Duke's Business school punishes 34 Graduate Students for cheating

Discussion in 'General Distance Learning Discussions' started by Hortonka, May 1, 2007.

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  1. Hortonka

    Hortonka New Member

    RALEIGH, North Carolina (AP) -- The largest cheating scandal ever at Duke University's Fuqua School of Business involved more than a take-home exam, a business school official said Tuesday.

    After finding consistencies in exam answers, "the professor said, 'Let me take a look at other stuff that's been handed in,"' said Mike Hemmerich, an associate dean at the business school. A judicial board later investigated the final exam and other assignments, resulting in the punishment of 34 graduate students.

    Nine students face expulsion from the competitive two-year program, which will cost first-year students in 2007 almost $50,000 for tuition, books and a laptop computer. Another 15 students could be suspended for one year and receive a failing grade in the course.

    Nine others are set to get a failing grade, and one student could receive a failing grade on an assignment separate from the exam. Four others were found not guilty, Hemmerich said.

    "Typically, students do file an appeal on an honor code violation," Hemmerich said.

    The students have until May 17 to appeal. They were allowed to finish classes last week and are now taking final exams.

    Duke has not identified the professor who gave the exam, and Hemmerich said federal privacy laws prevent the school from identifying students. The average age of students in the first-year class is 29, and more than 1,140 people applied for only 411 available spots in the program.

    The scandal saddened those in the program, said Charles Scrase, a first-year student and president of the MBA Association at Duke.

    "I think we view ourselves as ethical leaders," he said. "At the same time, people are both proud and relieved that we have an honor code system that works and didn't get swept under the rug."

    The punishments could remain on the students' records for three months up to three years. If students appeal, the appeals committee has 10 business days to make a ruling.

    The difference in punishments is based on the severity of the offense in the university's honor code, which sets different levels of infractions.

    "Based on the hearing and investigation the judicial board conducted, they felt some students fell into one category and some fell into another," Hemmerich said. "Various factors were taken into account as to why one infraction would be more severe than another."

    The honor code is posted in Fuqua classrooms, said Douglas T. Breeden, dean of the business school.

    A survey released last year by Rutgers University professor Don McCabe showed 56 percent of MBA students acknowledged cheating in 2005. In other fields, 47 percent of graduate students said they cheated.
     
  2. Ryan IV

    Ryan IV New Member

    D'oh!!!

    Cheaters always get caught in the end...
     
  3. Fortunato

    Fortunato Member

    Just to contribute as a soon-to-be grad, the Honor Code is the cornerstone of our programs at Fuqua. Before you set foot in your first class, you attend a series of lectures on the importance of ethics in general and the Honor Code in particular. Every Fuqua student knows the Honor Code, knows how honor code incidents are handled, and for the most part, the judicial process never has to be implemented.

    Until now, for the three years I've been a part of the Fuqua community (two years as a student in the CCMBA 2007 class, one year as a spouse of a CCMBA 2006 student), I have only been aware of two honor code incidents, only one of which was a cheating incident (two students were expelled for working on an exam together), the other of which was a silly dispute involving some strange circumstances and hurt feelings surrounding a student government election. During that time, over 1800 honest and hard-working students earned degrees in the four different Fuqua MBA programs.

    I'm still very proud of the accomplishment represented by the Duke MBA diploma I'll be recieving in two weeks, and the deplorable actions of a corrupt few will not dampen the enthusiasm of my family and friends when I walk across the stage. These 34 students have besmirched the reputation of a great business school, injuring everyone in the Fuqua community as a result. Hopefully, Duke's quick action will allow us to put this moment behind us and focus on Fuqua's mission of preparing business leaders for the challenges of tomorrow's workplace.
     

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