Prevent cheating and attempts to deceive
As a teacher, you can prevent cheating and attempts to deceive in different ways at different stages of a course. It is important to foster a culture of learning where cheating is not okay, and you can use educational methods to make cheating more difficult. You can also use checking methods, and if you suspect attempts to deceive, report it.
Cheating means that a student uses unauthorized methods or aids. If a student is reported to the Disciplinary Committee, they decide whether the student is guilty of attempting to deceive, the legal term in the Higher Education Ordinance. Students can cheat and deceive for various reasons, for example ignorance of rules, high pressure or lack of interest.
As a teacher, you can help prevent students from cheating by:
- promoting a study culture in the student group that focuses on learning, where cheating is not acceptable.
- preventing and discouraging cheating with pedagogical methods.
- checking for cheating and reporting attempts to deceive.
Foster a culture of learning where cheating is not okay
As a teacher, you can contribute to a culture of learning where cheating is not okay in several ways. Showing commitment to student learning can make students less likely to cheat. Also set a good example yourself by following the approaches that exist, for example the code of conduct. Talk to the students about what the rules for the examination mean and justify why they exist.
Pedagogical methods to make cheating more difficult
How the examination is designed affects how the students approach the examination. It is important to have a clear constructive alignment in the course, where the purpose of the course is shown and there are clear grading criteria. This means that the students know what is expected of them and are confident in what the examination will contain.
Original assignments, with new assignments every course round, reduces the possibility of cheating. Additionally, individualized information makes cheating more difficult.
Check for cheating and report attempts to deceive
Control of cheating can be done in different ways, for example:
- Check submissions for plagiarism using Ouriginal .
- Use oral (partial) presentations with ID check.
- Have elements of individual examination also in group assignments.
- Ensure that assessing teachers and assistants stay in touch during the assessment work and discuss suspected cases of plagiarism and unauthorized collaboration.
If you suspect that a student has made an attempt at deception, report this to the KTH president. Read more about the disciplinary process . Remember to make the rules clear to the students so that there can be no doubt whether they knew the rules or not.