If some of those students are jocks, you will probably be pressured to pass them. It sucks but athletics outweighs academics. A
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Cheating students
- Thread starter Chicory Blue
- Start date
Well, first of all - flunk them, if that wasn't obvious. If students do that in my (college) class, that's what I do - they flunk the COURSE, period, the end, and get referred to an academic integrity committee, which will establish the terms on which they would even be allowed to continue their education.
I used to have more of a problem with this, though never on the scale you describe. For a while, to combat it, I used the plagiarism tutorial out of Simon Fraser University in Canada. They seem to have moved it, but I think it's all still available to the public - Plagiarism Tutorial | SFU Library . At least a preview. If this is a persistent problem, make some such tutorial a prerequisite to getting credit for ANY assignment (i.e. the student doesn't get credit for any work whatsoever if they haven't submitted their plagiarism tutorial quizzes).
I used to have more of a problem with this, though never on the scale you describe. For a while, to combat it, I used the plagiarism tutorial out of Simon Fraser University in Canada. They seem to have moved it, but I think it's all still available to the public - Plagiarism Tutorial | SFU Library . At least a preview. If this is a persistent problem, make some such tutorial a prerequisite to getting credit for ANY assignment (i.e. the student doesn't get credit for any work whatsoever if they haven't submitted their plagiarism tutorial quizzes).
At least the ones who searched up a sonnet generating app demonstrated some skillful cheating!
What's a sonnet?
I dropped English as soon as I could which would have been final year of highschool.
What's a sonnet?
I dropped English as soon as I could which would have been final year of highschool.
Yep, we had it the same. It was like the whole family was in shame if we ever did anything wrong and my parents being the simple folk that they were didn't really rate a score if it was under like 90%.
They didn't really understand but actually it helped me to try harder just to keep them off my back and it worked, I did quite well and it stuck with me for life. I don't give up on things easily.
Speaking as a retired public school (Grades 6-12) English teacher:
My heart goes out to you. I only made it ten years, and that was before the internet and computing became so commonly used for virtually everything.
Good luck staying a step ahead of the cheaters. They definitely have the advantage, especially for take-home assignments.
I once flunked a star athlete because I caught her red-handed plagiarizing a major assignment from the internet. The coach actually had the balls to get angry with me, not the student.
If I were still in the game, take-home unsupervised assignments would be a thing of the past. You do it right under my careful watchful eye. Make assignments shorter, keep it in the class room in segments if necessary, and more protected from cheating.
My heart goes out to you. I only made it ten years, and that was before the internet and computing became so commonly used for virtually everything.
Good luck staying a step ahead of the cheaters. They definitely have the advantage, especially for take-home assignments.
I once flunked a star athlete because I caught her red-handed plagiarizing a major assignment from the internet. The coach actually had the balls to get angry with me, not the student.
If I were still in the game, take-home unsupervised assignments would be a thing of the past. You do it right under my careful watchful eye. Make assignments shorter, keep it in the class room in segments if necessary, and more protected from cheating.
The cheating students vex the eager lass,
Charged with doling out their final grade.
This dishonest work will never pass,
When by its nature it is self-betrayed.
How to deal with such a class of youth,
Who so disdain their teacher's honest task?
Their careless disregard for simple truth,
Makes the question difficult to ask.
Is this the sorry future we have wrought?
Our children, language failing under test,
So easily will abdicate their thought,
And think the internet can say it best.
Charged with doling out their final grade.
This dishonest work will never pass,
When by its nature it is self-betrayed.
How to deal with such a class of youth,
Who so disdain their teacher's honest task?
Their careless disregard for simple truth,
Makes the question difficult to ask.
Is this the sorry future we have wrought?
Our children, language failing under test,
So easily will abdicate their thought,
And think the internet can say it best.
The minimum becomes the new default,
As standards suffer yet a fresh assault.
As standards suffer yet a fresh assault.
I'd fail them for the assignment and turn them in because cheating is not acceptable behavoir.
Next year's class starts with an essay on how plagiarizing or using an app to generate a poem is not acceptable.
Curious, what grade is this? Is an advanced type class or just the normal student track?
you cant do humiliation nowadays...get sued or fired.
A sad tale of woe
Plagiarize from head to toe
to the office, go!
...and then there is the custom-crafted fake work for those willing to pay, which you probably won't find so easily unless it's shoddy itself. There's one site supposedly for finding freelance work where at least 90 percent of the things that go by are blatantly homework assignments (more college than otherwise there) - it's been useless for finding real work, and I refuse to take those (notably they universally want to underpay for having you do their assignments for them, but does not matter to me if they did pay a decent rate, I still am not that unethical. Plus, it's always a rush job...)
There are also the blatantly up-front "do your school work for money" sites, but I assume (never looked into them, not interested) they don't offer an option other than paying what they ask. In-class assignments don't jive with out of class assignments? "Now then, could you discuss what you meant here...?"
Your "safest for you" bet is to follow policy to the letter, and if policy is unclear, discuss with administration beforehand, not after acting. CYA is the mantra when dealing with current parenting, or at least the troublesome subset of them, sadly. There are folks who will spend far more effort trying get you fired than they will to get their child to take any responsibility & do their work.
Plagiarize from head to toe
to the office, go!
...and then there is the custom-crafted fake work for those willing to pay, which you probably won't find so easily unless it's shoddy itself. There's one site supposedly for finding freelance work where at least 90 percent of the things that go by are blatantly homework assignments (more college than otherwise there) - it's been useless for finding real work, and I refuse to take those (notably they universally want to underpay for having you do their assignments for them, but does not matter to me if they did pay a decent rate, I still am not that unethical. Plus, it's always a rush job...)
There are also the blatantly up-front "do your school work for money" sites, but I assume (never looked into them, not interested) they don't offer an option other than paying what they ask. In-class assignments don't jive with out of class assignments? "Now then, could you discuss what you meant here...?"
Your "safest for you" bet is to follow policy to the letter, and if policy is unclear, discuss with administration beforehand, not after acting. CYA is the mantra when dealing with current parenting, or at least the troublesome subset of them, sadly. There are folks who will spend far more effort trying get you fired than they will to get their child to take any responsibility & do their work.
I taught hs for 36 years. Started when they were protesting Vietnam, retired when they were ignoring Iraq. Today's atmosphere, your best bet is refer the entire mess to higher authority. I know, looks wimpy, etc. But you WILL be second-guessed no matter what. Better to "check for policy".
Do you guys mean to hold the students accountable for their actions??? 
Don't you know this is 2019 and rules have now changed. Don't you guys realize if you now make bad decisions, it is not really your fault, because you are more than likely a victim of one sort or another. Come on and get with it. Again, its 2019.........rant over. 
Don't you know this is 2019 and rules have now changed. Don't you guys realize if you now make bad decisions, it is not really your fault, because you are more than likely a victim of one sort or another. Come on and get with it. Again, its 2019.........rant over. 
- Oct 7, 2000
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I only read this far into the thread...
In 2019, you lose your job for doing that. You can get a letter in your file for so much as telling a student they're at risk of failing, in front of the class. I've seen it happen many times in the past few years.
This is how I'd handle it, but I wouldn't have the non cheaters re-do the work. I'd give the entire class the opportunity to redo it, but leave it up to them letting them know the cheaters were otherwise going to get a zero.
Sadly, this doesn't guarantee than anyone is going to do it over....
I hate to say or admit to it, but in public schools these days cheating is almost encouraged. And most teachers are happy when kids do it well.
I was an English teacher for one year, when things were still good back in around '94. I quit after that first year (I can't even begin to say how much I hated grading homework and essays) and have been subbing since. What's happening in public education these days (at least in NYC) is beyond anything imaginable. And its covered REAL well. From the outside it looks like things are going better than ever. On the inside, its a sad and sickening horror show.
There is zero accountability. Students have far more power than teachers. Teachers live in constant fear, and are forced to use teaching methods that make their job even more impossible (multi level classes that include some non English speaking students- think about it). Teachers are forced to pass a percentage of students. Students know this. And they get to do whatever they want - and pass. They also get to do whatever they want behavior wise, with no repercussions. 15 years ago any illegal activity whatsoever that happened in my school was reported to the police. Drug offenses (even weed), weapons, fights, etc. Because of that, my school was one of the safest in the city, but not on paper. Now nothing is reported, and guess what - we're a shining example of how safe the school has gotten, while the truth is the complete opposite.
Same with grades. When students had to actually work to pass, some did, many failed. Now everyone passes because they know that all they have to do is show up 1/4 of the time, and write an essay at the end of the term to make up for lost time. An essay they download and the teachers just laugh about now...
Its sick.
Very sick.
I could go on and on and on...
Last note. The kids with best cheating skills know where to find essays in pdf format. They're a lot harder to get caught with as a search won't turn them up.
In 2019, you lose your job for doing that. You can get a letter in your file for so much as telling a student they're at risk of failing, in front of the class. I've seen it happen many times in the past few years.
This is how I'd handle it, but I wouldn't have the non cheaters re-do the work. I'd give the entire class the opportunity to redo it, but leave it up to them letting them know the cheaters were otherwise going to get a zero.
Sadly, this doesn't guarantee than anyone is going to do it over....
I hate to say or admit to it, but in public schools these days cheating is almost encouraged. And most teachers are happy when kids do it well.
I was an English teacher for one year, when things were still good back in around '94. I quit after that first year (I can't even begin to say how much I hated grading homework and essays) and have been subbing since. What's happening in public education these days (at least in NYC) is beyond anything imaginable. And its covered REAL well. From the outside it looks like things are going better than ever. On the inside, its a sad and sickening horror show.
There is zero accountability. Students have far more power than teachers. Teachers live in constant fear, and are forced to use teaching methods that make their job even more impossible (multi level classes that include some non English speaking students- think about it). Teachers are forced to pass a percentage of students. Students know this. And they get to do whatever they want - and pass. They also get to do whatever they want behavior wise, with no repercussions. 15 years ago any illegal activity whatsoever that happened in my school was reported to the police. Drug offenses (even weed), weapons, fights, etc. Because of that, my school was one of the safest in the city, but not on paper. Now nothing is reported, and guess what - we're a shining example of how safe the school has gotten, while the truth is the complete opposite.
Same with grades. When students had to actually work to pass, some did, many failed. Now everyone passes because they know that all they have to do is show up 1/4 of the time, and write an essay at the end of the term to make up for lost time. An essay they download and the teachers just laugh about now...
Its sick.
Very sick.
I could go on and on and on...
Last note. The kids with best cheating skills know where to find essays in pdf format. They're a lot harder to get caught with as a search won't turn them up.
Last edited:
Alkali Ike
Gold Supporting Member
- Jan 1, 2011
- 2,849
- 15,644
- Disclosures
- I never actually learned to play very well
I would absolutely not call out any of the cheating students individually by name.
I would definitely make an announcement to the entire class that a large number of students turned in work that was plagiarized and they attempted to pass it off as their own. These papers are easy to identify and the responsible students will receive a zero for the assignment. Unless your school's policy says otherwise, I wouldn't allow anyone to redo the assignment, either for partial credit or as some kind of punishment. Just give them a zero and move on.
The critical message is that cheating will not be tolerated and there are serious consequences for engaging in plagiarism. In this case, a first offense results in automatic failure. Make it clear that any future attempts to cheat will result in more than just failure on the assignment but also official disciplinary measures.
I would definitely make an announcement to the entire class that a large number of students turned in work that was plagiarized and they attempted to pass it off as their own. These papers are easy to identify and the responsible students will receive a zero for the assignment. Unless your school's policy says otherwise, I wouldn't allow anyone to redo the assignment, either for partial credit or as some kind of punishment. Just give them a zero and move on.
The critical message is that cheating will not be tolerated and there are serious consequences for engaging in plagiarism. In this case, a first offense results in automatic failure. Make it clear that any future attempts to cheat will result in more than just failure on the assignment but also official disciplinary measures.
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Having taught online at the Master's level for years, the situation with writing isn't always so different from what the OP describes.
My thought always turns to whether I can change the assignment to achieve my goal (a bit of writing which provokes actual thought) while interesting the student.
Most of us will look for the easy way out when an assignment doesn't engage us. Could you make the sonnet assignment into a challenge to write a sonnet that praises their favorite movie? Or mocks their least favorite TV show? It's pretty hard to make students care about Shakespeare, but they might respond to something more personal.
As for those who cheated - send all 30 to report. You may get a reputation as a hardass (I do, because I'm merciless about my grad students' writing, down to the period and comma) but that may be to your advantage. When people think you're a hardass you can always surprise them by going easy on them when it's to your advantage.
My thought always turns to whether I can change the assignment to achieve my goal (a bit of writing which provokes actual thought) while interesting the student.
Most of us will look for the easy way out when an assignment doesn't engage us. Could you make the sonnet assignment into a challenge to write a sonnet that praises their favorite movie? Or mocks their least favorite TV show? It's pretty hard to make students care about Shakespeare, but they might respond to something more personal.
As for those who cheated - send all 30 to report. You may get a reputation as a hardass (I do, because I'm merciless about my grad students' writing, down to the period and comma) but that may be to your advantage. When people think you're a hardass you can always surprise them by going easy on them when it's to your advantage.
Excellent thoughts from everybody.
Definitely an interesting spectrum of ideas here, with a lot of really solid advice in between it all.
Ready or not, the show starts tomorrow, but I think I've got a solid idea of how to proceed. If I'm thinking straight here, I should be able to both follow official written protocol to the letter and dole out fair and appropriate consequences to each guilty party, while effectively communicating the central message that if any of them tries to f@#$ with me that brazenly again, I'll gut them like a fish.
Good morning class. Today we have a new vocabulary word: "Eviscerate..."
--^@
Definitely an interesting spectrum of ideas here, with a lot of really solid advice in between it all.
Ready or not, the show starts tomorrow, but I think I've got a solid idea of how to proceed. If I'm thinking straight here, I should be able to both follow official written protocol to the letter and dole out fair and appropriate consequences to each guilty party, while effectively communicating the central message that if any of them tries to f@#$ with me that brazenly again, I'll gut them like a fish.
Good morning class. Today we have a new vocabulary word: "Eviscerate..."
--^@
Gaolee
Official leathers tester and crash dummy
A friend just retired after 30 years of teaching. He would call out students for things like that and tell them they were complete amateurs. Then he would tell them they could try again. And do it the right way. He had a few who didn't get it, but most did so far as I could tell from his stories.
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