Cheating after the test: who does it and how often?

Area of Science:

• Physiology Education
• Academic Integrity
• Educational Psychology

Background:

• Self-reported cheating rates among university students exceed 50%, but objective data on academic misconduct (AM) is scarce.
• Concerns arose in a physiology department regarding test alteration and resubmission for higher grades, potentially compromising assessment integrity.

Purpose of the Study:

• To directly quantify the prevalence of AM on written tests within a physiology department.
• To investigate student characteristics and course factors associated with AM.

Main Methods:

• Examined 3,620 midterms across 11 courses in a physiology department.
• Compared original tests with those submitted for regrading to detect evidence of AM.
• Recorded student demographics, test specifics, and course information.

Main Results:

• Department-wide, AM was found on 2.2% of all tests.
• Of tests submitted for regrading, 17.4% exhibited AM (0-26% range).
• High-achieving students (earning >80%) constituted 60% of offenders; a trend suggested women were more likely to commit AM (P=0.056).

Conclusions:

• While this form of AM is objectively rare overall, it is more prevalent in large, competitive courses.
• High-achieving students may be underrepresented in previous AM literature.
• Faculty should remain vigilant when accepting tests for regrading to maintain academic integrity.