MENGHINDARI KEBIASAAN MENYONTEK

Cheating or Open Book System
By
Muhammad Daud, S. Hut.


Case 1
Several students of Forestry Department came so early to follow the examination. When they were asked why they do that, most of them answer : I want to take the back seat. You know that position determine the grades!!

Case 2
A and B (just called like that) are good friends since they were in Senior High School. And now study in the same faculty at one famous university. Fortunately, in the test of SPMB they got the same room and only be seperated by two chairs. The form of the test is multiple choices. Hence, they were easier to cooperate. They only used codes to communicate. For instance, touching the nose means A, touching an ear means B, scratching the head means C, and so on.

The Phenomena of Cheating
Many students study hard to get good grades, a few others rely on cheating. Why? Because they also want to get good grades, of course. Other do that because they do not understand how to answer the questions, but sometimes they only want to check their answers against their friends.
Cheating doesn’t happen only at our surrounding, but it exists every where in the world. Survey in America show that 86 % students admitted to having cheated at least once and 95 % of the cheaters said they have never been caught.

The Meaning of Cheatings
The dictionary defines chaeating as acting dishonestly or unfairly to win an advantage or a profit. In academic context, cheating is known as a action of copying someones’s works: homework or test answers.
Both cases above show us the ways of cheating. And they are only few of many tricks for cheating. Nowadays, people using various tricks of cheating. From the most primitive tricks until the most sophisticated one. Even though the trick like as secretly consulting textbooks and asking friend for answers or write a small note are old trick, these tricks are still being the most popular tricks at our surrounding. Using programmable calculator or mobile is newest one.
Most of students under examination admit that seating arrangement that a big role in cheating. Back seats rows are considered as the most safety place for cheating, especially at the corner. While in the front rows are only taken by the well prepared students, or at least those who come late.

The Sanction for the Cheaters
What happen if the cheater caugh red handed by lecturer? Commonly, the lecturer will ask the student to submit their paper. For some lecturers, they will give the higher sanction, such as giving an error grade. While in Harvard University, 5 students have been dropped out for doing this irresponsible deed. Perhaps, we think that this kind of sanction is very hard. But we have to see from another side: how their academic system solved the case of cheating.

How to Avoid Cheating?
Can we stop from cheating? The answer of this question is various. Most say: Why not? But it doesn’t really simple as we say. Cheating avoidance is quite difficult, concerning that it has become a habit in every examination. So?
Students only have one way to avoid cheating : study hard!! But how about lecturer? Some lecturers have theirs own way to avoid their students from cheating. These are some lectures make a long distance among the students. Thereare also lectures who make different questions for each student. Some others apply the open book system?

Open Book System
For the first way, it seems clear, that is doesn’t work at all. Distance is not really for cheaters. How about the second way? Some student said that it is quite effective to reduce percentage of copying friend’s work, but it cannot abolish asking friend. The equations that we use are still the same, isn’t?
Now, we focus on the open book system. Such system make the students have no reason on cheating. The students don’t have to memorize the equations. But (this is the risk), the questions are liitle bit more difficult. How do you think if all of the lecturers apply this system?

Glossaries:
Cheathing : menyontek Corner : sudut
Separated : dipisahkan Proctor : pengawas
Cooperated : Bekerja sama Submit : mengumpulkan
Grade : nilai Habit : kebiasaan
Rely : mengandalkan Distance : jarak
Profit : keuntungan Equations : persamaan
Tricks : Cara-cara