September 26, 2007

23 Florida State Athletes Are Accused of Cheating

Two athletics-department employees at Florida State University have resigned and 23 athletes may have cheated on tests given over the Internet, the Associated Press reported late Wednesday.

Those are among the findings of an internal investigation ordered by the university’s president, T.K. Wetherell, and reported to the National Collegiate Athletic Association, the news agency said. While the inquiry is continuing, it has not found conclusive evidence of a more widespread pattern of cheating, the AP said, citing a university report on the investigation.

The accused athletes could face a number of punishments from the university and NCAA, including the loss of eligibility to compete. The NCAA also could sanction the university. A spokesman said that the association was awaiting further information and that discussion of penalties was premature.

Mr. Wetherell ordered the investigation in May after receiving allegations that a learning specialist employed by the athletics department had directed one athlete to take an online quiz for another, and that a tutor had provided answers or other unethical assistance to 23 students for online tests. —Charles Huckabee

Comments

1. Haven’t we learned yet that online testing is not secure? As the famous (and my favorite) “New Yorker” cartoon tells us, “On the Internet, nobody knows you’re a dog.” Or a tutor. Or a ringer.

   — Sally    Sep 27, 09:19 AM    #

2. Was this the same online ethics test the Illinois professors cheated on?

   — Tilted Brim    Sep 27, 09:40 AM    #

3. I admit this is one of my major concerns with online courses. I simply do not see how you can control for cheaters. My only idea is the make the test extremely difficult (similar to how you would construt a take home exam) so that even if they do cheat, they at least are learning the material in the process.

   — Jason    Sep 27, 09:48 AM    #

4. Tilted brim— the test to which you refer is an EASY EASY EASY “test” and the “cheating” you refer to was that some personnel completed the test “too quickly”. We have learned to answer a few Qs, do something else, answer a few more Qs, etc. The test is SO easy and the “correct” answers are SO obvious that any person with half a brain can complete it “too quickly” and be accused of “cheating”. Know that about which you speak before inserting your foot in your mouth.

   — BB    Sep 27, 10:35 AM    #

5. Jason – they aren’t learning anything if they aren’t taking their own test or quiz! This really is a full-service Academic Services Department!

   — Jim    Sep 27, 10:46 AM    #

6. Sporting behaviour, what? I am sure there will be a flood of tears for receiving a little fanny spank of “Ye shall not compete more.” Meanwhile, somebody will again intone the heart lifting sermons on “Ethics” and “Leadership.” Or the suitable combination thereof. Then, after a period of appropriate contrition, we shall all be absolved. For a time.

   As professors and academics, aren’t we talking a little too much, and doing too little? Are we not abandoning our students for the sake of endlessly debating lofty subjects, instead of helping them to develop their moral spines? Is there really not enough evidence that something is “not quite,” and that it is us, the supposed “pillars of wisdom,” and not our students, who are the subject of disease?

   — Dag von Lubitz    Sep 27, 10:48 AM    #

7. This situation has nothing to do with the tests being online. Unethical staff can provide inappropriate support to a student taking any kind of test. With this kind of help from staff, a student can take a paper test for another student as easily as they can take an online test for another student. The same goes for staff giving students test answers. A culture of dishonesty can flourish regardless of the testing format. This is not about online vs. face-to-face testing, this is about academic integrity vs. academic dishonesty.

   — Lori    Sep 27, 11:32 AM    #

8. What I want to know is whether they were starters or backups?

   — R Werner    Sep 27, 11:43 AM    #

9. What was their time in the 40?

   — Larry    Sep 27, 12:30 PM    #

10. As long as universities recruit and admit “student”/athletes whose SAT’s are hundreds of points below that school’s average, and whose high school GPA’s are 2.0, cheating will occur. Athletics Departments will do anything to keep jocks eligible.

    — richard    Sep 27, 12:39 PM    #

11. What we are discovering is that cheating is not just for jocks. There is increasing evidence that it is becoming routine even for good students: the “everybody’s doing it” syndrome.

    — jutland    Sep 27, 02:09 PM    #

12. Isn’t FSU the same school that a few years ago famously had a history professor who gave only A grades to football players? I believe he’s long gone now, but you see what trouble you get into when you don’t have professors who can be reliably expected to take care of athletes in their regular classes?

    — Seminole    Sep 27, 06:11 PM    #

13. Why should students be expected to follow the rules when universities don’? If an illegal alien can study in a university and pay in-state tuition rates, and the university officials don’t report him as an illegal alien (a felony) then how can you expect students to follow simple rules against cheating?

    — Ron    Sep 30, 08:10 AM    #

14. Recall, this is the same university that let Deion Sanders play in a bowl game despite the fact that he flunked every class that fall semester.

    — George    Oct 2, 01:38 AM    #

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