Faculty Resources - What You Should Do When You Witness Cheating on an Exam

Do not stop a student from completing the exam, even if you believe that he/she is cheating. Instead interrupt the misconduct as described below, and identify those involved by setting their exams aside and recording their names. Review the exams to see if you can find evidence of cheating.
 

·  If a student is using notes or has notes visible, immediately and discreetly confiscate the 

     notes. These materials may be important as evidence if a student denies cheating. Make a 

     note on the student's exam indicating when the notes were taken.

· If students are talking, announce that no talking is permitted during exams, and/or quietly ask

     the students to stop talking.

· If students are talking or otherwise exchanging information, they can be asked to change

     seats or move apart.

· If you learn that a substitute or "ringer" may be taking an exam for another, quietly approach

     him/her and ask for identification.

· If a student is looking at others' work, announce to the class that all work is individual, and/or

     quietly tell the student that eyes must be kept on one's own paper.

 

From Purdue University, (1996) “Deterring, Detecting & Dealing with Academic Dishonesty: Guidelines for Faculty.”

 

From Academic Integrity Newsletter July/August 2001, conduct.truman.edu