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Grendal
Joined: 13 Aug 2009 Posts: 861 Location: Lurking in the depths of the Faisaliah Tower underground parking.
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Posted: Mon Apr 29, 2013 7:49 am Post subject: cheating on writing tests and exams |
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Hi all!
Just want to get a discussion going on cheating. I know this has been discussed before but would like to know any new breakthroughs in cheating technology that other teachers have noticed. I am lost in the latest fad here. These students know the prompts of a writing test even before the teacher takes them out of the sealed envelope to administer the writing test.
Grendal |
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feverpitch
Joined: 01 Feb 2011 Posts: 32
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Posted: Mon Apr 29, 2013 10:05 am Post subject: |
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Grendal,
If you are in a situation where "students know the prompts of a writing test even before the teacher takes them out of the sealed envelope to administer the writing test", then there's little you can do.
Online or computer based exams are good for certain types of courses where the questions and answers can be randomized, but obviously this won't work for writing.
I would talk to the person writing the test and find out why students know things ahead of time. |
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veiledsentiments
Joined: 20 Feb 2003 Posts: 17644 Location: USA
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Posted: Mon Apr 29, 2013 1:31 pm Post subject: Re: cheating on writing tests and exams |
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Grendal wrote: |
These students know the prompts of a writing test even before the teacher takes them out of the sealed envelope to administer the writing test.
Grendal |
If the students know the exam before you give it to them, it sounds like your problem is in the faculty/staff/management, not the students.
VS |
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Grendal
Joined: 13 Aug 2009 Posts: 861 Location: Lurking in the depths of the Faisaliah Tower underground parking.
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Posted: Mon Apr 29, 2013 2:32 pm Post subject: |
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feverpitch wrote: |
Grendal,
If you are in a situation where "students know the prompts of a writing test even before the teacher takes them out of the sealed envelope to administer the writing test", then there's little you can do.
Online or computer based exams are good for certain types of courses where the questions and answers can be randomized, but obviously this won't work for writing.
I would talk to the person writing the test and find out why students know things ahead of time. |
I am the person writing the tests....
I was trying to get info on how to avert this kind of situation in the future.
Grendal |
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veiledsentiments
Joined: 20 Feb 2003 Posts: 17644 Location: USA
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Posted: Mon Apr 29, 2013 2:42 pm Post subject: |
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Ah HA!! Now we know... (does anyone have to approve them?)
So, are the students getting access to your office? I might start writing exams at home... in the closet... by longhand, not computer.
VS |
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Heaton
Joined: 02 Jan 2012 Posts: 35
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Posted: Tue Apr 30, 2013 5:06 am Post subject: Psychic Cheating |
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If your students are psychic, then there's no way to stop them. Maybe you should just make your writing prompts less predictable. |
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jaffa
Joined: 25 Oct 2012 Posts: 403
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Posted: Tue Apr 30, 2013 9:37 am Post subject: |
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Sudanese teachers at Aramco were known to accept payment for this type of information and an American accepted 'payment' of a different sort, negotiated in a toilet cubicle. |
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AbeCross
Joined: 21 Jun 2012 Posts: 191
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Posted: Tue Apr 30, 2013 12:42 pm Post subject: Re: cheating on writing tests and exams |
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Grendal wrote: |
Hi all!
Just want to get a discussion going on cheating. I know this has been discussed before but would like to know any new breakthroughs in cheating technology that other teachers have noticed. I am lost in the latest fad here. These students know the prompts of a writing test even before the teacher takes them out of the sealed envelope to administer the writing test.
Grendal |
At Shabak in Hofuf(as of 2012) the students were usually given the writing questions by their teachers several days before the test. The instructors then typically helped them memorize a suitable paragragh. The students' pass rate on the writing section of the weekly exam improved. The inept hockey coach-who masquerades as an academic manager-took the credit for enhanced academic performance! |
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lcanupp1964
Joined: 12 Dec 2009 Posts: 381
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Posted: Tue Apr 30, 2013 2:05 pm Post subject: |
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During the paper-based exam days (two years ago), I caught three students outside the building with a set of their English course books. Two were looking up "answers" while the other one was texting those answers to his friends.
Now that we have computer-based exams, I have caught students taking a photo of their computer screen with cell phones. The reason? They are going to send the picture to a friend to see if they can get an answer to one of the questions on the computer screen.
I feel the strongest way to help curb all the cheating that goes on everywhere is to be 100% tough on not allowing the students access to their cell phones. I know this sounds like a no-brainer of an idea, but teachers that walk around and monitor what all the students are doing during an exam is more likely to have less cheating then teachers that sit at his/her desk not paying close attention. |
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plumpy nut
Joined: 12 Mar 2011 Posts: 1652
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Posted: Wed May 01, 2013 6:52 am Post subject: |
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Where I work the students don't know the prompts prior to the test and the faculty is (or appears to be) committed to ending cheating. However if you were to give F's to every Saudi cheating on a test (looking at other test papers, talking) you would fail 80% of the class, lots of luck doing that.
In the US this sort of cheating is dealt with by using cover sheets over the answer sheet, but do I open a Pandora's box by suggesting they force the students to use cover sheets? Maybe again just how dedicated is the school? |
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Azad
Joined: 13 Jul 2010 Posts: 10
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Posted: Wed May 01, 2013 2:10 pm Post subject: |
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plumpy nut wrote: |
Where I work the students don't know the prompts prior to the test and the faculty is (or appears to be) committed to ending cheating. However if you were to give F's to every Saudi cheating on a test (looking at other test papers, talking) you would fail 80% of the class, lots of luck doing that.
In the US this sort of cheating is dealt with by using cover sheets over the answer sheet, but do I open a Pandora's box by suggesting they force the students to use cover sheets? Maybe again just how dedicated is the school? |
i say go for it! after all, what's the worst that can happen |
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Grendal
Joined: 13 Aug 2009 Posts: 861 Location: Lurking in the depths of the Faisaliah Tower underground parking.
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Posted: Wed May 01, 2013 2:16 pm Post subject: |
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lcanupp1964 wrote: |
During the paper-based exam days (two years ago), I caught three students outside the building with a set of their English course books. Two were looking up "answers" while the other one was texting those answers to his friends.
Now that we have computer-based exams, I have caught students taking a photo of their computer screen with cell phones. The reason? They are going to send the picture to a friend to see if they can get an answer to one of the questions on the computer screen.
I feel the strongest way to help curb all the cheating that goes on everywhere is to be 100% tough on not allowing the students access to their cell phones. I know this sounds like a no-brainer of an idea, but teachers that walk around and monitor what all the students are doing during an exam is more likely to have less cheating then teachers that sit at his/her desk not paying close attention. |
I totally agree to a no cell phone policy during tests and exams. But, unfortunately one student got his iPhone stolen from a cell phone collection box and this policy was scrapped. Now they are required to keep their phones in their pockets on silent mode. This is useless unless invigilation is done as you say, cannupp. Most teachers during writing exams are invigilating their own class and this leads to biased behavior on part of the teacher. All it takes is one photo of the prompt and 12,000 students will have the information.
Grendal |
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EYEBALL
Joined: 17 Apr 2013 Posts: 34
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Posted: Thu May 02, 2013 7:50 am Post subject: |
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It's cultural, take your money and run. It's been going on since long before you got here and will continue long after you leave. What, you think you'll actually change something here?!? This place is corrupt from top to bottom and an ESL teacher or two won't change anything! |
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Grendal
Joined: 13 Aug 2009 Posts: 861 Location: Lurking in the depths of the Faisaliah Tower underground parking.
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Posted: Thu May 02, 2013 5:09 pm Post subject: |
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thanks eyeball I didn't know that
Grendal |
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EYEBALL
Joined: 17 Apr 2013 Posts: 34
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Posted: Thu May 02, 2013 6:35 pm Post subject: |
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Grendal wrote: |
thanks eyeball I didn't know that
Grendal |
That's what I thought.
Seriously, there are teachers that try to be hardasses just before the end of the semester and actually think they're going to make a difference. Talk about making it hard for yourself. Go thru the motions and smile all the way to the bank! |
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