The Disappointing Harvard Cheating Scandal

Were ambiguous test instructions or students with low moral standards to blame for the recent cheating scandal at Harvard?  The 125 students who received letters stating that they were suspected of cheating on the final exam for their "Intro to Congress" class insist that they were doing nothing wrong.  Clearly the administration at Harvard believes that the students committed a serious offense.  According to the Boston Globe, Harvard's Administrative Board wrote these students to tell them that there were suspicious answers on their final and, if cheating is confirmed, it could possibly lead to suspensions or, if they have already graduated, have an impact on their degrees.  How could the Harvard administration and the students have such differing viewpoints regarding this cheating scandal?

Ambiguous Exam Instructions Led to Cheating Scandal

The final in question was a take-home exam.  The professor had instructions on the test that stated that the students should consider it "completely open book, open note, open Internet, etc." according to a Boston Globe article entitled "Harvard Students Bridle over Test Cheating Investigation."

However, the instructions also admonished the students not to discuss their final with anyone else, including tutors, instructors at the writing center, etc. 

Although this seems quite clear, nearly half the students in the class believed that they could still discuss the test with their fellow students, as well as share both their ideas and source material.  The students who were interviewed in the Globe article indicated that they did not see a difference between doing research on the Internet and sharing ideas with their fellow students, as long as they did not actually copy answers that had been written by someone else.  This is despite the fact that the exam instructions clearly told them not to discuss the final with others.

Lack of a Harvard Honor Code

While many other prestigious private universities, such as Virginia's Washington & Lee, have proudly maintained an Honor Code for a hundred years or longer, Harvard has never instituted one.  In fact, the suggestion that one be established at Harvard was rejected in 1985.

Without an Honor Code, many students appear to be confused about exactly what constitutes cheating.  Several students admit that collaboration on other exams in the Intro to Congress class was common.  They also felt that the "open note" rule allowed them to share their notes with others.

Preventing Future Harvard Cheating Scandals

In addition to the current plan to bring the students before the Administrative Board to assess disciplinary actions, there are certainly other steps that Harvard could take to avoid having this situation repeat itself in coming years.

The professors need to give their students very clear instructions regarding what is, and is not, allowed when completing work outside the classroom.

Major exams, such as the final, should probably be proctored and taken in a classroom.  This is the only way to truly assess what a student has actually learned and retained during the semester.

Students should be required to take a freshman class in ethics.  This would be important not only in the classroom but in the "real" business world that these students are likely to enter after graduation.  Does Harvard really want to graduate students who believe that they can use any source they want, legal or not, as long as they do not get caught?

Finally, perhaps it is time for Harvard to establish a clear Honor Code, with specific consequences when it is broken, and promote that Honor Code throughout their campus.  Such an Honor Code would encourage Harvard to graduate young men and women who are not only bright, but who are also people of integrity.

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Jerry Sandusky and Penn State
The Lies Teens Tell Their Parents
College Does Not Guarantee Success
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Photo of Harvard Yard in winter courtesy of www.en.wikipedia.com/Commons