New campaign to prevent cheating in exams
Good academic practice and research integrity are the fundamental building blocks of a university – also for students, who must comply with exam rules. A new campaign has been launched to help prevent exam cheating at AU – and as a lecturer, you have an important role to play. Get an overview of the rules on AU’s new website on exam cheating.
The exam period is getting closer and with it the risk that you will be dealing with students who – intentionally or unintentionally – cheat on their exam. Maybe a student forgot to cite a source or paraphrased incorrectly. Maybe two students worked together even though they weren’t allowed to, or maybe something completely different...
A new campaign has been launched to heighten AU students’ focus on the importance of good academic practice and the rules about exam cheating. Exam cheating not only has serious consequences for students, it also undermines the value of the university’s degree programmes. And so the goal of the campaign is get more students to familiarise themselves with the rules, so they know what to be aware of, says Lise Wogensen Bach, vice-dean for education at Health. She chairs the broadly representative working group behind the new initiative to prevent exam cheating.
“We know that many exam cheating cases could have been avoided, if the students had been familiar with good academic practice – particularly the rules for handling sources. For example, many students don’t know that they have to cite themselves if they reuse text from their old exam papers in a new exam. And that’s just one example of an unfortunate mistake that could have been prevented with more knowledge,” she says.
How can you help your students?
Lecturers can play an important role in preventing exam cheating among students by explicitly discussing the academic rules and codes of practice that the students are expected to comply with – which includes exam rules.
“As a lecturer, you are usually the best-placed person to help you students understand good academic practice and the rules about exam cheating,” says Wogensen Bach, who encourages lecturers to tell their students about the rules when talking about exams and assignments, as well as referring them to sources of additional information. To make this easier for you, Educational Law has developed a slide set that you as a lecturer can share with your students and adapt as needed.
- Download slide set on AU's website on exam cheating
- You can also refer your students to undgaasnyd.au.dk, where they can read more about the rules and test their knowledge by taking a quiz about exam cheating. The quiz can also be accessed through Brightspace.
What to do if you suspect a student of cheating
If you suspect that a student has cheated during an exam, you are always required to report this to Educational Law at AU. By doing so, you will help safeguard the quality of AU’s degree programmes and the credibility of the students’ diplomas.
On AU’s website about exam cheating you can read more about what to do if you suspect a student of cheating on an exam. The website has recently been updated so it now includes step-by-step guides documenting and reporting a case of suspected exam cheating. The website also provides overview of the process from the initial suspicion to the final ruling.
Facts about the campaign
- This information campaign was initiated by AU’s Committee on Education
- The information campaign materials were reviewed and quality-assured by a working group composed of representatives from academic staff and technical/administrative staff as well as students
- The campaign is comprised of several activities aimed at students on AU’s main communication platforms