TPR 14 #35 contains a hypothetical case study that references real case law. In the introduction, Pavela assures us that the situations we might encounter as administrators “will almost certainly be less complicated and contentious.” Encouraging, since the reading gives us so much to contemplate:
1. While the lawyer’s pre-hearing objections seemed unreasonable (Dr. Miller told us they don’t know much about higher ed law…), his allegations in the letter to the administrator, following the ruling, seem a bit more valid. Was there anything listed there or mentioned in the commentary that surprised you?
2. James Hunter College was accused of failing to comply with its own Code of Academic Integrity. Based on the information presented, were any of their proceedings executed in “bad faith” or “ill will”?
3. Do you think the faculty member responded to the situation appropriately? What might she have done differently?
4. As a follow-up to #3, I’m curious about your own encounters with academic dishonesty in higher education. How have you responded or observed other faculty members respond to cheating? In your experience, have administrators and supervisors been supportive of faculty’s attempts to manage dishonesty in the classroom?
After reading the report, I was really less concerned about whether or not the lawyer should have been permitted to participate in the hearing, or how much of a jerk the professor was, or John’s ex’s ability to be objective. I was much more interested in whether or not John and Metad ever cheated again (which we’ll never know since they’re not real). If our goal, as educators and administrators, is simply to punish those who don't follow our rules, we’ve lost a great opportunity for meaningful learning…
#3 - I feel that the faculty member handled the situation appropriately. She asked John to move several times during the examination; she appropriately compared the examinations noting identical answers, the same wrong answers and poor performance on the essay portion of the examination; and she met privately and individually with both students to give them an opportunity to answer her questions. What I do see that she could have done differently (and this might not be in the college's procedures for academic dishonesty) was to have a faculty department chair and/or a dean also investigate the matter rather than going straight to the Honor Council. This would have given the students another opportunity to "come clean" and maybe then the matter could have simply been resolved between the faculty member and the students.
#4 - quite truthfully in my experience, faculty have been "all over the board" in handling these types of matters. Some simply don't care and say that this type of behavior will eventually "catch up" to the students. Some give zeros on the assignments in question regardless of student explanations. Some fail students for the semester regardless of student explanations. Personally for me, I try to handle the situation between myself and the students involved. I ask the appropriate questions, give zeros if necessary, and discuss the consequences of this type of behavior with students. If I feel that my Dean's involvement is necessary, I will get her involved.
At PHCC, in my experience, I have had tremendous support by my Dean, the Chief Academic Officer and those in Student Development (who handle the "due process") - when they have known of a situation. I really feel that the support given by administration for these matters is the result with how a faculty member initially handles the situation. In my opinion, there is a "right way" to handle this type of situation and a completely "wrong way" to handle this type of situation....
This was an interesting case study. I teach mathematics at PHCC. In the last year I have caught two students cheating on a test. One in a Calculus I class and the other in a College Algebra class. I have been teaching for 13 years and I feel I am fairly good at catching cheaters. I'm sure I do not catch everyone that cheats, but I have learned to watch out for certain behaviors and signs that someone may be cheating. With the Calculus I student, I remember on the first exam he seemed to act kind of strange, looking down to his lap often. I could not prove he was cheating, but something just didn’t seem right. I believe he made a “C” on the first test. Usually if I suspect academic dishonesty by a student on a test, I will watch over them carefully during the next exam. Well, once again during exam 2 this student acted strange, looking down at his lap a lot. I walked to the back of the room without him knowing and I could see his “cheat sheet” in his lap. I quietly approached him and he gave me the cheat sheet. It contained examples of worked out problems. There was no confrontation at all, since he knew he was caught I suppose. He received a zero on the test of course and did not pass the class.
The College Algebra student I caught cheating was also using a cheat sheet, which I caught him using. He did not pass the class.
In the very beginning of the commentary of the article it brings up the reluctance of faculty members to report allegations of academic dishonesty. That kind of reminds me of me a little. I hate to accuse students or talk to students about cheating unless I am basically 100% sure they are cheating, such as the incidents with my students using cheat sheets. I think with the subject of mathematics, it is easier for me to deal with possible cheaters though. My tests are not multiple choice and students must show their work for credit. If a student has a right answer with no work to back it up, I do not award credit. Typically if I suspect someone is cheating, it will show on their work for the test (they may have the correct answer, but incorrect work) and they do not pass anyway.
This was an interesting case study. I teach mathematics at PHCC. In the last year I have caught two students cheating on a test. One in a Calculus I class and the other in a College Algebra class. I have been teaching for 13 years and I feel I am fairly good at catching cheaters. I'm sure I do not catch everyone that cheats, but I have learned to watch out for certain behaviors and signs that someone may be cheating. With the Calculus I student, I remember on the first exam he seemed to act kind of strange, looking down to his lap often. I could not prove he was cheating, but something just didn’t seem right. I believe he made a “C” on the first test. Usually if I suspect academic dishonesty by a student on a test, I will watch over them carefully during the next exam. Well, once again during exam 2 this student acted strange, looking down at his lap a lot. I walked to the back of the room without him knowing and I could see his “cheat sheet” in his lap. I quietly approached him and he gave me the cheat sheet. It contained examples of worked out problems. There was no confrontation at all, since he knew he was caught I suppose. He received a zero on the test of course and did not pass the class.
The College Algebra student I caught cheating was also using a cheat sheet, which I caught him using. He did not pass the class.
In the very beginning of the commentary of the article it brings up the reluctance of faculty members to report allegations of academic dishonesty. That kind of reminds me of me a little. I hate to accuse students or talk to students about cheating unless I am basically 100% sure they are cheating, such as the incidents with my students using cheat sheets. I think with the subject of mathematics, it is easier for me to deal with possible cheaters though. My tests are not multiple choice and students must show their work for credit. If a student has a right answer with no work to back it up, I do not award credit. Typically if I suspect someone is cheating, it will show on their work for the test (they may have the correct answer, but incorrect work) and they do not pass anyway.
If it quacks, has web feet and is swimming in the lake - based on the preponderance of the evidence, it is a duck – no DNA testing needed.
I agree that professors are all over the board with reporting academic dishonesty. Some care deeply and hold students accountable, others choose not to confront the inappropriate behavior.
As Dr. Miller alluded in class to an issue I am currently dealing with concerning an academic dishonesty case where I have accused a student of plagiarism on three different occasions (a total of 8 direct quotes not referenced in two papers) – as I am not the instructor “of record” I have provided this information to the instructor – including the direct quotes from their original sources. It will be interesting to see how the case is handled as it clearly violates the SLU academic honesty policy and I now have a new appreciate for faculty who deal with this issue all the time. If pursued, this student should be removed from our Education Specialist program (a post-master’s certification program.) Although it was a very difficult decision to report, I believe that it is a necessary process to ensure the program’s integrity. This is a student with two degrees -academic neligence is not the case - this individual submitted work that was not their own.
I agree that the consequences for cheating at the graduate level ought to be severe...especially for students seeking an education degree. (I'm also fairly certain one could plagiarize their way through most of this Ph.D. program without detection, which is scary.)
Another question up for discussion: Should colleges and universities have a specific reporting policy for faculty who suspect academic dishonesty?
#3- After the student (John) disregarded her clear instructions for a third time- during an exam (emphasized)- I think the professor did respond appropriately; she followed the institutional policy. And although she could have immediately turned the issue over to the student board, she gave both of the alleged cheaters the opportunity to tell the truth during private meetings (that possibly could have saved them from more embarrassment). Perhaps the professor would not have sent the matter to the Honor Council if the alleged cheaters had “confessed” during these private, individual sessions?
I’ve never taught a course so I haven’t had any experiences with cheating. However, if I were ever faced with the situation, I believe I would have a similar response to Misty and Ken. I think it would be important to have a candid conversation with the cheating student to highlight integrity, personal responsibility, and ethical behavior. And, that student would definitely be reported because it would be my professional responsibility to do so.
Q1: The lawyer’s objections to the pre-hearing were certainly unreasonable; bordering on the preposterous, in my opinion. It appears ridiculous to suggest that pursuing academic dishonesty charges against an international student who cheated on an exam would be unfair and inconsistent with the college’s commitment to diversity because cheating on an exam (or as he calls it, “collaboration”) is acceptable and normal in that student’s culture. Seems he was trying to scare the college into dropping the issue altogether by concocting a stern letter full of frivolous objections and buzzwords in an attempt to intimidate (e.g., defamation, diversity, disability, Section 504). It sounds like the old, “The best defensive is a good offense” approach here.
Q3: Like Edna, I don’t teach either so I’m not sure how viable these suggestions might be: A. Could the instructor not start or stop the test until ALL students were seated appropriately (not using names so no one can accuse anyone for “defaming” them after the fact)? Perhaps the use of peer pressure (a room full of anxious students wanting to get on with the test but being held up by one student’s behavior) might have compelled John to comply. Would that tactic, however, have caused an unfair or disruptive situation for the rest of the class? B. After John got up to ask the professor a question and, again, placed himself in an improper seat, couldn’t the instructor have requested/taken John’s paper until he placed himself in one of the “every other seat[s] as she had instructed twice before?” Does an instructor have any recourse if a student is being noncompliant during a testing situation?
Here's another thing I don't understand. How did John manage to escape the instructor's notice and actually complete the 50 short answer questions while sitting in a “forbidden” seat? I’m assuming that she was uncomfortable confronting him any further about his reluctance to follow her specific instructions and, instead, opted to test her suspicions by comparing papers after the fact. But, as we can see, that solution was problematic as well.
Regarding Q4: As an undergrad, I remember taking Sign Language as it was part of my major. However, ASL I and ASL II could also be taken to meet the foreign language requirement, so the classes also attracted a plethora of non-majors who signed up only because they heard that these classes were much easier than Spanish I and II. In my class, there was one scholarship athlete (and a couple of her non-athlete friends) who didn’t take the coursework seriously and actually cheated on the exams. The professor was deaf, so he couldn’t hear them whispering answers to each other. The athlete would occasionally hold her test paper up in front of her face and pretend to read so the professor couldn’t see her lips moving while she was asked her friends for the answers. Her friends responded in kind through the same method. After the test, some students alerted the professor of the cheating. The professor took the issue to his department chair and apparently some steps were taken (the student must have been assigned to another instructor or received educational assistance through athletic tutoring). The end result was that she didn’t return to our class but didn’t get suspended from sports. The friends managed to refrain from cheating for the remainder of that course.
Re: Meaningful Learning—When I took ASLII, I landed again in the same class with the “cheating friends.” We had a different instructor, though, who taught the course completely by signing; she didn’t attempt to make sounds, mouth words or even write words on the board. She was pretty strict and would flash the lights to get everyone’s attention to start class. During the last week of class on the final exam, the “cheating friends” had the audacity to pull their cheating trick again. The instructor, without looking up, said very loudly, “Do you think I can’t hear you?” It was an absolutely stunning effect. Everyone in the room had just assumed she was deaf like the last professor since she had never reacted throughout the entire semester to sarcastic remarks, silly interjections and running immature commentary. They were absolutely shocked when it finally registered that she had heard every single comment they had made since the beginning of class. It was beautiful.
I bet that was a meaningful lesson…I know I’ll never forget it.
I thought the interesting part of this case was the explicit differences between criminal law and a student conduct hearing. While I agree the two are completely different and should be evaluated differently due process is still relevant in both. This is where the conduct hearing may have gotten into trouble. They contacted the faculty member, but the students were not allowed to review this information although it does not apply to student conduct hearings. This being said, I agree faculty members should be able to use their own discretion with students and academic dishonesty and decide an appropriate response. The faculty member felt strongly when the students denied the allegations that reporting it was an appropriate response. I do not understand how some faculty can overlook dealing with issue completely.
Should colleges and universities have a specific reporting policy for faculty who suspect academic dishonesty?
Absolutely YES! I am less concerned with the outcome of an individual case, but more concerned with the ability to track it (and the student.) Multiple infractions could easily be tracked if instructors would be required to "report" instances (and outcomes) somewhere. If a student shows a pattern of academic dishonesty, then the institution can step in rather than an individual faculty member. Great philosophical idea, very difficult to operationalize - it is difficult enough for some instructors to report grades... :-)
It would seem that, with the technological accessibiltity we have on campus, a procedure for reporting and tracking academic misconduct could be easily implemented (although I'm not sure there'd be much accountability for instructor compliance).
I agree Ken and Jen; it seems like there should be some way to connect the dots to catch multiple offenders. I'm betting it would be rather complicated to institute a policy that could be effective for the faculty/institution but also protect the students' rights at the same time (especially if these are just "suspected" instances). Benet-Your last statement made me think. I wonder if a faculty members' hesitation to address these types of issues stems from: -concern for their jobs (who wants to be called in to question and potentially end up in a protracted investigation of their teaching methods, testing policy, etc., especially if you’re an adjunct), -issues with workload and lack of time, -concern for their own personal safety (you really never who's sitting in those seats, do you?), or -just plain apathy.
I think the professor in the case handled the situation appropriately, except I think she should have made her suspicions verbally clear to John and Metad when she asked John to move. "I need you to move to another seat, away from Metad, otherwise it appears to me you two are cheating. Please move over here. If you try to sit together again I will interpret that action as an effort to cheat and will take away your exams and give you a zero grade. If I see any other students in the class moving seats as you have I will give them the same warning."
Cheating is unfortunately common on campus and especially in high stakes testing situations. We used to proctor the paper TOEFL test at USF and I had to address/warn 2-3 cheaters every time. In one case we had a married couple that insisted on sitting next to each other because she was pregnant and she might need him for something. We allowed it but then observed her overtly turning her exam so he could see it. I observed this behavior 3 times and then approached them. I told them it appeared they were cheating and directed him to move seats. They weren't happy but low and behold when we hand corrected their exams the part when they were sitting together for was exactly the same. We then confronted the students with this information and did NOT send in the test for official scoring because they had indeed cheated.
In the Pavela case example, I laughed when I read the lawyer's reasoning:
"Metad was an international student from a culture in which such collaboration was regarded as normal and acceptable. Consequently, to pursue academic dishonesty charges against him would be fundamentally unfair, and inconsistent with the college's expressed commitment to diversity."
I work with international students and one of the hardest things for us to teach is how to NOT plagiarize. But the lawyer is almost suggesting that we shouldn't expect international students to learn the expected academic discourse rules in the U.S. as part of "diversity"? There's no validity in that argument - international students certainly bring diversity to campus but ALL students should be expected to follow the rules for academic integrity.
The harder deeper issue related to academic integrity and cheating is....how/when do we teach/give students the tools to NOT cheat? We expect students to know how to paraphrase, cite sources, etc. but so many students nowadays (even at the graduate level!) have not have adequate training/learning in this area. I would urge any academic content teacher (especially at the undergraduate level) to spend a small part of class at the beginning of the semester giving specific examples of what is considered plagiarism, how the examples could be corrected, and an open dialog with students on what is/isn't considered cheating. We may be surprised to find out they do/don't know...
2. I do believe that the proceedings were handled in ill will because of the following: the Honor Council serves as both the prosecutor and the jury, providing notice only 3 days in advance of the hearing and orally, and by providing a defective tape. In order to provide a true and fair process, the prosecutor and jury should be separate - prosecutors already come in with a biased mindset in that they are trying to prove why the people being prosecuted are responsible and they also have the burden of proof. To have a fair hearing, the jury should be as unbiased as possible and should be presented with the knowledge of the case during the hearing. Providing notice only 3 days in advance did not provide the students with ample time to prepare and understand the charges that are being brought against them. Additionally, the institution violated its own processes and did not set the students up for success by providing proper notice. Lastly, introducing evidence that is questionable (such as a inaudible tape) does not provide a fair process - in fact, it introduces more ambiguity into the hearing and should be deemed inadmissible.
The professor's absence, while not under the control of the Honor Council, does demonstrate bad faith on behalf of the university. The students have a right in judicial cases to face those that accuse them and ask them questions. The inability of the professor to be present takes this right away from the students and causes a lot of questions to be left unanswered that could have assisted the jury in reaching a decision in a more efficient and transparent manner.
TPR 14 #35 contains a hypothetical case study that references real case law. In the introduction, Pavela assures us that the situations we might encounter as administrators “will almost certainly be less complicated and contentious.” Encouraging, since the reading gives us so much to contemplate:
ReplyDelete1. While the lawyer’s pre-hearing objections seemed unreasonable (Dr. Miller told us they don’t know much about higher ed law…), his allegations in the letter to the administrator, following the ruling, seem a bit more valid. Was there anything listed there or mentioned in the commentary that surprised you?
2. James Hunter College was accused of failing to comply with its own Code of Academic Integrity. Based on the information presented, were any of their proceedings executed in “bad faith” or “ill will”?
3. Do you think the faculty member responded to the situation appropriately? What might she have done differently?
4. As a follow-up to #3, I’m curious about your own encounters with academic dishonesty in higher education. How have you responded or observed other faculty members respond to cheating? In your experience, have administrators and supervisors been supportive of faculty’s attempts to manage dishonesty in the classroom?
After reading the report, I was really less concerned about whether or not the lawyer should have been permitted to participate in the hearing, or how much of a jerk the professor was, or John’s ex’s ability to be objective. I was much more interested in whether or not John and Metad ever cheated again (which we’ll never know since they’re not real). If our goal, as educators and administrators, is simply to punish those who don't follow our rules, we’ve lost a great opportunity for meaningful learning…
#3 - I feel that the faculty member handled the situation appropriately. She asked John to move several times during the examination; she appropriately compared the examinations noting identical answers, the same wrong answers and poor performance on the essay portion of the examination; and she met privately and individually with both students to give them an opportunity to answer her questions. What I do see that she could have done differently (and this might not be in the college's procedures for academic dishonesty) was to have a faculty department chair and/or a dean also investigate the matter rather than going straight to the Honor Council. This would have given the students another opportunity to "come clean" and maybe then the matter could have simply been resolved between the faculty member and the students.
ReplyDelete#4 - quite truthfully in my experience, faculty have been "all over the board" in handling these types of matters. Some simply don't care and say that this type of behavior will eventually "catch up" to the students. Some give zeros on the assignments in question regardless of student explanations. Some fail students for the semester regardless of student explanations. Personally for me, I try to handle the situation between myself and the students involved. I ask the appropriate questions, give zeros if necessary, and discuss the consequences of this type of behavior with students. If I feel that my Dean's involvement is necessary, I will get her involved.
At PHCC, in my experience, I have had tremendous support by my Dean, the Chief Academic Officer and those in Student Development (who handle the "due process") - when they have known of a situation. I really feel that the support given by administration for these matters is the result with how a faculty member initially handles the situation. In my opinion, there is a "right way" to handle this type of situation and a completely "wrong way" to handle this type of situation....
This was an interesting case study. I teach mathematics at PHCC. In the last year I have caught two students cheating on a test. One in a Calculus I class and the other in a College Algebra class. I have been teaching for 13 years and I feel I am fairly good at catching cheaters. I'm sure I do not catch everyone that cheats, but I have learned to watch out for certain behaviors and signs that someone may be cheating. With the Calculus I student, I remember on the first exam he seemed to act kind of strange, looking down to his lap often. I could not prove he was cheating, but something just didn’t seem right. I believe he made a “C” on the first test. Usually if I suspect academic dishonesty by a student on a test, I will watch over them carefully during the next exam. Well, once again during exam 2 this student acted strange, looking down at his lap a lot. I walked to the back of the room without him knowing and I could see his “cheat sheet” in his lap. I quietly approached him and he gave me the cheat sheet. It contained examples of worked out problems. There was no confrontation at all, since he knew he was caught I suppose. He received a zero on the test of course and did not pass the class.
ReplyDeleteThe College Algebra student I caught cheating was also using a cheat sheet, which I caught him using. He did not pass the class.
In the very beginning of the commentary of the article it brings up the reluctance of faculty members to report allegations of academic dishonesty. That kind of reminds me of me a little. I hate to accuse students or talk to students about cheating unless I am basically 100% sure they are cheating, such as the incidents with my students using cheat sheets. I think with the subject of mathematics, it is easier for me to deal with possible cheaters though. My tests are not multiple choice and students must show their work for credit. If a student has a right answer with no work to back it up, I do not award credit. Typically if I suspect someone is cheating, it will show on their work for the test (they may have the correct answer, but incorrect work) and they do not pass anyway.
This was an interesting case study. I teach mathematics at PHCC. In the last year I have caught two students cheating on a test. One in a Calculus I class and the other in a College Algebra class. I have been teaching for 13 years and I feel I am fairly good at catching cheaters. I'm sure I do not catch everyone that cheats, but I have learned to watch out for certain behaviors and signs that someone may be cheating. With the Calculus I student, I remember on the first exam he seemed to act kind of strange, looking down to his lap often. I could not prove he was cheating, but something just didn’t seem right. I believe he made a “C” on the first test. Usually if I suspect academic dishonesty by a student on a test, I will watch over them carefully during the next exam. Well, once again during exam 2 this student acted strange, looking down at his lap a lot. I walked to the back of the room without him knowing and I could see his “cheat sheet” in his lap. I quietly approached him and he gave me the cheat sheet. It contained examples of worked out problems. There was no confrontation at all, since he knew he was caught I suppose. He received a zero on the test of course and did not pass the class.
ReplyDeleteThe College Algebra student I caught cheating was also using a cheat sheet, which I caught him using. He did not pass the class.
In the very beginning of the commentary of the article it brings up the reluctance of faculty members to report allegations of academic dishonesty. That kind of reminds me of me a little. I hate to accuse students or talk to students about cheating unless I am basically 100% sure they are cheating, such as the incidents with my students using cheat sheets. I think with the subject of mathematics, it is easier for me to deal with possible cheaters though. My tests are not multiple choice and students must show their work for credit. If a student has a right answer with no work to back it up, I do not award credit. Typically if I suspect someone is cheating, it will show on their work for the test (they may have the correct answer, but incorrect work) and they do not pass anyway.
If it quacks, has web feet and is swimming in the lake - based on the preponderance of the evidence, it is a duck – no DNA testing needed.
ReplyDeleteI agree that professors are all over the board with reporting academic dishonesty. Some care deeply and hold students accountable, others choose not to confront the inappropriate behavior.
As Dr. Miller alluded in class to an issue I am currently dealing with concerning an academic dishonesty case where I have accused a student of plagiarism on three different occasions (a total of 8 direct quotes not referenced in two papers) – as I am not the instructor “of record” I have provided this information to the instructor – including the direct quotes from their original sources. It will be interesting to see how the case is handled as it clearly violates the SLU academic honesty policy and I now have a new appreciate for faculty who deal with this issue all the time. If pursued, this student should be removed from our Education Specialist program (a post-master’s certification program.) Although it was a very difficult decision to report, I believe that it is a necessary process to ensure the program’s integrity. This is a student with two degrees -academic neligence is not the case - this individual submitted work that was not their own.
I agree that the consequences for cheating at the graduate level ought to be severe...especially for students seeking an education degree. (I'm also fairly certain one could plagiarize their way through most of this Ph.D. program without detection, which is scary.)
ReplyDeleteAnother question up for discussion: Should colleges and universities have a specific reporting policy for faculty who suspect academic dishonesty?
#3- After the student (John) disregarded her clear instructions for a third time- during an exam (emphasized)- I think the professor did respond appropriately; she followed the institutional policy. And although she could have immediately turned the issue over to the student board, she gave both of the alleged cheaters the opportunity to tell the truth during private meetings (that possibly could have saved them from more embarrassment). Perhaps the professor would not have sent the matter to the Honor Council if the alleged cheaters had “confessed” during these private, individual sessions?
ReplyDeleteI’ve never taught a course so I haven’t had any experiences with cheating. However, if I were ever faced with the situation, I believe I would have a similar response to Misty and Ken. I think it would be important to have a candid conversation with the cheating student to highlight integrity, personal responsibility, and ethical behavior. And, that student would definitely be reported because it would be my professional responsibility to do so.
Q1: The lawyer’s objections to the pre-hearing were certainly unreasonable; bordering on the preposterous, in my opinion. It appears ridiculous to suggest that pursuing academic dishonesty charges against an international student who cheated on an exam would be unfair and inconsistent with the college’s commitment to diversity because cheating on an exam (or as he calls it, “collaboration”) is acceptable and normal in that student’s culture. Seems he was trying to scare the college into dropping the issue altogether by concocting a stern letter full of frivolous objections and buzzwords in an attempt to intimidate (e.g., defamation, diversity, disability, Section 504). It sounds like the old, “The best defensive is a good offense” approach here.
ReplyDeleteQ3: Like Edna, I don’t teach either so I’m not sure how viable these suggestions might be:
A. Could the instructor not start or stop the test until ALL students were seated appropriately (not using names so no one can accuse anyone for “defaming” them after the fact)? Perhaps the use of peer pressure (a room full of anxious students wanting to get on with the test but being held up by one student’s behavior) might have compelled John to comply. Would that tactic, however, have caused an unfair or disruptive situation for the rest of the class?
B. After John got up to ask the professor a question and, again, placed himself in an improper seat, couldn’t the instructor have requested/taken John’s paper until he placed himself in one of the “every other seat[s] as she had instructed twice before?” Does an instructor have any recourse if a student is being noncompliant during a testing situation?
Here's another thing I don't understand. How did John manage to escape the instructor's notice and actually complete the 50 short answer questions while sitting in a “forbidden” seat? I’m assuming that she was uncomfortable confronting him any further about his reluctance to follow her specific instructions and, instead, opted to test her suspicions by comparing papers after the fact. But, as we can see, that solution was problematic as well.
ReplyDeleteRegarding Q4: As an undergrad, I remember taking Sign Language as it was part of my major. However, ASL I and ASL II could also be taken to meet the foreign language requirement, so the classes also attracted a plethora of non-majors who signed up only because they heard that these classes were much easier than Spanish I and II. In my class, there was one scholarship athlete (and a couple of her non-athlete friends) who didn’t take the coursework seriously and actually cheated on the exams. The professor was deaf, so he couldn’t hear them whispering answers to each other. The athlete would occasionally hold her test paper up in front of her face and pretend to read so the professor couldn’t see her lips moving while she was asked her friends for the answers. Her friends responded in kind through the same method. After the test, some students alerted the professor of the cheating. The professor took the issue to his department chair and apparently some steps were taken (the student must have been assigned to another instructor or received educational assistance through athletic tutoring). The end result was that she didn’t return to our class but didn’t get suspended from sports. The friends managed to refrain from cheating for the remainder of that course.
Re: Meaningful Learning—When I took ASLII, I landed again in the same class with the “cheating friends.” We had a different instructor, though, who taught the course completely by signing; she didn’t attempt to make sounds, mouth words or even write words on the board. She was pretty strict and would flash the lights to get everyone’s attention to start class. During the last week of class on the final exam, the “cheating friends” had the audacity to pull their cheating trick again. The instructor, without looking up, said very loudly, “Do you think I can’t hear you?” It was an absolutely stunning effect. Everyone in the room had just assumed she was deaf like the last professor since she had never reacted throughout the entire semester to sarcastic remarks, silly interjections and running immature commentary. They were absolutely shocked when it finally registered that she had heard every single comment they had made since the beginning of class. It was beautiful.
I bet that was a meaningful lesson…I know I’ll never forget it.
I thought the interesting part of this case was the explicit differences between criminal law and a student conduct hearing. While I agree the two are completely different and should be evaluated differently due process is still relevant in both. This is where the conduct hearing may have gotten into trouble. They contacted the faculty member, but the students were not allowed to review this information although it does not apply to student conduct hearings. This being said, I agree faculty members should be able to use their own discretion with students and academic dishonesty and decide an appropriate response. The faculty member felt strongly when the students denied the allegations that reporting it was an appropriate response. I do not understand how some faculty can overlook dealing with issue completely.
ReplyDeleteShould colleges and universities have a specific reporting policy for faculty who suspect academic dishonesty?
ReplyDeleteAbsolutely YES! I am less concerned with the outcome of an individual case, but more concerned with the ability to track it (and the student.) Multiple infractions could easily be tracked if instructors would be required to "report" instances (and outcomes) somewhere. If a student shows a pattern of academic dishonesty, then the institution can step in rather than an individual faculty member. Great philosophical idea, very difficult to operationalize - it is difficult enough for some instructors to report grades... :-)
It would seem that, with the technological accessibiltity we have on campus, a procedure for reporting and tracking academic misconduct could be easily implemented (although I'm not sure there'd be much accountability for instructor compliance).
ReplyDeleteOne of you should work on that...
I agree Ken and Jen; it seems like there should be some way to connect the dots to catch multiple offenders. I'm betting it would be rather complicated to institute a policy that could be effective for the faculty/institution but also protect the students' rights at the same time (especially if these are just "suspected" instances).
ReplyDeleteBenet-Your last statement made me think. I wonder if a faculty members' hesitation to address these types of issues stems from:
-concern for their jobs (who wants to be called in to question and potentially end up in a protracted investigation of their teaching methods, testing policy, etc., especially if you’re an adjunct),
-issues with workload and lack of time,
-concern for their own personal safety (you really never who's sitting in those seats, do you?), or
-just plain apathy.
I hope I’m wrong on all counts.
Great discussion so far everyone!
ReplyDeleteI think the professor in the case handled the situation appropriately, except I think she should have made her suspicions verbally clear to John and Metad when she asked John to move. "I need you to move to another seat, away from Metad, otherwise it appears to me you two are cheating. Please move over here. If you try to sit together again I will interpret that action as an effort to cheat and will take away your exams and give you a zero grade. If I see any other students in the class moving seats as you have I will give them the same warning."
Cheating is unfortunately common on campus and especially in high stakes testing situations. We used to proctor the paper TOEFL test at USF and I had to address/warn 2-3 cheaters every time. In one case we had a married couple that insisted on sitting next to each other because she was pregnant and she might need him for something. We allowed it but then observed her overtly turning her exam so he could see it. I observed this behavior 3 times and then approached them. I told them it appeared they were cheating and directed him to move seats. They weren't happy but low and behold when we hand corrected their exams the part when they were sitting together for was exactly the same. We then confronted the students with this information and did NOT send in the test for official scoring because they had indeed cheated.
In the Pavela case example, I laughed when I read the lawyer's reasoning:
"Metad was an international student from a culture in which such collaboration was regarded as normal and acceptable. Consequently, to pursue academic dishonesty charges against him would be fundamentally unfair, and inconsistent with the college's expressed commitment to diversity."
I work with international students and one of the hardest things for us to teach is how to NOT plagiarize. But the lawyer is almost suggesting that we shouldn't expect international students to learn the expected academic discourse rules in the U.S. as part of "diversity"? There's no validity in that argument - international students certainly bring diversity to campus but ALL students should be expected to follow the rules for academic integrity.
The harder deeper issue related to academic integrity and cheating is....how/when do we teach/give students the tools to NOT cheat? We expect students to know how to paraphrase, cite sources, etc. but so many students nowadays (even at the graduate level!) have not have adequate training/learning in this area. I would urge any academic content teacher (especially at the undergraduate level) to spend a small part of class at the beginning of the semester giving specific examples of what is considered plagiarism, how the examples could be corrected, and an open dialog with students on what is/isn't considered cheating. We may be surprised to find out they do/don't know...
-Michelle Bell-
2. I do believe that the proceedings were handled in ill will because of the following: the Honor Council serves as both the prosecutor and the jury, providing notice only 3 days in advance of the hearing and orally, and by providing a defective tape. In order to provide a true and fair process, the prosecutor and jury should be separate - prosecutors already come in with a biased mindset in that they are trying to prove why the people being prosecuted are responsible and they also have the burden of proof. To have a fair hearing, the jury should be as unbiased as possible and should be presented with the knowledge of the case during the hearing. Providing notice only 3 days in advance did not provide the students with ample time to prepare and understand the charges that are being brought against them. Additionally, the institution violated its own processes and did not set the students up for success by providing proper notice. Lastly, introducing evidence that is questionable (such as a inaudible tape) does not provide a fair process - in fact, it introduces more ambiguity into the hearing and should be deemed inadmissible.
ReplyDeleteThe professor's absence, while not under the control of the Honor Council, does demonstrate bad faith on behalf of the university. The students have a right in judicial cases to face those that accuse them and ask them questions. The inability of the professor to be present takes this right away from the students and causes a lot of questions to be left unanswered that could have assisted the jury in reaching a decision in a more efficient and transparent manner.