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Academic Honesty

Overview

Start by reviewing the GCC Academic Honesty Policy for students.  As you can see, GCC holds students to a high standard of academic honesty, and this needs to be enforced by instructors.  Students who cheat tend to be drawn to instructors who are soft on cheating, so instructors who look the other way may soon end up with a class full of students expecting an opportunity to cheat.  

GCC's official statement on academic dishonesty:

"Cheating incidents have to be reported to the Vice President of Instruction and will become part of the Glendale College Cheating Incident file, unless the instructor finds compelling reasons not to report a violation. Be aware: no action is taken by the Vice President on the first incidence, so please report every incident. On a second occurrence, the Vice President of Instruction may then impose sanctions authorized by Administrative Regulation 5420.  The sanctions include, but are not limited to, issuing a reprimand, suspending the student for up to ten days of instruction, and/or requesting a hearing by the Campus Judicial Board to see if the student should be suspended or permanently expelled from the college."

It is important to report the cheating incident so that the incident will added to the student's internal GCC file.  If a student gets more than two cheating incidents at GCC, they will be contacted by the VP of Student Affairs for possible disciplinary action.  Note that transfer institutions are not able to see a student's academic dishonesty record at GCC. 

Reporting a Cheating Incident

To report a cheating incident, send the following information to The Vice President of Instruction, Dr. Michael Ritterbrown (michaelr@glendale.edu) and your Division Chair:

  • Your name
  • The class in which the incident occurred
  • The date on which the incident occurred
  • The names and Student IDs of any students involved (find Student IDs on PeopleSoft)
  • A brief description of the incident
  • Any supporting attachments such as photos of a confiscated cheat sheet

Minimizing Academic Dishonesty

It cannot be stressed enough that the best way to deal with cheating is to prevent it in the first place.  Take proactive steps before cheating becomes a problem.  There are some general actions you can take to minimize cheating:

  • Address cheating in your syllabus and state specific penalties if someone is caught cheating.  Make sure any penalty you name in your syllabus is something you can actually enforce when an incident occurs.  If students realize that you can't bring yourself to enforce your own cheating policy, they tend to continue cheating.  
  • Make sure cell phones are put away and smart watches removed before starting an exam.
  • Be vigilant during tests; walk around. Be especially alert during the last 15 minutes of a test.  Do not allow any materials other than test items on the student’s desk.
  • Create seating charts for exams; this will discourage prearranged cooperation among students. Make sure you separate friends and people who normally sit close to each other.  Students who have wandering eyes should be put in the front row or in the back away from other students.
  • Be wary of dictionaries; if you allow your students to use them during tests, make sure to demand that there is nothing written in it by hand, in any language.
  • Check calculators; some students tape “cheat sheets” in the back of their calculator, or on its cover. Be aware of sophisticated calculators that are able to perform algebra and calculus.  It's best to ask students to remove calculator sleeves/covers for the duration of the exam.
  • Do not allow students to use the calculator feature of their cellular phones; they might be text-messaging a friend to ask questions about the test!
  • Have students use the restroom before the exam starts. If they absolutely must use the restroom during their exam, have them leave their cell phone in the classroom.
  • Don’t reuse exams from previous semesters. These are passed around between students and are also often shared online by previous students.  Assume any exam you have given in the past is floating around out there.
  • Be aware that some students use PhotoMath, an app that can solve math problems by just taking a smartphone photo.
  • Use SimCheck (at Turnitin product) to check any student papers for plagiarism. 
  • If you suspect a student is going to cheat, gently let the student know that you'll be watching extra closely.  Try to change the student's behavior up front rather than waiting for them to cheat and then catching them in the act. 

Students can be very creative in discovering new ways to cheat, so always be on your toes!