I hate cheaters! Yeah, I'm the snitch. Vent Thread

[NATO]

I'm a non-traditional student (i.e. 32 years old and looking at PT as my 2nd career in life) and taking pre-req PT classes at the local community college. I'm in my 4th week of Human Anatomony class and I cannot begin to tell you the large amount of students that cheat in this class. Luckily, the professor doesn't grade on a curve, but it still annoyes me to no end that I'm over here studying hours on end to earn my grade while these idiots use their iPhones or what not to look at the PowerPoint slides and get the answer.

I couldn't take it anymore and told the professor after class last week that several students were cheating. He told me that he was aware of it and will do something about it in the next class. So the 'next class' was today...and all he did was mention that he knew some students were cheating and to put away their electronics during quizzes/tests. Really? Is that ALL you are going to do? So what happened? People continued to cheat.

Call me a goody-2 shoes if you want, but I just can't stand it. I know life is not fair and cheaters are everywhere, but it really does feel like cheating has gotten worse than what it was 10 to 12 years ago when I was a traditional ungrad student. Perhaps it's the ease of technology these days that has gotten students lazy...as well as the lack of integrity and ethics in our society in general, but I digress.

These are the same students/idiots who have said, in class, that they want to go into nursing, physical therapy, radiology tech, or some other type of health care field. One of the cheaters even mentioned that they want to become a medical doctor! I fear for future patients.

I don't know what bothers me more...the fact that I reported it to the professor (who is a nice guy and good professor) and he didn't really enforce the honor code (he doesn't even monitor the room...he is busy reviewing lecture slides)....or the fact that I'm competiting with cheaters who get an 'A' by not earning it like how I am having to do so. Sure, I could join the cheaters club and get the 'A', but I've always had the unfortunate luck of having a conscious. They say karma is a bitch, but I've never seen any cheaters really get theirs in the end so to speak. It's really distrubing to see how wide spread cheating has become...with teachers/faculty not really taking the honor code seriously as well as parents defending their kid's immoral behavior when they get caught cheating, it's no wonder cheaters get away with it! It's no surprise that so many other countries beat our asses in academics...it's going to bite all of us in the end. I wouldn't be shocked at all if China becomes the top dog on the global platform in the next 50 years. Look at all the idiots that are breezing through college classes by cheating. ARGH!

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[ClemsonGrad]

Hey NATO, I'm an non-trad student too (I'm 25) and been out of my undergrad almost 4 years. I am taking the remainder of my pre-reqs at a community college too and have definitely noticed people cheating or just being overall disrespectful. I totally understand where you're coming from as that's not who I am and refuse to act in that manner.

Kudos for you in telling your professor, at least you've done your part and if he doesn't do anything further you've said your peace. I am also shocked by these kids (since many of them are only 18) saying they want to go into nursing too! We have handled a few fetal pigs and pig hearts (nothing like what I did in my Animal Science undergrad) and they are squeemish... really? I have learned to laugh at them because unless they grow up it's not going to happen.

You're not alone!

 

[wrennywren]

33 here... if I make it in this year, I will be 34 when the program starts. Glad to see I'm not the only one.

Oh, and yeah, kids cheat all the time, especially at community colleges. If the class were graded on the curve, yeah, I'd be pissed. Since it's not, it's to their detriment. They will pay for it over the long run. Just keep doing what you are doing.

 

[TooCool]

I am 30 and I too have seen this and yeah it is usually the young people just fresh outta high school that are always cheating. Yeah you did your part, and if the professor isnt going to do his part then there is nothing else you can do =/ It is very annoying!

But they will pay for it sooner or later. They cannot make it by cheating their way through school. They will be the ones that will drop out of PT school, nursing school etc

Alot of these kids dont appreciate school and probably have their parents paying for their schooling and that is why they dont take it very seriously.

 

[Jollybg]

26 here.. this happened in my Anatomy class, actually lab, during our practicals.. I say, just keep it to yourself, since the grading is not based on a curve anyway. They're only cheating themselves. My teacher claims to be one of the toughest as far as Anatomy/Physiology prerequisites go. I suppose his claim is valid, being backed up with 100% success rate from past students who've managed to pass their programs, all because of the study habits that were forced upon us for his exams. Plus the cheaters are only hurting themselves. If they do get into their programs, they'll probably spend 20k and eventually drop out.

 

[jbizzle]

This is a potential interview question you guys. Keep this in mind.

 

[mtm34]

don't worry about seeing this in PT school- between practicals, clinicals, and eventually boards if you do not know what you are talking about the truth will show itself. In the meantime don't ruin some 18 y/o life.

 

[NATO]

don't worry about seeing this in PT school- between practicals, clinicals, and eventually boards if you do not know what you are talking about the truth will show itself. In the meantime don't ruin some 18 y/o life.

I don't want to ruin some 18 year old's life. I don't want them expelled from college. I just want them to stop cheating on quizzes/tests. Your statement implies that I am the one performing the "bad action" in this situation by being the snitch rather than the cheaters performing the bad action. It's similar to parents blaming everyone else except for their kid for cheating. Blame the culprits (a.k.a. the cheaters) and not those who actually earn the grade by doing the right thing which is studying and not cheating.

I'm rolling with it even though it's annoying as hell to be working hard while others cheat to get an 'A' in class.

 

[Eforma]

don't worry about seeing this in PT school- between practicals, clinicals, and eventually boards if you do not know what you are talking about the truth will show itself. In the meantime don't ruin some 18 y/o life.

I gotta ask....how is he "ruining" some 18 y/o life? You can bet your ***** that those 18 y/os who transfer into a four-year school with grades earned by cheating WILL NOT SURVIVE in those upper-division courses. If anything, the OP is providing these students with an opportunity to own up, and start acting like adults. At 18 you should be learning to take responsibility for your own actions. Clearly these kids aren't doing that.

@ NATO -- good for you. And yeah, the sad truth is you've done your part, and that's the best you can do. I will tell you this...when you get into a PT program... you will appreciate that you took the time to focus on this material, and your profs were see it.

 

[johncronejr]

I entered undergrad at 41 years old. The cheating has not gotten worse. I did one year of college in 1086 and many students cheated then. The technology has made cheating easier and therefore has perhaps raised the numbers, but the ones willing to cheat has always been high.

I see kids doing it, but just keep to my own about it. It's not my place,nor do I wish to be, the classroom monitor or "that guy". You are talking about anatomy class, not a fellow PT or surgeon who is endangering or cheating a patient in practice.

It's neither right nor wrong that you told on them. You did what you thought was right. Personally, I just keep rolling with my own thing. That's all I can do.

 

[spinfire06]

During one of my practicals in lab for A&P my professor caught a student cheating off of another student and failed them. It was one of those exams where you needed to go to different stations and identify the structure and this one girl was just copying answers from her friend. There are some good professors out there. On another note, if the professor does not take any more aggressive measures to catch the cheaters I would complain to the department head or chair and see if they can do anything about it. Good Luck.

 

[jblil]

I entered undergrad at 41 years old. The cheating has not gotten worse. I did one year of college in 1086...

John, you are the record-holder here. Can you give us some news of the invasion of England by William the Conqueror in 1066?

I assume you meant 1986...

 

[johncronejr]

John, you are the record-holder here. Can you give us some news of the invasion of England by William the Conqueror in 1066?

I assume you meant 1986...

HAHAHAHA......Yep, meant 1986. LOL

 

[callmecrazy]

don't worry about seeing this in PT school- between practicals, clinicals, and eventually boards if you do not know what you are talking about the truth will show itself. In the meantime don't ruin some 18 y/o life.

I agree completely with the first part; you shouldn't have to worry about seeing this in PT school. When the prof is questioning you 1-on-1 in a practical, no cheating aside from telepathy is going to help you; cheaters will not thrive. And if you do see it, you can count on PT schools not putting up with it; the repercussions will not be gentle.

I have to disagree with the last part though. Each person is going to feel differently about what is the "right" action is in a situation like this, and I don't think there's a clear cut answer. However, if a person chooses to not follow the rules and policies that are in place, they are solely responsible for the repercussions that come from it. If their life is ruined, it's of their fault. To be honest, they are better off being confronted and changing their ways now in cc than later on in their career.

My personal feelings on it (as someone that has taught 9th grade and now as a PT student): I would have brought it to the professor's attention, and I would probably do it again if it continued. If you feel strongly that it's being handled poorly, you could take it higher as well, choosing to leave out student names if you wish. On the flip side, if I had students that were cheating, I'd want one of my students to tell me as well. Personal choice though, I also wouldn't frown upon someone that chose not to tell either.

 

[watersgoneby]

I am in a similar situation (CC after B.A. to get pre-reqs), and I haven't seen much cheating (a little here and there- like asking other sections what was on the test). I am, however, disturbed at the overall attitude of students. More often than not, while waiting in the hallway for class to start someone would begin to complain about not being spoon fed the test questions as if being expected to learn all the material was absurd.
I am pretty fed up with our culture of entitlement- I deserve this, you should have made this easier for me, I NEED that possession/grade/etc.

 

[johncronejr]

My personal feelings on it (as someone that has taught 9th grade and now as a PT student): I would have brought it to the professor's attention, and I would probably do it again if it continued. If you feel strongly that it's being handled poorly, you could take it higher as well, choosing to leave out student names if you wish. On the flip side, if I had students that were cheating, I'd want one of my students to tell me as well. Personal choice though, I also wouldn't frown upon someone that chose not to tell either.

I feel that if you are going to tell on someone, you should name name's. I even feel that the accused should get to know who the accuser is. It works for our court system, it should work in this case. Hell, call them out in class on it. For me, I always feel that being upfront about what I am accusing someone of has always been the best policy.

(For the OP) In the end, what do you have to gain by telling on these kids? Is it just the pleasure of knowing that you successfully monitored the classroom? That you got the classroom moral environment on lockdown? I could see the benefit if you were directly competing for a spot on a team, PT school, a job, etc.....but you are in no competition with these kids, so what's the point?

 

[CJonesrun]

I'm also "old"--37--and working on my last prereqs to (cross fingers) start DPT this year. And I also teach at a culinary college, and for an online college. Students cheat all of the time, and I call them out. You see, I am not "ruining their life." They are. They know the rules and they choose to break them. Most schools have a layering of sanctions: the first time, the instructor assigns a grade of zero for the work in question. The second time they give the zero and report it to the student academic integrity board. The board reviews the student record and makes a decision from there. Your instructor may have taken the first step, but cannot share the action publicly because of FERPA (privacy) laws. Or they didn't do anything and should be reprimanded by the college.

My issue with cheaters is that they go out in the world and make their college look bad with their poor attitude and lack of knowledge. Because really, have you ever met a cheater with big ambition and a hard work ethic?

 

[hefe]

Sorry to hear, in an ideal world they'd be failed and have academic misconduct designation on their transcript. They'd also have to report the academic misconduct if they ever transferred to a 4 year institution and grad school after.

It was handled this way at my 4 year state school, and didn't seem fun to go through for those few that tried.

 

[NATO]

(For the OP) In the end, what do you have to gain by telling on these kids? Is it just the pleasure of knowing that you successfully monitored the classroom? That you got the classroom moral environment on lockdown? I could see the benefit if you were directly competing for a spot on a team, PT school, a job, etc.....but you are in no competition with these kids, so what's the point?

I'm surprised that this question is being asked. How can you not get annoyed at others cheating while you put in a honest effort? If a cheater got an 'A' and I got an 'A' on a test, I would be annoyed as hell...as I've always been from grade school through college.

I have the belief that you get what you give. It's a choice not to study. If you aren't going to study and not care about the grade that you recieve, then why cheat in the first place to get a good grade? I attribute it to being lazy and selfish.

What gets me is that these constant cheaters continue to just that...cheat. It's not a one time thing to them. I see the same people cheat on every quiz and test we've gotten so far.

Let's say you and another person need to save $1,000,000.00 by a certain amount of time. You work hard and put a little bit into your savings each month. After many years, you get your million dollars. Now let's say the other guy (a.k.a the cheater) gets his/her millions by breaking the law and cheating/conning their way to get it. Would you want them to be punished? I would want them to be punished. I can't think of a better analogy at the moment.

I guess there are two types of people in this world. The ones that don't do anything and decide turn a blind eye because they think "Hey, it's not my business to get invovled with it...just so long as it's not hurting me" and then there are those people who stand up and speak out when something 'wrong' is occuring. Whether it's someone cheating on a test or someone abusing a system/person/animal/etc. , I'm not going to stand by and let it happen without calling attention to it even at the risk of being the outcaste of the group/class. I think fear of not being part of a group makes most people keep quiet whenever they witness bad behavior (i.e. cheating on test, bullying, stealing, etc). Unfortunately, it seems like most people choose not to do anything if it doesn't directly negatively affect them.

 

[johncronejr]

I'm surprised that this question is being asked. How can you not get annoyed at others cheating while you put in a honest effort? If a cheater got an 'A' and I got an 'A' on a test, I would be annoyed as hell...as I've always been from grade school through college.

I have the belief that you get what you give. It's a choice not to study. If you aren't going to study and not care about the grade that you recieve, then why cheat in the first place to get a good grade? I attribute it to being lazy and selfish.

What gets me is that these constant cheaters continue to just that...cheat. It's not a one time thing to them. I see the same people cheat on every quiz and test we've gotten so far.

Let's say you and another person need to save $1,000,000.00 by a certain amount of time. You work hard and put a little bit into your savings each month. After many years, you get your million dollars. Now let's say the other guy (a.k.a the cheater) gets his/her millions by breaking the law and cheating/conning their way to get it. Would you want them to be punished? I would want them to be punished. I can't think of a better analogy at the moment.

I guess there are two types of people in this world. The ones that don't do anything and decide turn a blind eye because they think "Hey, it's not my business to get invovled with it...just so long as it's not hurting me" and then there are those people who stand up and speak out when something 'wrong' is occuring. Whether it's someone cheating on a test or someone abusing a system/person/animal/etc. , I'm not going to stand by and let it happen without calling attention to it even at the risk of being the outcaste of the group/class. I think fear of not being part of a group makes most people keep quiet whenever they witness bad behavior (i.e. cheating on test, bullying, stealing, etc). Unfortunately, it seems like most people choose not to do anything if it doesn't directly negatively affect them.

Well you have me pegged completely wrong NATO. I absolutely will call people out and get into altercations if need be over bullying, absuing people, breaking the law, etc....Those things are far different than seeing a kid cheating on a test. You are stretching the analogies a bit to connect a kid cheating on a test and someone abusing a person/animal, etc...

Now, you say that you stood up. Do the cheaters know that you told on them? Did you call them out publicly? I am guessing that you didn't because of the professor's actions of not naming anyone in class. Did you talk directly with the cheaters?

 

[NATO]

Now, you say that you stood up. Do the cheaters know that you told on them? Did you call them out publicly? I am guessing that you didn't because of the professor's actions of not naming anyone in class. Did you talk directly with the cheaters?

The cheaters don't know that I told on them...yet. I didn't give any specific names because I don't know the names...just who they are/what they look like/where they sit. I talked with the professor after class about it and he said that he was aware of the cheating and that he would do something about it.

Sure, I can talk directly to the cheaters and say "Stop cheating." I doubt that will actually stop them from cheating though given the fact that I have no authority over them. In fact, I'm sure they would shoot back "Mind your own damn business" or something along those lines. Some may even play dumb by saying "I don't know what you are talking about." Others would shoot back "Prove it!". I know this because I've directly called out cheaters before (not in this class) in the past. Only the professor and college administrators have the power to enforce the honor code and they can't hover over every student when taking quizzes/tests.

As for calling these cheaters "kids", I think they are far from being children. They are no longer children who don't know any better. They DO know better yet they still choose to cheat. Why can't you see the wrong in that?

Just because it doesn't directly affect my grade in class doesn't make it an issue that needs to be addressed and resolved. Cheating bothers me and I'm doing something about it. If it doesn't bother you, then so be it. To each his/her own.

 

[johncronejr]

Well I just call them kids because they are 18-22 and I am 45. The term for me is different than "children".

The reason I asked if you had addressed them is because as I said in a previous post, I believe the accused should get to face their accusers. I am not saying that you are wrong for telling, as you said to each their own, I just believe that if someone is going to get called out on the carpet that they should be able to know who is doing the calling.

 

[callmecrazy]

Well I just call them kids because they are 18-22 and I am 45. The term for me is different than "children".

The reason I asked if you had addressed them is because as I said in a previous post, I believe the accused should get to face their accusers. I am not saying that you are wrong for telling, as you said to each their own, I just believe that if someone is going to get called out on the carpet that they should be able to know who is doing the calling.

If they've broken the rules and been caught doing so, I don't see why they should be entitled to know who turned them in. It shouldn't matter who it was, and I don't see what good could possibly come of revealing that information to them. That being said, I don't foresee anyone being punished based on only another student's report. More likely, an "anonymous" tip from a student will only alert the professor to keep a closer eye during exams. Chances are that the cheater wouldn't face any punishment until later being caught firsthand by the professor. This is much, much different than simply accusing someone of something.

 

[cwork]

Yes it is wrong to cheat, but..... it seems you are wasteing a lot of time and energy letting this worry you so much. You cannot do your best in class if you are constantly looking over your shoulder to see who all is cheating. The fact is, life is full of cheaters. You will encounter them no matter where you go. I think it is more important to just do the right thing yourself, and feel good about the fact that you don't cheat. Don't waist your time and energy worrying about things you cannot change. Your conscience should be stilled in that you did report it to the professor. At this point you just need to forget it and go on with your life. Whether or not they ever get their just reward for this should not be so important either. You just can't live life like that and ever have peace. PS I am OLD TOO, but not quite 11th century! LOL

 

[NATO]

Yes it is wrong to cheat, but..... it seems you are wasteing a lot of time and energy letting this worry you so much. You cannot do your best in class if you are constantly looking over your shoulder to see who all is cheating. The fact is, life is full of cheaters. You will encounter them no matter where you go. I think it is more important to just do the right thing yourself, and feel good about the fact that you don't cheat. Don't waist your time and energy worrying about things you cannot change. Your conscience should be stilled in that you did report it to the professor. At this point you just need to forget it and go on with your life. Whether or not they ever get their just reward for this should not be so important either. You just can't live life like that and ever have peace. PS I am OLD TOO, but not quite 11th century! LOL

Hey! Thanks for bringing this thread back up to my attention. Just a follow up for anyone that's interested - the professor has really cracked down on the cheating since I reported it to him a couple of weeks ago. He said that if you cheat once, then you will get a '0' on the quiz (fyi...we take a quiz in every class) and if he catches you cheating again, then you will fail his course.

I guess some cheaters didn't believe him and cheated anyway...and got caught! One student use to cover her iPhone on her desk with a scarf....thinking she was being really sneaky. The professor walked by her desk (she sits in the row next to me and parallel to me) and pulled away the scarf from her desk. Her expression was priceless! BUSTED!

I freely admit that I DO get a sick pleasure out of cheaters getting caught...especially the ones that were warned by the professor about the ramifications to their cheating ways. Needless to say, the class dynamic has definitely changed and I have no regrets for my snitch-ways. I love observing human behavior. I find it so interesting how some folks on here think what I did something wrong while others support my decision for speaking up.

I don't think I wasted mental energy at all. In fact, I might have just saved a future patient's life by helping to weed out students who want to get into the healthcare field, yet don't put any effort in learning about the human body and therefore end up killing someone.

 

[markelmarcel]

Hey! Thanks for bringing this thread back up to my attention. Just a follow up for anyone that's interested - the professor has really cracked down on the cheating since I reported it to him a couple of weeks ago. He said that if you cheat once, then you will get a '0' on the quiz (fyi...we take a quiz in every class) and if he catches you cheating again, then you will fail his course.

I guess some cheaters didn't believe him and cheated anyway...and got caught! One student use to cover her iPhone on her desk with a scarf....thinking she was being really sneaky. The professor walked by her desk (she sits in the row next to me and parallel to me) and pulled away the scarf from her desk. Her expression was priceless! BUSTED!

I freely admit that I DO get a sick pleasure out of cheaters getting caught...especially the ones that were warned by the professor about the ramifications to their cheating ways. Needless to say, the class dynamic has definitely changed and I have no regrets for my snitch-ways. I love observing human behavior. I find it so interesting how some folks on here think what I did something wrong while others support my decision for speaking up.

I don't think I wasted mental energy at all. In fact, I might have just saved a future patient's life by helping to weed out students who want to get into the healthcare field, yet don't put any effort in learning about the human body and therefore end up killing someone.

GOOD FOR YOU, NATO! Although I am only 25- it irked me to no belief how disrespectful and LAZY "kids" are these days (and some of them are only a couple years younger than me!)

Everyone seems to want everything handed to them. It's really frustrating for those of us who are playing the game fairly.

Anyway- I'm glad that you said something and that the professor did take attention. I would've LOVED to have seen that girl's face when he caught her!!!

Sweet victory is yours!

 

[caindiana]

I just wanted to say that it's not just the older students who feel this way. I'm 22 and have never in my life cheated on an exam. Honest! I'd feel extremely guilty (to the point where I'd probably turn myself in) and will readily admit to myself that, if I ever felt the need to cheat, it's my own fault for not preparing for the exam. And that means it's my own fault and don't deserve a good grade at all.

I just wanted to say that it's not all of us!

 

[PT0331]

I'm a non-traditional student (i.e. 32 years old and looking at PT as my 2nd career in life) and taking pre-req PT classes at the local community college. I'm in my 4th week of Human Anatomony class and I cannot begin to tell you the large amount of students that cheat in this class. Luckily, the professor doesn't grade on a curve, but it still annoyes me to no end that I'm over here studying hours on end to earn my grade while these idiots use their iPhones or what not to look at the PowerPoint slides and get the answer.

I couldn't take it anymore and told the professor after class last week that several students were cheating. He told me that he was aware of it and will do something about it in the next class. So the 'next class' was today...and all he did was mention that he knew some students were cheating and to put away their electronics during quizzes/tests. Really? Is that ALL you are going to do? So what happened? People continued to cheat.

Call me a goody-2 shoes if you want, but I just can't stand it. I know life is not fair and cheaters are everywhere, but it really does feel like cheating has gotten worse than what it was 10 to 12 years ago when I was a traditional ungrad student. Perhaps it's the ease of technology these days that has gotten students lazy...as well as the lack of integrity and ethics in our society in general, but I digress.

These are the same students/idiots who have said, in class, that they want to go into nursing, physical therapy, radiology tech, or some other type of health care field. One of the cheaters even mentioned that they want to become a medical doctor! I fear for future patients.

I don't know what bothers me more...the fact that I reported it to the professor (who is a nice guy and good professor) and he didn't really enforce the honor code (he doesn't even monitor the room...he is busy reviewing lecture slides)....or the fact that I'm competiting with cheaters who get an 'A' by not earning it like how I am having to do so. Sure, I could join the cheaters club and get the 'A', but I've always had the unfortunate luck of having a conscious. They say karma is a bitch, but I've never seen any cheaters really get theirs in the end so to speak. It's really distrubing to see how wide spread cheating has become...with teachers/faculty not really taking the honor code seriously as well as parents defending their kid's immoral behavior when they get caught cheating, it's no wonder cheaters get away with it! It's no surprise that so many other countries beat our asses in academics...it's going to bite all of us in the end. I wouldn't be shocked at all if China becomes the top dog on the global platform in the next 50 years. Look at all the idiots that are breezing through college classes by cheating. ARGH!

Awesome NATO, keep up the good work. I too am 31 (will be 32 this year at the start of my DPT program) and I did the cc transfer thing to my 4 year to get my B.S. after I got out of the Marines in 05. I have had great professors from the beginning at the cc and all through my 4yr institution. The resounding theme I keep hearing is that students are coming to college out of high school having to take remedial classes, basically unprepared. This is symptomatic of the mediocrity that is prevalent in our educational system. Who is to blame? I believe it starts with the parents and then since they don't do their jobs, it falls on the teachers (overworked, underpaid, etc.) to pick up slack. When confronted with the amount of troubled students (either with real issues or those just being brats) the teachers get stressed and just do what they can to get the students out of their class whatever it takes, even if that means turning their heads at obvious cheaters. Now fast forward to college life and it's not much different except these cheating students have no real study habits and have been set up for failure. My heart goes out to them because they have been enabled up to this point and really don't see the problem. In my genetics class in undergrad our prof had started her first semester teaching undergrad coming from Duke teaching grad level molecular genetics. Yes she was a tough professor but extremely helpful and even accepted some late work at half credit half way through the semester. I studied and worked my a** off and got an A- in that class and I was proud as hell. However, some students complained to the dept. head that the class was too hard and the prof stayed the course and maintained her standards. These students need to learn to work even if it is a bit late in the game. So, You have done these kids the service that no one has yet to do for them. You have attempted to make them accountable for their actions. I am only sorry that the professor did not take what, I feel, is appropriate action. Don't let that stop you. I'm of course not saying be actively seek out cheaters and "bring them to justice" but people don't turn the other way when it's right in your face. Indifference of good men is almost as far from laudable as the cheating in my opinion.

 

[markelmarcel]

Awesome NATO, keep up the good work. I too am 31 (will be 32 this year at the start of my DPT program) and I did the cc transfer thing to my 4 year to get my B.S. after I got out of the Marines in 05. I have had great professors from the beginning at the cc and all through my 4yr institution. The resounding theme I keep hearing is that students are coming to college out of high school having to take remedial classes, basically unprepared. This is symptomatic of the mediocrity that is prevalent in our educational system. Who is to blame? I believe it starts with the parents and then since they don't do their jobs, it falls on the teachers (overworked, underpaid, etc.) to pick up slack. When confronted with the amount of troubled students (either with real issues or those just being brats) the teachers get stressed and just do what they can to get the students out of their class whatever it takes, even if that means turning their heads at obvious cheaters. Now fast forward to college life and it's not much different except these cheating students have no real study habits and have been set up for failure. My heart goes out to them because they have been enabled up to this point and really don't see the problem. In my genetics class in undergrad our prof had started her first semester teaching undergrad coming from Duke teaching grad level molecular genetics. Yes she was a tough professor but extremely helpful and even accepted some late work at half credit half way through the semester. I studied and worked my a** off and got an A- in that class and I was proud as hell. However, some students complained to the dept. head that the class was too hard and the prof stayed the course and maintained her standards. These students need to learn to work even if it is a bit late in the game. So, You have done these kids the service that no one has yet to do for them. You have attempted to make them accountable for their actions. I am only sorry that the professor did not take what, I feel, is appropriate action. Don't let that stop you. I'm of course not saying be actively seek out cheaters and "bring them to justice" but people don't turn the other way when it's right in your face. Indifference of good men is almost as far from laudable as the cheating in my opinion.

EXCELLENT post.

 

[hpatel]

I'm a non-traditional student (i.e. 32 years old and looking at PT as my 2nd career in life) and taking pre-req PT classes at the local community college. I'm in my 4th week of Human Anatomony class and I cannot begin to tell you the large amount of students that cheat in this class. Luckily, the professor doesn't grade on a curve, but it still annoyes me to no end that I'm over here studying hours on end to earn my grade while these idiots use their iPhones or what not to look at the PowerPoint slides and get the answer.

I couldn't take it anymore and told the professor after class last week that several students were cheating. He told me that he was aware of it and will do something about it in the next class. So the 'next class' was today...and all he did was mention that he knew some students were cheating and to put away their electronics during quizzes/tests. Really? Is that ALL you are going to do? So what happened? People continued to cheat.

Call me a goody-2 shoes if you want, but I just can't stand it. I know life is not fair and cheaters are everywhere, but it really does feel like cheating has gotten worse than what it was 10 to 12 years ago when I was a traditional ungrad student. Perhaps it's the ease of technology these days that has gotten students lazy...as well as the lack of integrity and ethics in our society in general, but I digress.

These are the same students/idiots who have said, in class, that they want to go into nursing, physical therapy, radiology tech, or some other type of health care field. One of the cheaters even mentioned that they want to become a medical doctor! I fear for future patients.

I don't know what bothers me more...the fact that I reported it to the professor (who is a nice guy and good professor) and he didn't really enforce the honor code (he doesn't even monitor the room...he is busy reviewing lecture slides)....or the fact that I'm competiting with cheaters who get an 'A' by not earning it like how I am having to do so. Sure, I could join the cheaters club and get the 'A', but I've always had the unfortunate luck of having a conscious. They say karma is a bitch, but I've never seen any cheaters really get theirs in the end so to speak. It's really distrubing to see how wide spread cheating has become...with teachers/faculty not really taking the honor code seriously as well as parents defending their kid's immoral behavior when they get caught cheating, it's no wonder cheaters get away with it! It's no surprise that so many other countries beat our asses in academics...it's going to bite all of us in the end. I wouldn't be shocked at all if China becomes the top dog on the global platform in the next 50 years. Look at all the idiots that are breezing through college classes by cheating. ARGH!

NATO...I went through the same thing with my first anatomy course. In fact 2 of the cheaters in my class made it into medical school and about 6 made it in PT school. I find it sad...whats happening to this generation? I recommend you to use these cheaters as a motivation tool. Thats what i did. Every semester i would walk up to them and tell them beat me if you can. I was to par initially but pushed to excel and get better grades than them. and i did. So keep up the Spirit!! And DO NOT be afraid to voice your opinion to them. Good luck