Some cheating is on an entirely different level than anything I've heard of before.
The students sit two to a desk - desks that are built for two (sometimes three). From a capacity standpoint, good, from an evaluation standpoint, bad. So I give them variants - one test for the left side of the desk, one for the right side. It ends up that the only ways for them to cheat are by looking in front or in back. I catch most who use books, cheat sheets, or speak with others during the test. Really, I've eliminated most ways to cheat. Except for one.
It's easy to catch someone looking at another paper or talking with someone else because they have to do it for so long to get anything out of it, and they're usually looking at me before they do it. But a preplanned switch of tests is easy to pull off because it only takes a second. So here's what I knew about the situation before two students solved the mystery for me.
As I collect the two tests at every desk together, one should always be one variant and the other test should always be the other variant. If two tests are the same, then I know someone has cheated (or royally screwed up). So bells went off when I noticed Fernando (one of my best students) and Sarita handed in tests from the same variant, from the same desk.
As I always wait until I get home to separate each desk, I only noticed this at home. At the time, I thought it was strange because I didn't remember these two sitting with each other, but went ahead and gave both of them zeroes, knowing they would complain. But I figured I would feel it out.
So I handed the tests back, and sure enough they complained. But they were giving different, muddy stories of what had happened because they were trying to talk simultaneously. I told them to write down what had happened on a single piece of paper, thinking they'd write one paper. I took back their tests so I could grade them in case I changed my mind.
Before I had the chance to look at anything though, two other girls in the class came up to me. They explained that Sarita and Fernando in fact were NOT sitting next to each other - to which I asked, "How did they manage to end up with their tests together?" Well, Sarita was sitting BEHIND Fernando, and another girl, Nalia, was sitting next to Fernando. Apparently, Nalia did the same variant as Fernando, cheating off him, and Sarita was supposed to do the same variant as her deskmate, to cheat off another girl, Demetria. (Recap: Fernando and Nalia in front of Sarita and Demetria.) Fernando and Demetria both are good students. Then, Sarita and Nalia switched papers, the objective being that they'd copy off better students and I wouldn't notice. Well, Sarita screwed up and did the wrong side, so I noticed. Nalia did the same side as Fernando, so the switch hid her cheating. After learning this information, Fernando's write-up confirms it all and Sarita's write-up denies "whatever anyone says about switching".
Peace
John
