Actions Instructors Can Take to Help Prevent Cheating in Exams
- Blue Books, Exams, and Papers:
- Collect all extra blue books at the end of the exam
- Place a mark in the back of all blue books distributed to students taking the exam
- Have several versions of the exam containing the same questions but in different orders and require a different blue book for each question
- Require students to write on the cover of each blue book, exam sheet, or paper "I certify that the work I have undertaken in this exam is entirely my own" and have them sign their names
- In the Classroom
- If possible have students sit in every other seat/desk, leaving an empty seat between each student
- Inform students prior to exam week that they will not be allowed to leave the room until they have completed the exam, except in the case of an actual emergency. Students who leave the room will be assumed to have completed the exam and will not be allowed to reenter. (Exceptions made for students with documented disabilities - students should notify faculty prior to the exam if an exception is required).
- What to Allow and What Not to Allow to be Brought to the Exam
- Inform students prior to exam week that no technical devices (cell phones, MP3 players, Blackberries, etc) will be allowed during the exam. (Exceptions made for students with documented disabilities who require an authorized aid or device - students should notify faculty prior to the exam if an exception is required)
- Inform students prior to exam week that they should arrive to the exam with nothing other than a pen/pencil and that if they bring/wear a coat and/or bag those items must be left at the front of the room until the student has completed the exam. (Exceptions made for students with documented disabilities who require an authorized aid or device - students should notify faculty prior to the exam if an exception is required)