I had a midterm exam today in my Business Ethics class. The class is not a lecture size; maybe around 40-50 people. The professor is pretty strict on the grading policy which means there is no curve on any exam or at the end of the semester. So naturally I busted my ass the week before, studying for the exam and got no sleep the night before as I had two exams in two different classes today. The professor was not here today and one of the professors I was a teaching assistant for last semester, was supervising the class. I noticed my neighbor (I don't know her personally) diagonal to me take her conveniently placed folder onto her lap during the exam and start look over her notes. Then when that wasn't enough, she took out her phone and probably started looking up answers to the exam. She even asked to use the bathroom multiple times and the professor only agreed after she went up to him to ask. I hate to be known as a whistleblower or "rat" as some people would say, but it doesn't seem fair that I have to stress over this exam like many of my other classmates while one student gets an easy ticket out of this difficult course. Then again life isn't fair, so maybe I should stop whining and turn a blind eye? Thoughts?
I think in this case narcing as they call it is only advised if you don't care how your classmates view you. In the inner city I know narcing is looked down upon with great scorn, no matter what you witness. Even in a school setting quite a few would take issue with getting your fellow classmates in trouble.
So it basically comes down to the person some people refuse to ever narc and others are more likely to do it.
I think in this case narcing as they call it is only advised if you don't care how your classmates view you. In the inner city I know narcing is looked down upon with great scorn, no matter what you witness. Even in a school setting quite a few would take issue with getting your fellow classmates in trouble.
So it basically comes down to the person some people refuse to ever narc and others are more likely to do it.
I never heard of the term narcing before, but it's the same difference. Different areas have different terms for it I guess. Would an anonymous tip or email asking for confidentiality be better?
I think in this case narcing as they call it is only advised if you don't care how your classmates view you. In the inner city I know narcing is looked down upon with great scorn, no matter what you witness. Even in a school setting quite a few would take issue with getting your fellow classmates in trouble.
So it basically comes down to the person some people refuse to ever narc and others are more likely to do it.
I never heard of the term narcing before, but it's the same difference. Different areas have different terms for it I guess. Would an anonymous tip or email asking for confidentiality be better?
If it was me and I intended on letting the teacher know I would do it publicly, I don't like behind the door stuff like that.
Just let it be. You dont have anything to gain from doing so. Yes it sucks you busted ass and she cheated but only bad things could come of this situation. It'll be a he said/she said scenario. Hell, the professor could ask why your eyes werent on your own paper. And down the road she might try to accuse you or have someone else accuse you of cheating. Since her actions didnt directly affect you id leave it alone. Id even be hesitant to approach her and say "I saw what you did. This is your get out of jail free card. Next time im putting you on blast"
I wonder if she was a plant ... and reporting her was the real test?
So, ethically, I imagine your university has a code of conduct that requires reporting her. If you want to do the Right Thing, then she should be reported.
That said, she probably should have been reported while it was happening so evidence could be gathered and it didn't become a case of DrewReaLee-said-she-said.
And personally, FWIW, I never reported anyone for cheating during my career as a student. I didn't like the cost-benefit profile and I figured if they couldn't make it in class without cheating, they couldn't make it later in Real Life (which has born out).
I wonder if she was a plant ... and reporting her was the real test?
So, ethically, I imagine your university has a code of conduct that requires reporting her. If you want to do the Right Thing, then she should be reported.
That said, she probably should have been reported while it was happening so evidence could be gathered and it didn't become a case of DrewReaLee-said-she-said.
And personally, FWIW, I never reported anyone for cheating during my career as a student. I didn't like the cost-benefit profile and I figured if they couldn't make it in class without cheating, they couldn't make it later in Real Life (which has born out).
Unfortunately, my university's code of conduct does have a line that asks students to report suspected cheating to professors. I think I am obligated to at least notify my professor through email. I already had another class earlier this semester (much larger lecture hall) where the professor said that several students came forth through email and said that a number of students cheated on a quiz. He just gave out a stern warning to the class and that was all. The worst that will come of it is if I have to testify as a witness before the judicial board. Or if the professor trashes the first exam. I thought I did pretty well.
I think I am obligated to at least notify my professor through email. I already had another class earlier this semester (much larger lecture hall) where the professor said that several students came forth through email and said that a number of students cheated on a quiz. He just gave out a stern warning to the class and that was all. The worst that will come of it is if I have to testify as a witness before the judicial board. Or if the professor trashes the first exam. I thought I did pretty well.
The professor won't trash an entire exam for one cheater. But, I do think you should report it. In the long run you are not only helping yourself, you are helping the cheater as well. If she can't hack it without cheating, she shoudl get a different degree because she will be caught eventually. If not in school, when she gets out on the job and can't do it. Generally a first offense is not met with expulsion, and depends on how strict the teacher is.
Anecdote time:
I was a TA for Fundamentals of Engineering at Michigan Tech for about 2.5 years (Fundamentals is the basic freshmen level engineering survey course that all Engineering majors have to take). During the programming module I caught a team of students that had all copied a program from each other and brought it to the professor. She and I discussed it, and she decided that we would give them all a zero and ask them to speak to us after class in a note on the paper. One of the team members came in after class barely holding back tears to talk with us, the other three didn't show up.
The one who talked with us still got a zero, but I can guarantee you she never did it again. The other three had their zero upgraded to failing the class because they didn't come in. No clue if they did it again or not.
The point of the anecdote being that if its someone who is really trying and just "slipped up" once, they aren't going to be expelled and by reporting them you are actually, most likely, helping them. On the other hand, if nothing is done she'll learn that she can get away with it and that just leads to problems in later level courses/real life.
bLatch pretty much covers it. Most of those academic integrity pledges you sign to get in involve reporting cheating in addition to not doing it yourself.
I'd just like to note the irony of someone cheating on a business ethics exams.
Most professors will not need proof. If someone needs to cheat at that level, it probably shows in their other work. In fact, if you were to send an email (or an anonymous letter), your professor will probably think "I thought her score seemed really high compared to what she usually does."
Ethics aside, lets pretend we were at FNM (or since its a university lets call it a PTQ). You notice the person next to you cheating. You're not playing that person. What do you care if they cheat? Wouldn't you still report it to a judge?
Thanks guys I really appreciate the responses. Apparently the professor already knew from another student's tip. I'll let you know if anything happens.
I personally would not have told anyone. Post secondary education is something you pay for to benefit you. That is it. If you cheat you are only hurting your self down the line. She is basically shooting her self in the foot.
I personally would not have told anyone. Post secondary education is something you pay for to benefit you. That is it. If you cheat you are only hurting your self down the line. She is basically shooting her self in the foot.
This works better as a platitude than in reality. Think about it for a minute, she's cheating at business ethics. If she is allowed to pass without getting caught or failing, imagine what kind of business she is going to run.
I personally would not have told anyone. Post secondary education is something you pay for to benefit you. That is it. If you cheat you are only hurting your self down the line. She is basically shooting her self in the foot.
This works better as a platitude than in reality. Think about it for a minute, she's cheating at business ethics. If she is allowed to pass without getting caught or failing, imagine what kind of business she is going to run.
A successful one?
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That is it. If you cheat you are only hurting your self down the line. She is basically shooting her self in the foot.
Jay's point aside, honestly I've always thought this idea has mostly been bull*****. It's not like I'm ever going to use most of what I learned (or didn't learn) as an undergraduate. God knows employers aren't going to rigorously examine someone's knowledge of business ethics unless the industry is VERY highly regulated or the job she's applying for is specifically for overseeing company ethics.
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"Virtue, Jacques, is an excellent thing. Both good people and wicked people speak highly of it..."
I’m a former college level teacher and I’m not sure I’d feel compelled to report the cheating. I believe that exams are an antiquated way of determining a student’s competency level. Of course employees should be expected to have a basic level of competency in their chosen field but, if she does not possess that competency, it will be revealed when she gets a job or attempts to get a job. Once she has her job there is almost nothing she can’t learn through peers or the internet.
Educators are often so entrenched in their midterm/final exam methodology that they often fail to actually educate their students. When I was a teacher almost all my grading was practicum based. Who cares if you can cram for a test and forget the information you learned the next day, or guess the right answer in a multiple choice question? That is no way to determine competency. If you can actually DO what you are studying in a simulated real-world environment (with instructor guidance) than THAT is the determining factor for competency.
Your teacher was too lazy to attend the final exam of his class. I think that speaks for itself as to how invested he was in actually educating his students. Now he has an opportunity to tout his academic integrity via this cheating students punishment.
Education is not a series of tests you cram for to achieve letter grades that no one will ever look at. Your classmate was gaming a system that was gaming her out of her tuition. So, like I said; who cares?
YEducation is not a series of tests you cram for to achieve letter grades that no one will ever look at. Your classmate was gaming a system that was gaming her out of her tuition. So, like I said; who cares?
Why not game her out of gaming out the system that's gaming her? I have some similar thoughts about the educational system, but there are potential reasons aside from upholding its sanctity to report her.
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"Virtue, Jacques, is an excellent thing. Both good people and wicked people speak highly of it..."
Why didn't you report the cheating the same day it occurred? I know the teacher wasn't there but informing the monitor AND emailing the teacher would have covered your ass a little bit more.
I have to say that sometimes teachers are vague when it comes to letting you know what materials are allowed during a test. In one of my classes people often had the book out while taking tests and so I thought it was fine. I asked the teacher this week and he said it wasn't fine at all! The sad thing is that people were doing poorly, even with the text in front of them. *shrug* I'm going to present arguments in favor of open book tests tomorrow and hope it goes well.
I can agree with the idea that competency should be measured in an actual job capacity.
a few years ago, I was taking a reporting class at my local Community College. instead of a final, the instructor would call us, one at a time, during the last month and give us a subject (be it an event or an ideology) and an angle and expect an article "on his desk tomorrow morning". Then, he would present the article to the class (without telling who wrote it) and critique how well the student performed, and our final was graded based on that. What made it entertaining was that, if we made our point of view on a subject clear, he would ask us to write defending the opposite view.
Called me around 10 in the evening, expecting a piece on SOPA from the viewpoint that it was a just and necessary thing... jerk.
Why didn't you report the cheating the same day it occurred? I know the teacher wasn't there but informing the monitor AND emailing the teacher would have covered your ass a little bit more.
I have to say that sometimes teachers are vague when it comes to letting you know what materials are allowed during a test. In one of my classes people often had the book out while taking tests and so I thought it was fine. I asked the teacher this week and he said it wasn't fine at all! The sad thing is that people were doing poorly, even with the text in front of them. *shrug* I'm going to present arguments in favor of open book tests tomorrow and hope it goes well.
I know I ran into several classes during my 5-years in college, that allowed the use of any materials we wanted to use, however the exams were lengthy and strictly timed, and most required a good bit of thoughtful written answers. The idea behind that method, was that outside of college such resources would be available to look certain things up if needed, however, the ability to KNOW such things and be able to deal with situations that required that knowledge immediately would separate those who actually knew the material from those who didn't, just as on the exam, those who were able to actually finish the exam fully and with thoughtful answers and who did well on the exam were those who obviously had more knowledge of the material from the start. What was funny about those exams as well, was that each exam had the questions in a different order, so copying wouldn't have done much good and would be blatantly obvious when grading the exams. I actually rather enjoyed those classes, as I think most of the students did, it took enough of the exam stress off to allow for people to actually learn more from the class rather than trying to cram for the exams as so many classes end up requiring.
As far as the cheating stuff goes, you should definitely report people cheating. Rules are rules and people are expected to follow them. Would I go out of my way to try to catch cheaters when I'm supposed to be focusing on my own exam? Nope. But If I see it, I would report it, but certainly not publicly, emails and the like typically work just fine, or a brief quiet comment to the professor at some point during the exam so they can watch the person for themselves to see if they are indeed cheating.
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So it basically comes down to the person some people refuse to ever narc and others are more likely to do it.
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I never heard of the term narcing before, but it's the same difference. Different areas have different terms for it I guess. Would an anonymous tip or email asking for confidentiality be better?
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If it was me and I intended on letting the teacher know I would do it publicly, I don't like behind the door stuff like that.
http://en.wiktionary.org/wiki/narcing
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So, ethically, I imagine your university has a code of conduct that requires reporting her. If you want to do the Right Thing, then she should be reported.
That said, she probably should have been reported while it was happening so evidence could be gathered and it didn't become a case of DrewReaLee-said-she-said.
And personally, FWIW, I never reported anyone for cheating during my career as a student. I didn't like the cost-benefit profile and I figured if they couldn't make it in class without cheating, they couldn't make it later in Real Life (which has born out).
Unfortunately, my university's code of conduct does have a line that asks students to report suspected cheating to professors. I think I am obligated to at least notify my professor through email. I already had another class earlier this semester (much larger lecture hall) where the professor said that several students came forth through email and said that a number of students cheated on a quiz. He just gave out a stern warning to the class and that was all. The worst that will come of it is if I have to testify as a witness before the judicial board. Or if the professor trashes the first exam. I thought I did pretty well.
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I think its pretty much standard at all universities. In fact, I think most *require* you to report it, not just ask you to.
The professor won't trash an entire exam for one cheater. But, I do think you should report it. In the long run you are not only helping yourself, you are helping the cheater as well. If she can't hack it without cheating, she shoudl get a different degree because she will be caught eventually. If not in school, when she gets out on the job and can't do it. Generally a first offense is not met with expulsion, and depends on how strict the teacher is.
Anecdote time:
I was a TA for Fundamentals of Engineering at Michigan Tech for about 2.5 years (Fundamentals is the basic freshmen level engineering survey course that all Engineering majors have to take). During the programming module I caught a team of students that had all copied a program from each other and brought it to the professor. She and I discussed it, and she decided that we would give them all a zero and ask them to speak to us after class in a note on the paper. One of the team members came in after class barely holding back tears to talk with us, the other three didn't show up.
The one who talked with us still got a zero, but I can guarantee you she never did it again. The other three had their zero upgraded to failing the class because they didn't come in. No clue if they did it again or not.
The point of the anecdote being that if its someone who is really trying and just "slipped up" once, they aren't going to be expelled and by reporting them you are actually, most likely, helping them. On the other hand, if nothing is done she'll learn that she can get away with it and that just leads to problems in later level courses/real life.
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Most professors will not need proof. If someone needs to cheat at that level, it probably shows in their other work. In fact, if you were to send an email (or an anonymous letter), your professor will probably think "I thought her score seemed really high compared to what she usually does."
Ethics aside, lets pretend we were at FNM (or since its a university lets call it a PTQ). You notice the person next to you cheating. You're not playing that person. What do you care if they cheat? Wouldn't you still report it to a judge?
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My 540 Card Cube (WIP)
This works better as a platitude than in reality. Think about it for a minute, she's cheating at business ethics. If she is allowed to pass without getting caught or failing, imagine what kind of business she is going to run.
TerribleBad at Magic since 1998.A Vorthos Guide to Magic Story | Twitter | Tumblr
[Primer] Krenko | Azor | Kess | Zacama | Kumena | Sram | The Ur-Dragon | Edgar Markov | Daretti | Marath
A successful one?
and acts without effort.
Teaching without verbosity,
producing without possessing,
creating without regard to result,
claiming nothing,
the Sage has nothing to lose.
Educators are often so entrenched in their midterm/final exam methodology that they often fail to actually educate their students. When I was a teacher almost all my grading was practicum based. Who cares if you can cram for a test and forget the information you learned the next day, or guess the right answer in a multiple choice question? That is no way to determine competency. If you can actually DO what you are studying in a simulated real-world environment (with instructor guidance) than THAT is the determining factor for competency.
Your teacher was too lazy to attend the final exam of his class. I think that speaks for itself as to how invested he was in actually educating his students. Now he has an opportunity to tout his academic integrity via this cheating students punishment.
Education is not a series of tests you cram for to achieve letter grades that no one will ever look at. Your classmate was gaming a system that was gaming her out of her tuition. So, like I said; who cares?
I have to say that sometimes teachers are vague when it comes to letting you know what materials are allowed during a test. In one of my classes people often had the book out while taking tests and so I thought it was fine. I asked the teacher this week and he said it wasn't fine at all! The sad thing is that people were doing poorly, even with the text in front of them. *shrug* I'm going to present arguments in favor of open book tests tomorrow and hope it goes well.
a few years ago, I was taking a reporting class at my local Community College. instead of a final, the instructor would call us, one at a time, during the last month and give us a subject (be it an event or an ideology) and an angle and expect an article "on his desk tomorrow morning". Then, he would present the article to the class (without telling who wrote it) and critique how well the student performed, and our final was graded based on that. What made it entertaining was that, if we made our point of view on a subject clear, he would ask us to write defending the opposite view.
Called me around 10 in the evening, expecting a piece on SOPA from the viewpoint that it was a just and necessary thing... jerk.
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I know I ran into several classes during my 5-years in college, that allowed the use of any materials we wanted to use, however the exams were lengthy and strictly timed, and most required a good bit of thoughtful written answers. The idea behind that method, was that outside of college such resources would be available to look certain things up if needed, however, the ability to KNOW such things and be able to deal with situations that required that knowledge immediately would separate those who actually knew the material from those who didn't, just as on the exam, those who were able to actually finish the exam fully and with thoughtful answers and who did well on the exam were those who obviously had more knowledge of the material from the start. What was funny about those exams as well, was that each exam had the questions in a different order, so copying wouldn't have done much good and would be blatantly obvious when grading the exams. I actually rather enjoyed those classes, as I think most of the students did, it took enough of the exam stress off to allow for people to actually learn more from the class rather than trying to cram for the exams as so many classes end up requiring.
As far as the cheating stuff goes, you should definitely report people cheating. Rules are rules and people are expected to follow them. Would I go out of my way to try to catch cheaters when I'm supposed to be focusing on my own exam? Nope. But If I see it, I would report it, but certainly not publicly, emails and the like typically work just fine, or a brief quiet comment to the professor at some point during the exam so they can watch the person for themselves to see if they are indeed cheating.