anything but keeping their head on the exam.

If your students were able to produce the same answer because they studied together, good for them. If they were able to communicate an entire proof during your exam? You're not proctoring.

Answer 11

Speaking from my university experience here (it was in Germany if that matters). Preventing cheating without making it into "dealing with kids" as you put it is basically impossible. It is a constant game of cat and mouse, and you are always on the back foot. Open book exams might help, or permitting one page of paper (be sure to have exact specifications) as 'cheat sheet'.

For exams our professors would get large rooms and enforce seating policies. As 'high-schoolish' as this sounds, 'Use only every second row, every third seat' and assigning seats per student number makes whispering and passing notes pretty hard. You need something, even just an eraser? Raise your hand, ask a TA, otherwise you risk getting disqualified. One strike, next one and you are out.

They would also never be alone. In our smaller courses (30ish students) were two TAs supervising, for the larger exams we had up to six.

Empty desks, bags in the empty row in front of you. (Needed tools, water, snacks... permitted ofc.) Paper was provided by the TAs, usually stamped or marked in another way.

Only one person to the bathroom at a time, managed by the TAs.

And still plenty of students managed to cheat. This is a very recent case from Singapore, and they already ahve airport-style checks at the entrance: Singapore Tutor uses skin-colored earpieces to relay answers to students (April 2018)

Answer 12

You should set different exams with each having different questions and make sure students sitting next or close or around each other should not have the same exam. I remember my biology teacher always use this technique and cheating had to stop because different question implied different answers.

Answer 13

I suppose there is a rule "Thou shalt not plagiarise” and your case is a form of plagiarism - one claims the other's work as their own and vice versa.

Show the papers to your colleague, the professor, who grants the lecture or dept head, if you both assess the tests same then when returning graded papers to your students show anyone publicly the tests and prove them same. Therefore plagiarised. And mark their works as unattended.

At the time of the test, when you catch anyone whispering, you can ask them to finish their discussion, which is obviously more important to them than the test is, in the caffeteria and leave their unimportant tests on the table as is.

Be consistent in your decisions and show them you are not an boring robot but a human who was young as well as them.

If you are really annoyed by their behaviour, you can show your displeasure less conveniently, yet acceptably in your region. You can staple their tests together and ask them to close the door from the other side. You can make a rubber stamp with large letters "DQ", "Disqualified", "plagiarised" or any other cheater-mocking text and stamp it on their papers. You can throw their student IDs through the window (be sure there is no pond they can sink in or there are no workers mowing the grass, etc.) and order them to follow. The point is to show the cheaters you are definite in your decision and show possible future cheaters that the attempt to cheating is a big no-no.