Faculty Resources - How to Talk to a Student You Suspected Has Cheated

Confronting students about academic misconduct is not easy to do, but if we ignore the incidents that do occur, it is impossible to maintain Truman’s standard for academic excellence. Some guidelines may be helpful in confronting a student.
 

1. Have a plan for how you would like your conversation to go. Imagine the different reactions the student may have and prepare some answers.

2. Meet with a student promptly in private. It may be beneficial to have a third party, such as another faculty member, available for this meeting to take notes and to act as a witness.

3.  Begin the meeting by describing your suspicions and present the evidence collected or observed. Tell the student how you feel about her/his actions and the effect the misconduct has on the classroom environment.

4. Allow the student an opportunity to respond and listen to her/his explanation. If the student states that s/he did not cheat, you may have to investigate the incident further. You may ask the student questions about the material in the test or paper. If the student identifies witnesses that will corroborate her/his story, you may contact them. 

5. After the discussion with the student and any further investigation, make your decision using the preponderance of evidence standard. A preponderance of evidence means is it more likely than not that the student committed the accused act (51% likely versus 49% not).

6.  If you find that the student has committed an act of dishonesty, you may determine appropriate punitive grading, based on the provisions set out in your syllabus. Inform your Division Head, and complete the Academic Dishonesty Report Form. Your Division Head will sign the form and forward it to the VPAA office and the University Conduct Officer.

7.  Maintain a file with the evidence in the case and documentation of your conversations with the student. These may be useful if the student appeals their grade or if there is university conduct action taken against the student.
 

Adapted from Academic Integrity Newsletter September/October 2001, conduct.truman.edu