Female Science Professor recently discussed cheating in her classroom:
This time I decided on the following course of action: I explained to each student why I believed they cheated, asked if they had anything to say to that (neither one did), I let them keep the grades they ‘earned’ (they each got a D- anyway), and I told them that for every other test they must sit in the front row but not next to any other student. They agreed, seemed relieved, and now everyone is happy.
I haven’t had to deal with many cases of cheating (as far as I know, plagiarism has been a bigger problem), but from my understanding the pain they cause professors is inversely proportional to the support professors receive from department chairs and deans. It will be interesting to see how these situations are handled at my new institution, since that was not one of the questions that I asked during my visit.
