See also: Plagiarism and detection tools
How to prove and proceed in cheating (fraud) cases
Definition
Cheating is defined as any dishonest attempt to obtain for oneself or someone else an unmerited result. Cheating during an exam session is considered fraud and is defined in article 18 of the Ordinance on the Evaluation of Bachelor and Master Studies at EPFL.
How might a student attempt to cheat in an exam?
Unauthorized materials
Under the exam regulations, only the material (documentation, forms, notes, electronic instruments, smart watches, etc.) duly specified by the teacher prior to the examination is authorized (Internal directive concerning examinations, Article 5). If a student has materials that are not authorized then this may be cheating.
Historically these unauthorized materials may have consisted of notes or an unauthorized calculator (a programmable calculator or a calculator with memory functions, for example). Today, wearable technologies such as watches and eyeglasses may store large amounts of information which students could use. These can include normal “smart” watches (such as Apple Watch or Android Wear watches) which can have note taking apps. They can also include watches specifically designed for exam cheating which include the capacity to toggle quickly between a generic clock face and a notes screen. These watches may look almost identical to sports watches or “smart” watches, and can also lock the screen onto a clock face in order to prevent cheating from being easily identified (an example is included in the pictures below).
Other examples of watches designed for exam cheating can be seen on youtube here.
Copying from or unauthorized communication with another person
If a student communicates with someone else during an exam this also may be cheating. Historically, such communication may have taken the form of copying answers off the script of another student, or communicating with another student by talking or passing notes.
Once more, wearable technology can make communication easier and harder to detect than may have been the case in the past. This includes very small, dark coloured earpieces which can be effectively invisible when pushed into the ear canal (see image below). Microphones to allow two-way communication can also be very small and can easily be concealed under a sleeve or, again, in a watch. A watch with a microphone need not look like a “smart” watch – such devices can also be concealed in analogue-type watches (see below). Used together a microphone and earpiece could allow a student to communicate with someone outside the exam hall.
Preventing Cheating
In order to avoid any unethical behaviour from students, it is advisable to remind them of the Honour Code they are expected to respect. Below you may find some information and tips regarding steps that can be taken to ensure transparency during the exam sessions.
Preparation
The lecturer supervises the preparation of the exam and is accountable for the confidentiality of the exam documents. If people other than the lecturer are involved in preparing the exam, they should be briefed on the need to ensure exam documents are adequately protected. Ideally, exams should have numbered pages and a list of materials which should be enclosed in the test. This will help to ensure that students can check that they have recieved all the pages and documents they need for the test.
During the exam
- The lecturer ensures appropriate invigilation of the exam, including ensuring that adequate supervision is in place as well as briefing assistants on their obligations as exam invigilators.
- The lecturer is responsible for laying out the exam room. You must check in advance to ensure that there is enough space for the exam in the room allocated. Places must be pre-allocated to each candidate in order to avoid communication between students. It is advisable that students are placed in such a way that there is sufficient distance between them to avoid cheating. Students should occupy only every second place in the rows of seats and should not be placed in staggered rows (a higher student density is possible, if different examinations can be conducted at the same time).
- At the outset of the exam, the invigilator reminds students of the instruments/tools and documents that they are authorized to use during the exam. Students should be reminded that any device that is not explicitly authorised should be regarded as prohibited. It may also be useful to clarify which types of devices are prohibited (notes, mobile phones or any other communication device, smart watches or other devices that can store information, etc.). Invigilators may wish to make clear that prohibited devices should not be in the student’s space during the exam (it is not sufficient to keep them off the desk, for example).
- Students should also be reminded that it is their responsibility to check that they have the full set of exam documents (i.e., all the question sheets, answer books and any additional resources required).
- Each student must display a valid ID on their desk during the exam. The attendance list must be checked.
- The invigilator should ensure they have a phone to use, if needed. For written examinations conducted during examination sessions, the teacher is required to be present at the examination. If they are not in the exam room at any given time, they should be contactable by telephone.
At the end of the exam
Invigilators should check that each students hands in all pages of their exam answer books. If a page is missing, this should be identified before leaving the exam room (this will ensure that a students cannot later claim that the missing page was collected during the exam and must have been lost during corrections).
How to proceed in case of exam fraud
In case of cheating during the exam, the invigilator should immediately collect any evidence (draft, annotated book, etc…). Photographs of unauthorized materials can also be taken. The invigilator should not leave the room, or let the student in question leave with their exam documents. If necessary, the Section or the Registrar’s Office can be contacted. Having gathered the relevant evidence, the student should be allowed to complete their exam, where possible.
The lecturer must then write an exam fraud report, attaching any incriminating material or evidence. The report is then sent to the Head of the Registrar’s Office.
Instances of fraud are then dealt with on two fronts:
- academically: the exam is marked NA (not achieved)
- disciplinarily: disciplinary proceedings and sanction (dealt with by the legal department of the Vice-presidency for Education)
All fraud cases should be dealt with in Accordance with the Disciplinary Regulations.