How to Prevent Students from Cheating
Don't allow access to test materials., Let students know that there will be several version of the test., Give open book tests or allow students to bring notes., Give access to test questions before the test., Review the honor code before tests...
Step-by-Step Guide
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Step 1: Don't allow access to test materials.
It is important to keep test materials secure before a test, including making sure that all copies and the original are accounted for after copying.
Some students may try to access test questions before a test, even if that means they have to break into your classroom or office to get them.
To prevent this, never leave your keys hanging in the door and don't give them to a "trusted" student for any reason.Also, do not assume that tests and answer guides left at school will be safe.
If you are going to leave such materials at school, be sure to lock them in a file cabinet and keep the key with you at all times. -
Step 2: Let students know that there will be several version of the test.
If you are giving a test or quiz, create two versions.
Tell the students that there will be several versions and then give them to alternating students.
This will prevent students from assuming that they can cheat off their neighbors and it will help them to focus on their own work.Be sure that you keep track of what test version each student has.
This can be done by numbering the version and having the students write what number they have on the top of their tests.
Do not distinguish different versions in a way which students can easily tell which version another student has (for example, by color).
Otherwise, students can look around them for other students with the same version. , One way to prevent cheating is to allow students to bring information with them into class on the day of a test.
This forces them to study the material before the test and figure out what they need to bring.
This way, the students don't necessarily need to memorize all the information but they will need to know the content overall.
Eventually your students will learn that having the material at the their fingertips is of no use to them unless they have already spent time studying the material.
This will require that your questions are thoughtfully constructed.
They should not require simply one-word answers, but instead force the students to synthesize a variety of information. , If you don't want to have an open book or note test but you want your students to focus their studying, consider giving them the test questions before the test.
You can give them a list of more questions than you plan on giving them, and tell them that you will choose your test questions out of this list.
That way, they will be forced to review more information than you are actually going to test them on but they will be prepared for the test., If your honor code states that students are not only obligated to not cheat, but also that they are obligated to report any cheating they suspect, this sometimes works well.
On assignments and exams, you can require that they sign an honor pledge stating that they did not cheat, nor did they not report any cheating they noticed.
You may choose to not grade an assignment or exam which the honor pledge is not signed.
Make it clear what the consequences of cheating are when they sign the honor code.
You should also have these consequences posted on the syllabus for the class, so that students can refer to it whenever needed. , If your class is so big that you don't know everyone enrolled in it, then a common way of cheating for students is to have someone else take the test for them.
To stop this, require the students to show you their IDs when they enter and check this against your class roster.This can be done either when entering the exam room or when collecting the exam.
Tell students ahead of time that you will not permit entry into the exam room or not grade an exam if the student does not appear on your roster, the student does not have an ID with them, or the student has a false ID. -
Step 3: Give open book tests or allow students to bring notes.
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Step 4: Give access to test questions before the test.
-
Step 5: Review the honor code before tests.
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Step 6: Require students to show a student ID to take a test.
Detailed Guide
It is important to keep test materials secure before a test, including making sure that all copies and the original are accounted for after copying.
Some students may try to access test questions before a test, even if that means they have to break into your classroom or office to get them.
To prevent this, never leave your keys hanging in the door and don't give them to a "trusted" student for any reason.Also, do not assume that tests and answer guides left at school will be safe.
If you are going to leave such materials at school, be sure to lock them in a file cabinet and keep the key with you at all times.
If you are giving a test or quiz, create two versions.
Tell the students that there will be several versions and then give them to alternating students.
This will prevent students from assuming that they can cheat off their neighbors and it will help them to focus on their own work.Be sure that you keep track of what test version each student has.
This can be done by numbering the version and having the students write what number they have on the top of their tests.
Do not distinguish different versions in a way which students can easily tell which version another student has (for example, by color).
Otherwise, students can look around them for other students with the same version. , One way to prevent cheating is to allow students to bring information with them into class on the day of a test.
This forces them to study the material before the test and figure out what they need to bring.
This way, the students don't necessarily need to memorize all the information but they will need to know the content overall.
Eventually your students will learn that having the material at the their fingertips is of no use to them unless they have already spent time studying the material.
This will require that your questions are thoughtfully constructed.
They should not require simply one-word answers, but instead force the students to synthesize a variety of information. , If you don't want to have an open book or note test but you want your students to focus their studying, consider giving them the test questions before the test.
You can give them a list of more questions than you plan on giving them, and tell them that you will choose your test questions out of this list.
That way, they will be forced to review more information than you are actually going to test them on but they will be prepared for the test., If your honor code states that students are not only obligated to not cheat, but also that they are obligated to report any cheating they suspect, this sometimes works well.
On assignments and exams, you can require that they sign an honor pledge stating that they did not cheat, nor did they not report any cheating they noticed.
You may choose to not grade an assignment or exam which the honor pledge is not signed.
Make it clear what the consequences of cheating are when they sign the honor code.
You should also have these consequences posted on the syllabus for the class, so that students can refer to it whenever needed. , If your class is so big that you don't know everyone enrolled in it, then a common way of cheating for students is to have someone else take the test for them.
To stop this, require the students to show you their IDs when they enter and check this against your class roster.This can be done either when entering the exam room or when collecting the exam.
Tell students ahead of time that you will not permit entry into the exam room or not grade an exam if the student does not appear on your roster, the student does not have an ID with them, or the student has a false ID.
About the Author
Katherine Hernandez
Committed to making organization accessible and understandable for everyone.
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