Tennessee Colleges Fight Cell Phone Cheating

Technology brings more high-tech temptations into classroom

By Jennifer Brooks • THE TENNESSEAN • February 25, 2010

Technology has changed the way they learn, the way they communicate, the way they have fun — and it's changed the way they cheat.

In one recent study, more than a third of teens with cell phones admit to using them to cheat, at least once. Half of them admit to cheating with the help of the Internet.

Worse, the survey released by Common Sense Media last year found that many of the students saw nothing wrong with their actions.

As students head off to college with cell phones in hand, universities are wrestling with the issue of how to cope with high-tech temptations in the classroom.

Some teachers ban cell phones and laptops on sight. Others figure: If you can’t beat ‘em, join ‘em.

At Middle Tennessee State University, history professor Janice Leone usually starts the semester with a word about cell phones—and that word is usually “no.”

“They’re used to looking at it constantly. I’ve seen students actually text without looking, with their hands in their pockets,” said Leone, who sees the devices as more of a distraction than a temptation to cheat. “I have colleagues who tell their students, ‘If I see a cell phone, I’ll dock you 10 points.’ Others will say, ‘If I see a cell phone during a test, I’m assuming you’re cheating.’”

These are students who grew up texting instead of passing notes in class; who don't wear a watch because their cell phone has a clock; and who may find it a struggle to get through an entire class without a status update.

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Today's students are definitely a "wired generation."  Do you have a cell phone policy? Do you think it's needed?