When the fall semester began at Harvard University this year, students suspected of cheating on a final exam last spring did not arrive on campus.

These individuals, along with a list of about 125 suspected Harvard University students in an Introduction to Congress class, are accused of plagiarizing one another’s work on a take-home final exam and creating the biggest cheating scandal in Harvard’s history, according to an Aug. 31 article from The Boston Globe.

Similarities between exam answers first became evident to a teaching fellow in May, and after assistant professor Matthew Platt and Dean of Undergraduate Education Jay Harris were informed, the university evaluated the exams and contacted some students, according to the article.

Platt and other officials found similar errors in understanding course material, similar typos and unusual references throughout the test, particularly in the extra credit section.

Obscure phrases that appeared on numerous exams include “Freddy Mac’s stealth lobbying campaign,” “the cannon revolt of 1910” and “22, 500 organizations in 2008,” which was found on two exams with unnecessary space after the comma, according to a Sept. 11 Harvard Crimson article.

The class had a reputation of having a small workload and requiring little studying. In addition, the introductory government class included several varsity athletes such as basketball star Kyle Casey, according to a Sept. 11 New York Times article.

Casey, however, withdrew from Harvard on Tuesday to avoid “potential disciplinary action” for his involvement in the cheating scandal. Co-captain of the basketball team Brandyn Curry is also implicated in the investigation and is likely to join others in taking a leave of absence from the college, according to the Crimson article.

The university plans to investigate the issue over the upcoming weeks by interviewing students and faculty members, and re-evaluating the final exam results, according to the New York Times article. Harvard administrators are considering implementing preventative measures to decrease the likelihood of future dishonesty.

In years past, Harvard considered implementing an academic honor code, but ultimately rejected it because many felt that it should not be necessary, according to the article.

In 2010, the university established an academic integrity committee, and Harris, the undergraduate admissions dean, said the Introduction to Congress cheating incident will force it to act more rapidly, according to the article.

Harvard has encountered similar academic integrity issues with undergraduates in recent years. The administration punished 197 students in the 2009-10 school year for academic dishonesty by monitoring, suspending or withdrawing them. Only seven students were acquitted during the course of that year, according to the article.

The fate of the students involved in the spring 2012 cheating scandal seems uncertain, but Harvard will continue to investigate the problem and seek a resolution that will discourage cheating in the future, according to the article.

Published on September 13, 2012 at 2:17 am

Contact Andrew: asmuckel@syr.edu