Wes Fondren,
Communication,
Coastal Carolina University
[Nov 9, 2009]–
Recently, I watched a student cheat on a mid-term. She pushed the jacket sleeve of her left arm up to her elbow, looked at her forearm, then wrote something down on the test. After glancing at me, she put her arm under the table and pulled the sleeve back down. All the marks were there, the question was exactly what to do next.
Teaching As Ministry
All my students know I’m a Christian. The first day of class I tell them about how I went to seminary, got ordained, and felt called to academics. This information is usually met with furrowed brows of confusion. Who ever heard of teaching college students as a ministry? What a crazy idea.
So now I have to decide what to do with this student. I walk over to her desk; ask to see her arm, which she shows me. It reveals “correlation ≠ causation.” Although I have colleagues that have considered getting the mantra tattooed on their arm, I seriously doubt the same is true for her.
I confess, it’s hard for me to decide what to do with the student. I feel the weight of representing Christ in the process. Do Christian professors handle cheating differently than our unbelieving faculty?
In the movie Magnolia, there is a scene where a police officer sees someone committing a crime. He stops the person and talks to him a while, then lets him go. This seems completely wrong when considering justice. The character, played by John C. Reilly, utters a line that I think of often: “Sometimes people need to be forgiven. And sometimes they need to go jail. And that’s a very tricky thing on my part…making that call. Tough part of the job. Tough part of walking down the street.”
What Do I Do?
Our university has a grade called “Fx.”It signifies failure of a course due to academic misconduct. The grade is a permanent part of a student’s transcript. What do I do? Do I do justice (Mic. 6:8) and allow her to permanently scar her transcript? How do I show this student the compassion of Christ (Jas. 5:11)? Compassion and consequence are not necessarily concepts in conflict. But, how do I represent my Lord well in this situation?
I prefer not to tell you how the situation turned out. Instead, I would rather hear any advice you have to offer. I am a young faculty member and appreciate advice—especially good advice. Seriously, I would love to hear your counsel (Pr. 1:5). You can post your own answer (or see how other Christian colleagues have answered) at the Ministry Minute website that lists my essay. View or Post Comment.
Needless to say, we are confronted with opportunities as professors to show compassion, teach justice, meet students at points of desperation, and represent our Lord as ambassadors (Eph. 6:20). What a wonderful calling we have been given. Sola Deo Gloria.
© 2009 Wes Fondren
Wow…tough question. Do you administer consequences or offer mercy? Is this her first offense or is it habitual behavior? If it’s a first offense, maybe a talk with her and a warning would be sufficient.
I believe from what I read in you letter this is what I would do. I would call her to my office and tell you were disappointed in her choice that she made in cheating. Describe to her what will happen if you turn in the Fx just to make sure she knows. Then ask her what she things you should do just to see if she is remorseful about her sin. If she is truely remorseful give her a temporary Fx and then give some hard work for a one time consequence. because it will not be a second chance. Explain to her the chance God gave us for messing up. He forgives us but we still have consequences. I could list many for her. If she does not want to take a second chance, then give her the Fx and let her suffer the consequence’s of her actions.
You can tell from my mistakes you did not get you writing abilities from me.
I have to say that I agree with Dad. I think if there was a way I would check to see if she had ever done this before in any other class. If not I would sit down and talk with her like I would one of my own children. Try to find out what made her do something like this if she has never done it before. She if she is remorseful. I have a weakness and I hate to see someone permanently marked for one bad decision. We have all made those. I would definetly have a consequence for her action.
At the college where I teach there is a strict honor code…if you see an honor code violation, you are required to report it. You can actually get in trouble if you don’t report it! In a way, it’s good because it takes some of the pressure off of the professor. Remember, it’s not the professor’s “fault” for reporting the cheating…the problem originated with the student’s poor decision.
Thank you for bringing this “real world” issue to our attention.
I have found it important to spell out at the beginning of the semester in writing what are my expectations and the university’s policies regarding academic integrity. I am aware that cheating is rampant in universities. We must stand against it and stand for the highest standards of integrity. Nevertheless, it is important that an individual “caught cheating” be given due process; furthermore, the process needs to be redemptive rather than merely punitive.
I would 1) immediately remove the student from the testing area; 2) inform her of my observation of her dishonesty; 3) give her a chance to explain or give mitigation (probably later); 4) (at the later time) express my disappointment and provide counsel; and 5) then and only then after I have heard the evidence assess the penalty. Furthermore, at my university there is a requirement that the process be documented and that the Dean of Students be informed. Generally, a student is placed on probation for the first offense if it is not too egregious.
The key is all is redemption and correction, not vengeance.
This is becoming even more challenging in education with the decline of Judo-Christian beliefs in the University, and the lack of a “plumb line” for what is inappropriate behavoir. Cheating robs the person of being who God has created them to be, robs the entire class of their trust of one another, as well as robs those with whom they work later, so it is a serious offense. As always, an ounce of prevention is worth a pound of cure:
1. In our school, we define what action constitutes cheating in the course syllabus so it is printed for the students, and posted on the website. We remind them of the website for the campus and school honor codes before the exams by email, and there is a place to sign on the exam answer sheet that they have not cheated. All backpacks, hats, cellphones, PDAs, jackets and other potential items of cheating have to be placed at the end of the isles away from the students before the exam begins. Nothing is on the desktop expect the pencil and exam sheet. Two faculty have to monitor the exam and not be doing other work, so both can witness any incidents. If someone appears to be cheating, the student is allowed to complete the exam so as not to unfairly disrupt the other students. A general class announcement may be made if there are several suspicious situations. In the situation described, the student would be confronted outside the classroom immediately. Also, once it was learned that old tests were “floating around” after being recreated from memory, we have released and posted all old tests on the school website so it is fair to all.
2. Our honor code provides for a “first offense” if the student admits to the incident. This does not go on the student record, is confidential, but is kept until they graduate, then destroyed. If the student denys what the two faculty saw,it goes through a student/faculty honor court. These are awful long drawn-out procedures, so are to be avoided if at all possible, hence the prevention steps.
However, we do not have the option to deal with this on our own. Mainly because of the honor code, and with HIPPA rules, we many not know that this student is having problems in many other classes, or with other lifestyle issues (drugs, alcohol, attendance, etc.). Having a central person through whom all is reported is essential to fair play for the school and class, and is our Dean of Students.
In either case, we counsel with the student, and hope to help them see where this behavoir is not helping them or their future. By the same token, I have to inform my other faculty so as to be more alert with those students, as this often is a pattern of behavoir from previous educational experiences. “Fool me once, shame on you; fool me twice, shame on me.”
What is important is that the innocent not be penalized. I may not be stopping cheating by those determined to do so, but I am doing all I can to protect the innocent ethical students (many of whom are Christians) in my classes. Then they know the grade they earned is indicative of where they are in their education.
As in any setting, documentation of behavoir along the way is essential, so that areas that appear suspicous are discussed as early as possible. The challenge for me is that I cannot determine “repentant” behavoir after an incident, as those who cheat are often the best liars, sometimes to a pathological degree that they no longer know they are not telling the truth. They are often sorry that they got caught, but not sorry that they did the act. I have to keep a clean fair line for everyone and stand firm against cheating, but in a fair and colleagual manner.
Since I am known as a Christian faculty, and since most everyone in a class knows when someone is cheating, then to not confront evil or injustice is not an option for me. Teaching persons to be accountable for their actions and decisions is fundamental in their eternal destination. If there are ways to administer grace, I certainly do so, but that is often in the penality for the incident, rather than the reporting of such.
You need to write better tests. If that simple inequality gave this woman an advantage, then the fault lies with you.
OK, so that sounds harsh. Let me try again. In 27 years of teaching at Berkeley I have seen plenty of cheating. I have come to the conclusion, though, that a great deal of cheating is enabled by teachers because they write tests that are easy to grade. I now ask this question: can I write a test which disables cheating? The answer is often yes … but there is a price. Such tests are very hard to grade.
My students are very responsive to my willingness to work hard for them. That is a good time to share my faith.
I had a situation in which I had tried to help a student a lot during a semester, and he then plagiarized his course project (which I discovered with the aid of Google). I wondered the same thing – what is best to do as a Christian?
I met with the student to confront him about the cheating. I told him that he then had two things to deal with. One was the direct consequence of his cheating, which was that we filled out the appropriate form and he agreed to a failing grade in the class (my standard consequence). The second one was personal — that he had directly tried to betray and manipulate me after I had tried to be in his corner all semester. I told him that he could maybe take some time to think about how to deal with that. He immediately apologized profusely. I said “I am a Christian and that means I believe in forgiveness, so I forgive you. I’m glad we are OK with each other again. That doesn’t mean I don’t need to send this form in though.” He nodded emphatically, fully understanding the distinction….he had been forgiven but yet bore the physical consequences. I think this is what I will try to do in the future because it really helped him realize the depth of his responsibility by recognizing that he was not just breaking a rule, but breaking another person’s trust.
Interesting presentation and problem.
My syllabus contains information about cheating, academic dishonesty, the University academic policy and the consequences of dishonesty.
In the present case, I would NOT give the student an Fx but the grade for the present test would be a zero (tough to overcome). I would counsel the student about dropping now (if permissible) and I would be willing to have it appear as a WP (Withdrawal Passing) but I would also maintain a record of the occurrence should the issue arise for the student again in this or another class.
I had an undergrad show up for a test wearing a tank top and short shorts. While this is not appropriate dress code, what was more important was the fact that she had obviously written notes in blue ink on her arms and legs… in plain sight! Because her notes were so obvious to everyone in class, I asked her what was going on. She gamely replied that she had been studying and didn’t have any paper so she wrote her study notes on her body.
I sent her to the restroom to wash off all of the writing.
She came back clean as a whistle. She made a C on the test
and I recorded it… letting the obvious cheating go.
What a wish I had done:
When I returned the tests the following week, instead of writing her grade I wish I had written – “Before I post your grade, you must see me. Failure to do so will result in an automatic F on this test.”
I wish she had come to see me and we could have talked about whatever pressures or lack of preparation had caused her this blatant attempt at cheating. Was it a cry for help? I would have reminded her about the academic honesty/dishonesty code. I would have offered her some options for moving forward in a positive way… (e.g., She could take essay exams while others would take multiple choice; she could turn in detailed notes on the chapter to me before the next exam to be sure she was well prepared).. Finally, I would talk about the character traits of excellent teachers (she was in teacher prep), including being honest and fostering honesty in students.
In my 35 years as a faculty member I have seen lots of cheating, and this is such a small infraction compared to many, many that I have seen, that I would just let the girl off with a reprimand. At worst, I would dock her two or three times whatever advantage that gave her score. I also tend to agree with Jeff Reimer that the simple thing the girl wrote on her arm should not have given her an advantage if the test was well written.
I often see two or more identical homework papers handed in, and then I split the points between however many students were involved, and write a note on the paper, “bigger penalty next time.” I have only seen one repeat offense in all these years, and in that case I gave both girls involved a 0 on that homework.
The worst infraction I have ever had to deal with was a student who took a test for someone in my class. Both students were suspended for a semester. I was told later that the one who should have taken the test performed an important service. He persuaded a student who was charged with the same infraction to reveal the name of the accomplice who had tried to take the test for her. Thus, thanks to him, justice was served.
King David committed adultery and murder and should have been killed — but he was not (2 Samuel 11). Ananias and Sapphira “lied to the Holy Spirit” and “fell down and died” (Acts 5)! Although we have very helpful guidelines and rules in the Bible and in our society, every human soul is yet an individual case. Oh, to be so close to God that we are sensitive to the leading of the Holy Spirit.
I would note the time the event occurred and casually walk over and mark the point of the occurrence. Then ask her to come by and see how she did during the time she wasn’t cheating. In all likelihood it will give an opportunity to have her know that she has what it takes without resorting to cheating. I would not let anyone in the class know as this unfolded but after deciding on the penalty in privacy would announce the same opportunity (say an extra make up test) is available to the whole class.
The older I get the more I want to understand and address rather than condemn and exclude a potentially productive person.
The general cultural tolerance for grey morality means we have to make right from wrong known to perpetrators and then see if they correct or don’t.
Like some who have already commented, our university does have high expectations of the students and has a well-defined honor code. I watch the students carefully and look for the signals they send that they are looking for the opportunity to cheat. I have confronted students during an exam that I suspect want to cheat and I am not afraid to do so. I do so with the great conviction that I have an obligation to protect the integrity of the class and not permit inequity by allowing any student to have some advantage over another student. I am a fierce defender of equity for all. Compassion has its place, but not in this context.
I deal with convicted felons every day. Some of these men just made a bad decision in their youth that has cost them for the rest of their lives. They had no idea it would affect them like it has. If they could go back now and make a different decision they would. Now they are limited in what jobs they can get (and the list is getting smaller). They are limited in where they can go (some of our employees can’t work on some of our jobsites because of their convictions). They have a permanent scar that will not fade.
School policy may dictate what you are required to report, to whom and maybe even the consequences. Your responsibility to this young lady does not end with policy and “mere academics.” I remember Bill Bright saying that he wanted to be a “fork in the road” for people in their decision to follow Christ. The way you handle this situation with this young lady could be her fork in the road. If she is responsive when you confront her, then I would suggest you “go to bat” with her in her consequences so this bad decision does not become a permanent scar.
Wes,
Thank you for raising this very practical, and important issue, for Christian instructors. Also, thank you for not providing us with your resolution to the issue as this is a great way to open up a discussion.
I have several comments from my experience with similar situations:
1) I very rarely approach a student during the exam, but rather collect evidence during the exam and look for additional evidence on the exam itself (in my classes, I am typically dealing with copying between students). I must leave room for the possibility that I am wrong.
2) Once cheating is confirmed, I ask the student (or students) to come see me individually at which time a confront them with the incident and see how they react. More often than not, they go through the “four stages of an indicted cheater”: 1) denial, 2) admission of guilt, 3) plead for mercy, 4) accept consequences. Sometimes it take only a few minutes for them to work their way through these four stages (once presented with the evidence), but it often takes several days. Although this is very time consuming for me and often involves multiple students, it provides numerous opportunities to address sin, and its consequences, in a more general context, and there are often opportunities to address the student’s religious convictions and address the situation in a caring way.
3) In terms of the consequences of their sin, I typically emphasize the fact that their sin (cheating in this case) is not personal (they are typically only thinking of themselves when they cheat and when they are “pleading for mercy.”) For example, I will often make it personal: “When you signed your name on that paper, indicating that this is your work, you lied to me.” More importantly, as mentioned by Bruce Billings, we must also consider what is fair to all of the other students in the class who have prepared, taken the exam honestly, and accepted the grade they received. A student who cheats should not get a grade that is higher than any other student who has not cheated. Many times cheaters will ask if they can retake the exam, or do extra work to make up for the failing grade. I ask them “how is this fair to the other students? Whatever opportunity I give you, I must also give to every other student in the class.” I feel strongly that whatever punishment (or lack there of) that I decide upon, I must feel comfortable telling the entire class and having them endorse it (obviously, I don’t actually do this, but I find it helpful in deciding on the appropriate course of action).
First I would like to thank all my Christian brothers and sisters who have taken their time to reflect on this and respond. It is always encouraging to hear how God is moving his servants in his service in higher education.
I think cheating situations call for us to reflect on 3 things: opportunity, motive, and consequence (all of which have been addressed at least singularly above).
Opportunity: I try to reflect on what opportunity I have created and if there are changes I need to make for this student and/or all my students — seating arrangements, type of tests / test questions, degree of preparation provided, degree of stress on this one measurement.
Motive: I love the previous responses that show various ways of trying to counsel and connect this event to the student’s need for the gospel. This is tough and only the counseling folks among us have been academically trained in such efforts, but all of us have been and are continually being trained in how to express the love of Christ in dealing with another one of God’s creations. [That’s why I love learning from others in reading all these comments.] A private meeting with the student is always in order here I think.
Consequences: I always try to weigh the themes of repentance, justice, and duty here — as have many of you. What the University states, what your syllabus states, how the others will be affected, the long-term consequences. I find that after any incident that I need to reflect on how all my positions and choices played out in this specific situation, what God is teaching me in it, and what I may need to adjust or change in my practices.
Thanks again to all of you who are being part of what God is doing in my life!
One last thing I have to say as a tests & measurements guy. You need to know exactly what the purpose of your test or assignment is: Are you using it to compare students to each other or to some standard. If you compare students, you are more norm-referenced in your approach and in the cheating situation you need to be very concerned about fairness of treatment. If your grade is strictly a measure against a standard, then cheaters need to be put in a situation where they can not cheat in order to determine their individual competence. “Punishment” in this latter situation is often not related to the grade received but to other factors, such as record of the incident with the Dean of Students, personal confrontation of sin, etc.. It helps to know where you stand on this — each is a different approach with different goals (not one better than the other), and it will shape your response to the cheater.
My first month as a faculty member, I had a student copy out of the instructor’s solutions manual on the first homework assignment. It was obvious that he had copied, especially since the manual employed symbols that the textbook had not.
I confronted the student, who denied that he had copied. He attended my class for approximately one more week, and then withdrew from the university. He informed his adviser that it was not because of what had happened in my class.
All that to say, it is important to keep in mind that the cheating is only a symptom of a wider problem. I think part of how we can love mercy and do justice (and I think it’s significant that Micah draws a distinction in those verbs) is to help the student address the wider problem.
The situation you describe requires the professor to treat the cheating student fairly but also to maintain fairness for other students who did not cheat as well as to uphold academic integrity established by the university. Cheating or plagiarism is rampant in colleges and universities…we do no one any favors by looking the other way. In my course syllabus, I state explicitly the consequences of cheating or plagiarism: first time, zero on that assignment or test; second time, course grade of F. Obviously, examples of cheating differ in terms of type and severity and one should react in an appropriately measured way. Such a policy is fully consistent with the Christian ideals of honesty and fair judgement. The policy also does not preclude working with this student in a personal way.
Did Christ ever catch anyone in the act? And who was “labelled” or “marked” by the world’s standards? The girl was “marked” as a “cheater”. Use passage from John 8:
4They say unto him, Master, this woman was taken in adultery, in the very act.
5Now Moses in the law commanded us, that such should be stoned: but what sayest thou?
6This they said, tempting him, that they might have to accuse him. But Jesus stooped down, and with his finger wrote on the ground, as though he heard them not.
7So when they continued asking him, he lifted up himself, and said unto them, He that is without sin among you, let him first cast a stone at her.
8And again he stooped down, and wrote on the ground.
9And they which heard it, being convicted by their own conscience, went out one by one, beginning at the eldest, even unto the last: and Jesus was left alone, and the woman standing in the midst.
10When Jesus had lifted up himself, and saw none but the woman, he said unto her, Woman, where are those thine accusers? hath no man condemned thee?
11She said, No man, Lord. And Jesus said unto her, Neither do I condemn thee: go, and sin no more.
The problem isn’t isolated. The cheater chose to not only promote herself unfairly but to disadvantage other students in the class. This needs to be dealt with.
I couldn’t tell if you confronted her during the test or after. If during the test, other students witnessed it and now you must discipline the cheater in a significant way. If after the test, in private, then you have many options for dealing with it. My preference is to give her zero for the problem she cheated on, grade the remainder normally and give her a warning further cheating will result in an Fx and a report to whatever student disciplinary board exists at your institution.
Of course asking her why she did it is also important as possibly you can connect with her personally and head her in the right direction. She got lucky that you caught her now before she got caught on something bigger in life. She needs to realize that even if she isn’t yet ready to change her ways. The Lord thankfully gives us many extra chances but repentance is eventually required of us all. Helping her see that can change a very bad deal into a blessing.
I appreciate the noble and wise counsel provided by seasoned and new faculty. Our college has a very strict policy on academic integrity which is effectively practiced. Also, although this is a public college, most, if not all faculty try to “teach” the cheater through the situation. I use a logical consequence approach both with the test and the testing environment. I explain well in advance of the exam the expectations and the consequences if someone chooses to try to cheat.
Regarding the environment for the test, we are fortunate in that our class sizes are very manageable (ranging from 15 to 35) and it’s very easy to see the students working.
My concern is with cheating on exams in the on-line environment. Although I use our on-line system’s randomizing features (of objective test questions, some students could still try to cheat. I also provide instructions about what can not be used for the exam. Our on-line coordinators almost resign to the possibility that cheating could occur. Here is an interesting observation, most of my on-line students score much lower in the exams than students in my traditional courses (same course, test focus, and textbook). Does anyone have recommendations for on-line environment testing?
I often try to use cases of cheating as an opportunity to talk about the tension between law and grace in Christianity. I use the doctrine of grace in the case of lesser offenses, such as requests for deadline extensions, to explain why I often feel compelled to be flexible in my dealings with students because the Lord has been gracious to me over and over again. I agree with many that the attitude of the student is a critical issue. But I have on many occasions, especially in freshman courses, urged the student to do the assignment or test over again. In the case of exams, the fact that I have to use different questions (and have used of the obvious essays the first time around) is a serious disadvantage to the student that often compromises their grade (perhaps not to the same degree) as a failing grade. I have many colleagues willing to lower the boom, and I think it behooves me where possible to be an agent of grace. I usually underscore the fact that this is patently unfair to other students in the class who did not cheat.
Wes,
I’m glad that you did not consider this an easy or automatic call. It shouldn’t be.
I have no Yes/No answer for you because I don’t know if she was contrite or unapologetic, whether this was a one-time abberation or a pattern.
I caught 4 students a few quarters ago who gave me “recycled” research papers. I sat them all down, showed them where the papers had originated, and explained the university’s guidelines for teachers.
They all apologized.
I tossed the papers, gave them 4 days to write new papers (there were only 4 days before I had to submit grades) and told them the highest grade they would receive – if the new papers were well done – was a C-.
One did the work; three chose not to, and subsequently left the university.
I don’t see mercy as a free ride…but I am a person who has received mercy.
Mike
When I was a Junior in College I was taking 4 Physics and Math Courses and Party and Pressure Politics. Our Professor gave us a 10 page term paper and 150 books to choose from. I was working so hard on Physics that I did not have time to read even one extra book on politics. I sat down and dashed off some nonsense from the top of my head on how to strengthen the two-party system
Eventually our professor read two papers to the class, mine and another student’s. He said, “The first paper was written by a physics major and is brilliant. The second paper receives a failing grade and the student who submitted it has been expelled from the college and will never receive a degree from ……… college.”
I raised my hand and said “Professor, that was a very well-written paper, surely much better than mine.” He agreed but said, “The student who plaguerized it from the Encyclopaedia Brittannica forgot to check the initials of the author – ‘RF.'”
RF was our Professor.
I think RF was right. We can not tolerate cheating in any form in academia We have to rely upon everyone to tell the truth or published anything means absolutely nothing.
I’m not a faculty member, but considered your situation from the point of view of the other students in the class. Perhaps others saw her cheat, then saw your interaction with her.
Certainly your reponse and how you handled the situation will affect many in the class. Either “She got away with a slap on the hand. I might try that myself!” or “It sure doesn’t pay to cheat!”. It’s no longer between just you and the single student.
When studying at Cal in the 60’s, I was caught plagiarizing. For some reason, I had not idea just how serious this was and that, all things being equal, I could expect to be expelled. I was totally clueless. My problem was much like the student in “RF’s” class, only the source of my plagiarism was a book that was on my English instructor’s desk when I came to his office at his request after class. I’m not sure of anything that was said that afternoon so long ago except the alternatives he posed at the end our “talk.” They are forever etched in my memory. He asked, “Do you want me to handle this or should I pass it on to the department?”
Again, call me naive or stupid but I had no idea of the potential consequences when I said, “I’d prefer you handle it.” He gave me until Friday to write another paper on a different theme, telling me that I would start out with a “C.” I wrote the paper, handed it in and a week later got it back with a D- grade.
It wasn’t until much later that I realized the extraordinary grace that was shown to me. I had no idea of the instructor’s faith convictions but do know he practiced grace–undeserved favor.
To this day, I reflect on his actions, thankful that he extended grace to a clueless and undeserving first year student. When it comes right down to it, his actions ultimately enabled me to graduate (barely) and I don’t even remember his name.
I don’t have any advice because it would only be theoretical. All I have is my story.
When demonstrating Christianity we sometimes forget that the biggest lesson learned is by the teacher.
If you are going to walk the walk & not just talk the talk – their should be a choice for both parties. Most “teachers” are not willing to work hard for their pupils. Both should have a choice.
Is the teacher willing to write a new test and take time for the student to re-take it under teacher guidelines? If the pupil chooses to re-test – there is a deeper reason for cheating…..and you have the perfect opportunity to love as Christ. We all deserved death – not a second chance….but we get one each day. Are we willing to pay the price to teach God’s love. Sometimes that price is ridicule and the judgement of others. But the fruit and blessings for both parties is priceless. Looks like a challenge for both student & teacher?!
The world is already a selfish & cruel place. Harshness does not teach love.
Wow–so much good advice. There are two things that strike me here. One is, the response is dependent on the infraction. The other is that knowing what University policy is, is paramount.
The next time I am confronted with this type of cheating, I will use as a starting point, the advice to give the student a zero on what she had done up to the point where I recognized that she was cheating (or on that problem).
Other things I have done for this type of infraction: removed the student at that point, conferenced with her, given her another, much harder, test.
Let the officer of the college in charge of cheating know, UNOFFICIALLY, that this student had a problem in my class, in case it is a multiple problem. Two people mentioned “finding out” or “letting others know”. Here, we cannot do that. We can’t talk about an occasion of cheating with anyone–even the student, if it is officially reported, and you take chances if you talk about it at all if not reported.
Finally, I absolutely agree that giving a student grace is uppermost in the decision tree. It doesn’t matter whether she is repentant, a first-time cheater, or an accomplished liar. The consequences, however, can be creatively applied, depending on what response the student gives to your discipline.
I promote “cheat sheets” for my examinations. It is about learning, not about teaching. As I figured it out, reading the book gives you part, hearing me discuss it gives you some more, taking notes helps, studying with other for an exam yields heaps and preparing your own condensed version nails it. Why not give every student an equal chance to use their one page of notes? Is it about memory or learning?
In this case, she was taking an unfair advantage, if the stage was set properly by the instructor for “closed book” examination. If not, an apology is due the young lady. Guidance is telling them what they should do. Rules and regulations come with fines, penalties and punishment. I would think hard before I put a stain on a students transcript.
I know of a student with a “bad comment” on his transcript. He works in a gas station to support his family of five. A Christian administrator blew the whistle, the evidence was flimsey, the judgment was settled out of court and the student paid the fine and spent time in jail. (This injustice, my opinion, was to a Muslim student.) All of it seems to harsh for the Jesus I know.
As followers, we need to exercise both justice and mercy as Jesus did.
In similar situations, I have counseled with the student and attempted to exact an admission of guilt. I recognized that these opporuntiies were also teaching opportunities and reminded the student of certain standards we all must adhere to in society.
I then applied a balance of justice and mercy: I examined the cheating materials privately that were referenced in the cheating attempt, and I negated the scores of all related questions on the exam, and provided them with a final grade for answers of unrelated questions. We are also required to send a letter to the student with a copy going to his/her academic records. if the student did not admit to the guilt, I provided an “incomplete” for the academic work and submitted their case to the student academic standards council with my recommendations (which would be similar to the admission of guilt).
In this way the student recognizes that a review of his/her peers is anticipated. I then let the results of the finding among his/her peers determine the ultimate outcome.
I have been teaching at universities for 30 years. I have dealt with cheating several times, usually by calling the student in to my office and determining the severity of the offense and applying the appropriate sanction. In some cases, that has meant going through the official academic misconduct process although that has been infrequent. I also find myself giving the speech almost every semester where I explain to the class that the real penalty for the appearance of cheating is that I think less highly of their reputation if I suspect cheating and they want to go through life making certain that they do not do things which diminishes their reputation. That is a far worse penalty than receiving a 0 on a test.
In this case, I barely see that there was even an offense. I am enough of a statistician that the inequality she wrote on her arm is something that I have said many, many times in a class setting. If that was the only thing on her arm, I would say this is not very different from looking at it in her notes just prior to receiving the exam and then writing it on the first page of her exam at the moment she started writing. Actual cheating should be dealt with. In this case, I would say “no harm, no foul”.