ACADEMIC HONESTY Other Forms of Dishonesty

Apart from plagiarism, the two most common forms of academic dishonesty are cheating on exams and furnishing false information. Both are easy to detect, but they should be handled tactfully since they often occur in a public setting.

Cheating on Exams

Detecting cheating on an exam is mostly a matter of vigilance. Watch for wandering eyes, cell phones or other electronic devices on desks, open books or book bags at the student's feet or on a nearby chair, or students who stop writing when you walk near them. Pay particular attention to students who sit in a part of the room that is difficult to see, such as the very back row or a dark corner. Read names on blue books as they are handed in. Watch for a student you do not know handing in an exam for a student you do know, or for a male student submitting an exam with a female student's name on it (or vice versa).

If blue books are used, one preventative measure is to ask students to create specific marks in the book, such as putting a large 'X' through page 5, or signing their names across the entire first page. This will prevent students from bringing in blue books which have been written in prior to the exam, or from doing an exam for someone else.

In order to avoid falsely accusing students, make your expectations clear about what additional materials will be allowed during the exam. Then before the exam begins, remind students to put everything else away and out of sight.

Furnishing False Information

Students may furnish false information about their identity in the course of an exam or other academic obligation, or fabricate information or data and present it legitimate. It is easy to catch students who furnish false information during an exam or other academic assignment by checking the identification cards of students who you do not know personally. False data can be detected by making it a policy to follow up on bibliographical references from time to time.

What to do if you suspect that a student:

…is cheating on an exam

Some strategies for detecting academic dishonesty are discussed in the section on Academic Dishonesty: Additional Solutions, Exams. However, what do you do if you suspect that a student is cheating or catch them in the act of doing so? First, DO NOT ACCUSE THEM OF CHEATING. Expressions such as "cheating" are not only inflammatory, they may put your department or the university in a difficult legal position at a later date. Be tactful. For instance, if you suspect that a student is attempting to copy from others or may be communicating answers to another person during an exam, quietly ask them to move to another seat. If you suspect that a student has preprogrammed a calculator with unauthorized information or is using some other electronic device in a similar way, ask them to let you examine the device in question. If it does contain unauthorized information, consider confiscating it or asking the student to put it away. Take the student's name and SID number, and ask the instructor in charge of the course how to proceed.

…has furnished false infomation

Students who are doing poorly in a course have been known to ask another student, who is more familiar with the subject in question, to take the final exam, complete a project, or write a paper for them. Thus, it is helpful to have students bring an identification card with them to an exam, and should be reminded to do so. Bring a class list with you to the exam as well. If you do not recognize a student, or suspect that a student may have falsely identified themselves, check their identification card and the class list. You are justified in asking students who falsely identify themselves to leave the exam, but, again, tactfully. Avoid making a scene in the exam hall, which will cause other students additional stress during the exam. Instead, ask the student to step outside, take his or her name and SID and request that he or she leave the exam.