By Prince George’s County Ex-Pat
Wed, Apr 25, 2018 8:40 a.m.
Student's death uncovers possible cheating scandal at George Mason University
George Mason University confirmed Tuesday that an investigation into an apparent drug-related suicide from last fall revealed the existence of a “test bank, or a collection of images of tests shared with the purpose of letting students know what will be on...
wjla.com
The decedent was Hispanic.
Are we surprised he cheated?
We will not cheat, lie, steal or tolerate those among us that cheat, lie, steal. Sounds like the military academies honor code.
ReplyDeleteCheating is not an uncommon occurrence by many students at Mason. Many cultural groups, fraternities & sororities have years of tests from which to study from that professors fail to change, knowing they have them.
ReplyDeleteIt goes back decades. Most professors do extraordinarily well there, but some just turned her back to the problem. The biggest part of the problem is that students are required to testify against other students, and their caught red-handed. Many alumni have known about others cheating during their time at Mason, even if they themselves do not. Some professors even know such and grade on curves, forcing some students to think that they need to cheat in order to keep upwith those that are cheating else take a lower grade. Fraternities and sororities have had passed tests that have been taken for years, and many professors that have been tenured failed to change the questions. It's even worse when it's open book/open notes, and students have the answers ready to copy. With electronic advancements it has become much easier to cheat. Chilling at George Mason, and likely many other universities, goes very deep down regardless of the honor code. Some students even sneak a copy of a test Out of the room to use the restroom, take photographs of it for future students that day, and return to classroom. It can be very simplistic or very sophisticated but unless teachers and professors along with the administrators take a much tougher stance and increase their vigilance and protocols to protect against cheating, students will continue to cheat themselves out of knowledge and professors still give higher grades than students ever deserve. Cheating scandals come in many varieties, but the protocols and practices of George Mason almost encourage it, regardless of the honor code.
Cheating has been going on for many many years at George Mason University so the faculty administrators have known about it. Current methods are much more advanced than it used to be, but most alumni have known of somebody cheating during their time at George Mason University. It used to be that sororities and fraternities along with cultural organizations or small clicks would have previous test databases, and professors with year after year semester after semester ask the same questions. Some even allowed open notes, or open book which students had the answers ready to copy. Today students use electronic forms, taking photographs of a test as they leave to use the bathroom returning with the test, and finishing it themselves but having provided it to other individuals. The schemes unfortunately are endless, and it's even more troubling that some professors knowing about this great on curves, eliciting those that would never cheat to feel compelled, to considerate it or to do so. Most times they either have to be cut red-handed, or another student willing to testify against their peers. However the practices of many, but most faculty enable, if not encourage cheating. Unfortunately students are only robbing themselves of knowledge but the university is being robbed of its reputation. This will continue until the administration and faculty take hard measures to ensure that cheating does not occur. Unfortunately this is not the case at George Mason today has been for many years and likely is the same for other colleges. I believe many if not most students are honest and have never cheated, but even though the other code prohibits test databases and the like, they have existed for decades. Today the methods are just more advanced and harder to stop with electronics/phones/digital glasses/etc. the university should strip, cultural groups, fraternities and sororities of the right to exist if they practice such or have test databases. This death is such a tragedy and has unnecessarily caused the death of a young talented man. It is beyond needless, and there is plenty of blame to go around not only George Mason, but colleges around the nation.
ReplyDelete