One of the “nuts and bolts” issues that all teachers must get to grips with is proctoring students during tests and exams, and taking appropriate action if they observe students cheating. Much of the advice and many of the precepts set out in this meeting will be obvious to experienced and capable instructors. In our experience, many beginning instructors are aware of the possibility of cheating and want to prevent it. However, most do not have clear ideas of exactly how to go about this. We have worked with instructors who sit at the front of the exam room, obviously engrossed in a book, and subsequently complain about the high number of “suspicious similarities” between exam papers. Occasionally, we have run into instructors who seem to be a little too zealous in their desire, and too severe in their methods, to eliminate cheating. We have found it important to try to be very clear about the limits of the proctor's authority. Finally, most universities have set procedures and official channels for dealing with cases of suspected cheating. Instructors who are new to teaching or new to a mathematics department need to be informed of these processes, and need to be made aware of the appropriate contacts within the department, should a situation arise.

Description and Purpose of the Meeting

This meeting is intended to be a short session (thirty minutes would probably be adequate).