Cheater Cheater Cheaters...

[artmom]

Cheating is becoming a prominent problem. It's so widespread I question how qualified that doctor or lawyer or teacher you see really is.
This is a full Doc Zone documentary on cheaters in schools and universities.
This is something every teacher, professor is probably aware of and all parents should be aware of. But it's discerning that some parents are on board with cheating because they just want their kids to get good grades.
http://www.cbc.ca/doczone/episodes/faking-the-grade

 

[cybele]

For some reason I had a completely different kind of cheating in mind when I read this and questioning doctors, lawyers and teachers was putting some weird images in my head.

 

[artmom]

For some reason I had a completely different kind of cheating in mind when I read this and questioning doctors, lawyers and teachers was putting some weird images in my head.

It's not to say every professional out there cheated their way to school, but to really think about the impact and consequences when graduates get into professions they haven't really studied honestly.

 

[cybele]

No, I'm thinking of something completely different.

I have a son currently studying to be a teacher, and my daughter's partner is currently studying to become a doctor. I admittedly know nothing about the education process for either of these things so I asked them and they both couldn't think of how it was possible to cheat your way through the entire educational process, there is just too many hands on examinations.
As my daughter's partner said, if you can't dissect a cadaver, then you can't cheat your way out of that.

Sure, I am sure that some people cheat on their written exams, but when that's not even the bulk of the examination and it's mostly hands on it's probably not something to stress about too much when you go and visit the doctor or enrol your kids into school.

 

[TabascoNatalie]

When i was at school, i admit i sometimes did homework for others for some extra income. Not a moral thing to do, but at school the point of giving you homework is that you have less playtime.

University is a different thing though. My parents work in higher education and what they notice is that the most cheating is going on in certain fields -- e.g. management, business admin, etc. But places like medicine, art, engineering -- becomes rather impossible to cheat.

 

[akmom]

That's kind of how I see it, Cybele. There are very few opportunities to cheat. I don't think you could amass enough of them to significantly change a course grade, let alone obtain a degree you wouldn't otherwise have gotten.

Cheating might affect a student's rank, which is unfortunate, because that factors into scholarships and other opportunities. But I think it would be really hard to cheat without actually participating enough that you are still very familiar with the subject.

For example, a person who writes notes on their hands might pass a history test by regurgitating names and dates that they were unable to remember by themselves. But in the scope of things, would they have remembered these details for a long time after the test anyway? Wouldn't they probably still have to look them up again if they needed to cite this information in the future? Unless they're playing a trivia game, that is. The point of these kinds of fact-based tests is to encourage students to read and pay attention, and measure whether they really do. Well, if you're using memory aids to cheat, clearly you're being exposed to the information. So... technically mission still accomplished.

The kinds of grades that really matter come from assignments you can't conceivably cheat on. Not without a stunt double, anyway.

 

[artmom]

I'm reading all the comments. You all make valid points. I kind of wonder it's only certain courses or even certain schools that are having issues with it. What are your thoughts on parents aiding their kids to cheat?

 

[cybele]

I generally find heavy parent involvement in tertiary education a bit weird, so I would think there is something a bit off with the parent-child dynamic.

 

[artmom]

I generally find heavy parent involvement in tertiary education a bit weird, so I would think there is something a bit off with the parent-child dynamic.

Perhaps helicopter parenting spilling over into the kids adulthood? I hear of parents monitoring interviews with employers, helping them set up their desks at work. Going after employers that fire their kids. What would happen with the kids have to take care of their parents or after they die?

 

[cybele]

Oh yes, I have personally fielded a phone call from a mother who wanted to know why her daughter (who was mid-20s) didn't get the job she interviewed for, very awkward. I've also had mothers drop in resumes for their kids who couldn't make it because they were at work/school, which is funny because we state on every job ad that resumes are to be received via email only, so there is no "make it".

I could certainly tell you stories of where that gets you as you progress into adulthood, particularly as you are getting married as I work in the bridal industry. The overbearing parent train often lets it's loudest passengers off at the wedding station.

 

[akmom]

My mom used to hover over my brother the entire time he did his homework or else he wouldn't do it. It must have been exhausting. One time I remember she was so stressed out about him getting everything done on time that she just did an art project for him after he went to bed.

We told her that she couldn't do his homework for him, because it was blatant cheating. Her argument was that it was art, and he's never going to be an artist anyway. Well, she was right. He's not an artist. Or anything. By that logic, she might as well have done the rest of the homework for him too.

I almost understand the impulse though. I used to help my brother fill out applications for summer jobs that I was excited for him to have. Finding a good summer job was always a big deal to me and my sister when we were in high school and the first years of college, and I always thought if he just found a good fit, he'd be motivated. I thought if I could just get him past the hurdle of doing the application, he'd get the job and succeed at it. Turns out, if a person can't be bothered to fill out applications, they probably won't thrive at the job either. I think it was an important realization for me though. It nipped in the bud any impulse I may have had to helicopter parent my own kids later.

 

[cybele]

Turns out, if a person can't be bothered to fill out applications, they probably won't thrive at the job either.

So much truth to that.