I scheduled an exam in class last week. My usual practice is to announce the correct answers afterwards. A day before it was scheduled I received an anonymous e-mail. The sender asked that if there was anyone writing the exam at a later date, to make sure that I made up a different version so that that person could not get the answers in advance. My first impulse was to ignore the letter, since it was anonymous. But I reconsidered, because it's hard for a student to be an informer, and if anyone had information about dishonesty, I didn't want to discourage him/her from providing it. I wrote back to say that the informing student's concern was groundless, as no one was writing the exam at a later date. However, I did have a student writing the exam at a different location, although at the same time. This student had a learning disability and was allowed to take the exam under supervision at the Counselling Centre at the same time as the in-class exam. The class in which the students wrote the exam ended at 10:20 am., immediately after I announced the answers. At 10:30 am. I received a phone call from the Counselling Centre. It seems the student had overslept, and wanted to take the exam an hour late. I was about to give permission, and then I remembered the anonymous letter. I said no, which greatly displeased the student. A short while later, I received a further note from Anonymous. The student said he/she had seen a student copying down the answers to the quiz and putting them in the mailbox of another student. I was again implored to make up another version of the test. I have no proof, of course. And it was clever. But I think the anonymous letter saved me from letting a student get away with cheating. -Stephen (Not apropos of anything above, but I want to thank everyone for their tact in not pointing out that in my last post I should have referred to "breach" of confidentiality, not to those special pants you wear when you want to keep a secret.) ------------------------------------------------------------------------ Stephen Black, Ph.D. tel: (819) 822-9600 ext 2470 Department of Psychology fax: (819) 822-9661 Bishop's University e-mail: [EMAIL PROTECTED] Lennoxville, QC J1M 1Z7 Canada Department web page at http://www.ubishops.ca/ccc/div/soc/psy Check out TIPS listserv for teachers of psychology at: http://www.frostburg.edu/dept/psyc/southerly/tips/ ------------------------------------------------------------------------
