Cheating- Where do we draw the line?
Filed Under (Uncategorized) by Laura Smith on 26-01-2010
In this age of global collaboration and digital access, the way we process and use information has changed. It is not as critical to memorize facts, because just about anything can be looked up on the Internet! I have been telling my students for years:”I don’t expect you to know everything, but I do expect you to know HOW TO FIND IT!”
An interesting thing happened at my school this week. Two of the best and most well-behaved students in the school were suspended for cheating. It seemed so innocent- the one student asked the other to see her paper, and she gave it to her. To be fair, I’m not sure of the exact details, whether the one girl had not done her work and was copying, or whether she was checking her answers- but I know the teachers would not have suspended them if it was not serious. You see, we have a no-tolerance policy when it comes to two things- bullying and cheating.
So, about cheating…I’m wondering where we draw the line? I recently read a post by Shelly Terrell in which she mentioned possibly encouraging your students to use their cell phones during tests because “your classmates are your lifelines.” I’m not disagreeing, it just made me think. Other teachers give tests and allow the students to look up answers on the internet while they work. So how is this okay in some schools, but in others the simple act of peeking at someone else’s paper gets you suspended? If students can get help from their friends and the internet during a test, what IS cheating anymore?I’m not sure I know the answer to this question. What do you think?
A very interesting and challenging question. I suppose the concept of cheating is one of honesty, really, a value judgement. Cheating is a breach of social responsibility and good citizenship, not of academic achievement. One cheats because one feels pressure to succeed at a closed evaluation. I suspect that the reason behind the rule is that if one cheats they all cheat, and then where would we be, educationally? A collaborative demonstration of knowledge. And, if a group of students can form a stronger demonstration than any one of them alone, I say that’s how all assessment should go.
I think we must establish parameters and choice of assessment tool. Students must declare in advance the style of assessment they wish to challenge. If a student declares for an examination, then the criteria of working alone, not “cheating” applies. If the student chooses a collaborative project, then working alone is as bad as cheating. Confusing, I know, but welcome to the 21st Century.
Hi Laura,
I think you have hit a nerve here. I understand we live in the age of global collaboration and it’s wonderful that our kids can put the connectivist learning approach into action. But I do also feel that you do have to draw the line somewhere and tests are it. I mean, collaborate all you want and use your colleagues knowledge in study sessions, but as far as tests go you’re on your own.
Laura,
It seems to me that in this new age we live in, we should encourage students to work together and share knowledge. What we need to do is teach them to give credit and cite their sources. It is fine if they found the answer to the question online, but how did they come about it? I think this would be valuable information for teachers. This would show us where and how they go about collecting information that they don’t readily have. This would show us how are students are learning, how they are evaluating the information they find, and how they apply what they find.
This is a tricky question because students do have the whole world at their fingertips by opening an internet browser. However, this is scary to me because so much of the information online is opinion or just flat out false and I would not want my students relying on it to find answers to everything. I love this quote…”I don’t expect you to know everything, but I do expect you to know HOW TO FIND IT!” and strongly encourage it, but in the terms of books and classroom resources not the web. I also know that when regulated the internet can be a very valuable resource, but must be monitored and controlled so the students are not looking at information that someone has made up and posted. As for cheating I see where the thought is coming from, why should we expect our students to learn everything when they can look it up at the click of the button whenever they want. I agree with Todd that cheating is a moral issue, and if permission to use outside resources is not given then using them on those assignments is wrong and punishable. If we let slide then where do we draw the line when it comes to moral issues, could fighting or stealing ever be considered not that big of a deal?