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Today I saw a photograph of an upcoming exam at my university. At first I thought it was last year's exam; so I took a closer look at it as I think it is okay to see last year's exams even if they aren’t officially published. Anyway, later someone revealed to me that it was the upcoming exam which we’ll take in about three weeks. It was taken by another student in my course, who took it while the teacher was on a break outside the room.

I feel bad and unethical about seeing it, as it seems to be cheating for me, and even more I’m worried about my further career if this ever comes out. On one hand I don’t want to harm the other student who took the photo, on the other hand I don’t want to risk my career.

It is a semi difficult exam; I would say you should pass it quite well if you learned for it. So what should I do? If I tell the university I’d probably have to reveal the identity of the person who took it, which I don’t want to do under any circumstances.

There have been some questions on how the pic was made: the prof brought the exam to a lesson to give a rough guideline on what to learn or not. During the break he went outside (as I and many others as well) to get a coffee and that's how the pic was made. I know for sure that it is the upcoming exam as it had a big heading with our course name and year.

For those who say it is also cheating to look at old exams: I think you agree on that seeing an actual exam before you are going to take it is another dimension than seeing a year-old one. Also this is very common where I study. It´s not like we are using really illegal copies, it is just that we often see pics of post-exam reviews. It is allowed to make them and there is no NDA on it (at least I never had to sign one), the exams just aren't published officially. I also bet every prof knows that this is going on here and tolerates it (some said so explicitly).

Also some said I should "rat" the guy who took it: I don't know the punishment for taking a photo of an exam, but I doubt it is modest, considering the - in my eyes negligent - prof. Also I don't want to be responsible for "destroying" the career of another, very young, student. Also it would probably come out who "ratted" him out, and I doubt that I would have much fun in the next two years then (I think you can say that in our course it is considered worse to "rat" somebody than to do to reveal something unethical, but I really doubt that this differs anywhere in the world).

Anyways: Today I have created a new Mail-Address and send the Prof a letter, including one question I remember as a proof, where I told him that the exam probably has been leaked. I asked him to keep the matter as private as possible and I also asked him not to write back to me what he decided to do or to ask any person-specific questions as I don't know any thing more than I told him already. For me the matter is therefore hopefully closed.

Community
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SomeUserPassingBy
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    As the answer says you have to tell the University - if you don't then you are also aiding and abetting cheating while benefiting from cheats.... Once you tell them, they have time to sort a suitable replacement.... – Solar Mike Jul 05 '18 at 17:06
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    Check your university's honor code - in some cases it may impose a duty to report all instances of cheating, i.e. the other student's actions. If so, if it's later discovered that you knew and did not report, you could be punished. – Nate Eldredge Jul 05 '18 at 17:59
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    "as I think it is okay to see last year's exams even if they aren’t officially published". If last year's exams are not officially published, this is also cheating. – user71659 Jul 05 '18 at 20:56
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    How would any competent teacher not assume this was the case after leaving the room during an exam?!? – Mazura Jul 05 '18 at 21:30
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    @Mazura Some schools do not permit a proctor/professor to be in the room during an exam (e.g. University of Michigan). – user71659 Jul 05 '18 at 21:35
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    for why it is cheating, see https://academia.stackexchange.com/questions/55303/why-is-it-unethical-to-share-the-contents-of-an-exam-with-students-who-havent-t – Kate Gregory Jul 05 '18 at 22:24
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    @user71659 Wait, then who keeps an eye on the test-takers? – Azor Ahai -him- Jul 05 '18 at 23:05
  • @AzorAhai Students promise not to cheat by copying and signing a statement every time, and other test takers are to report any suspected cheating. – user71659 Jul 05 '18 at 23:08
  • @user71659: it is understandable that the university is fine with having an examination with no proctor. But forbidding a proctor/professor in the room? What happens if the professor decides to go to the exam room? – Taladris Jul 05 '18 at 23:42
  • @Taladris Starting, ending, time reminders, and announcements are OK. Remaining in the room for purposes of catching cheating is not. The professor will usually sit outside to address questions. Stanford's policy: "The faculty on its part manifests its confidence in the honor of its students by refraining from proctoring examinations and from taking unusual and unreasonable precautions to prevent the forms of dishonesty mentioned above." – user71659 Jul 05 '18 at 23:48
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    I should add to the comment from @user71659 that the policy described there is (as far as I know) used by the College of Engineering at the University of Michigan, and probably by some other units as well, but definitely not by the College of Literature, Science, and the Arts. LS&A students are not required to sign a non-cheating statement for every exam, and LS&A faculty (like me) remain in the classroom during exams. – Andreas Blass Jul 06 '18 at 01:28
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    @KateGregory - How does that link explain how this is cheating? : "+1 ... I'm constantly baffled by the 'tests are secret' mentality here." - and above: "unusual and unreasonable precautions" - pffft, like body cavity searches for cameras? In this day and age how can you ever reuse a test? In that link, I'd replace every instance of "student" with "teacher" to answer this Q and place the blame where IMO it belongs. Locks keep honest people out. Why does Mi Uni disallow? They don't want to upset their paying customers? – Mazura Jul 06 '18 at 07:11
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    I don't understand what all the responses and comments here are about??? If you are okay with being a cheater, don't tell anybody, If you don't want to be a cheater, write an anonymous note to the professor (with a small proof that you know the content of the exam). Problem solved. Why are you guys (including OP; that's really baffling me) treating this like a major moral dilemma or some complex scientific problem? – trunklop Jul 06 '18 at 08:13
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    @Mazura: I think the situation is even more outrageous. The instructor brought a future exam to a class meeting and left it where someone could find it during a break. While the student has to report it, the instructor made a major gaffe here and is not blameless. – aeismail Jul 06 '18 at 08:44
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    @aeismail It's like walking with an expensive phone in a rough area of town. It's unwise, yes, but the crime is still perpetrated by those who steal the phone. – Captain Emacs Jul 06 '18 at 11:11
  • Given how your last sentence is phrased, please do follow up to let us know how this turns out in the end. – Michael Jul 06 '18 at 23:27
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    To OP: Rather than editing what you decided to do into the question itself, you should instead probably leave it as an answer to the question (assuming it's different from what people suggested you do). If it is what the accepted answer suggest you do, you may simply want to leave that answer accepted and leave a comment indicating that you did as they suggested. –  Jul 07 '18 at 18:59
  • (I can't answer yet due to lack of points) The prof must learn of this fact, because by nature of people babbling it will be revealed. Sooner or later. And then you'll need to do the test again. Time lost for everyone. – Anemoia Jul 09 '18 at 18:05
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    Please do absolutely edit your answer - if you just accept some answer, one cannot follow your story. – Udank Jul 09 '18 at 19:53
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    @user71659 When I went to university all past papers were available in the university library. I have no reason to think this was unusual. – user207421 Jul 11 '18 at 06:27
  • @Udank This is not a place for story-writing, even if you're curious. – pipe Jul 11 '18 at 09:19
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    “For those who say it is also cheating to look at old exams” Ignore them. I could say that a hippo is also a bird, it doesn't make it true. – Andrea Lazzarotto Jul 11 '18 at 13:40
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    @pipe: this is a big flaw of this site, since we could learn a lot from a real (not theoretic) solution how this worked out. – Udank Jul 11 '18 at 22:29
  • @Udank Can't see how, it's just one sample point. – pipe Jul 12 '18 at 06:44
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    @pipe: that's more data points than the answers here, they just argue by ethics (which is good, but an explanation about what happend in reality is also important). – Udank Jul 12 '18 at 12:20

9 Answers9

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In a situation in which you would suffer no matter what you do, you can also work to protect yourself.

An anonymous note to the professor that the exam has been compromised and that there are photographs of it circulating comes close to resolving the issue. The person who took the photo likely deserves punishment, of course, so this solution doesn't resolve that. But at least academic integrity is preserved. The professor will need to provide a new exam, of course.

The professor may also announce to the class that there is a problem and ask that whoever sent the anonymous note inform him of their identity. You may have to deal with that.

Also, you may not be the only student struggling with this.

If you are friends with the person who took the photo, you could also confront him/her with a suggestion that they step forward. If they do this before an accusation is made, I would think any punishment would be less than otherwise.

Buffy
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    I like this answer very much. Thanks. Right now my plan is to use an anonymous email adress and tell the professor that the exam has probably been leaked. After that it is up to him to deal with it. If he wants my identity i am going to say nothing until this becomes the last Resort (which seems very unlikely, because what can he do?). – SomeUserPassingBy Jul 05 '18 at 17:49
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    @SomeUserPassingBy include a question from the exam as proof – DonQuiKong Jul 05 '18 at 19:01
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    @DonQuiKong: … or just include prints of all photographs. – Wrzlprmft Jul 05 '18 at 19:02
  • Comments are not for extended discussion; this conversation has been moved to chat. – aeismail Jul 07 '18 at 03:58
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    Do NOT provide prints of all photographs when an email with a question will suffice as proof. Any extra information is just evidence waiting to identify you or the photographer. For example, a printout can be traced back to when and on what machine it was printed (see Machine Identification Code). – Fax Jul 10 '18 at 11:31
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    Punishment can be meted out by creating a completely different test and administering that. Those that were going to cheat by studying just that test, will be unprepared for the tweak and will likely do very poorly. Those that studied the coursework will be un-phased. Combined with the answer, this teaches some life skills for the cheaters as well. Win:Win – boatcoder Jul 10 '18 at 17:33
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I agree with the advice offered by Buffy. Moreover, you write:

I feel bad and unethical about seeing it, as it seems to be cheating for me

To emphasize, it doesn't just seem to be cheating, it is cheating: it's not just that you are aware of others cheating, but you yourself have already gained illicit knowledge about questions that will be on the exam. As such, if you take no further action to inform the professor of the situation and simply go and take the exam, you have not just helped others to cheat, but in fact have directly participated in cheating yourself.

So, as far as ethical dilemmas go, this one is a complete no-brainer; you simply have no ethical choice other than to let the professor know about the existence of the photo ahead of the exam. Do it anonymously if you wish, and the question of whether to let the professor know who took the photo is a less obvious one (with both options being pretty reasonable in my opinion), but it looks like you understand perfectly well that taking the exam after what you saw would be unethical and quite likely to get you into serious trouble. I commend you for having a moral compass and the good sense to realize you cannot just sit by idly and pretend this never happened. Good luck! Do consider adding an update to your question later on to let us know how things worked out.

Dan Romik
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    How should this get you into trouble? Everybody who has more than 80% correct answers gets zero points? Your conclusion is of course right, but fear of punishment is not a reliable ethical compass. – Karl Jul 05 '18 at 21:46
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    @Karl one of the other students who saw the photo can be similarly troubled and tell the professor, mentioning OP's name among others. And I don't understand your last sentence - where did I claim that fear of punishment is an ethical compass? – Dan Romik Jul 05 '18 at 22:41
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    Some other student might tell the prof that the exam has leaked (so far so good), and then denunciate (without proof or even any knowledge) a few of his colleagues? Really? That'd be as despicable as, hopefully, inconsequential. Unless your university has a Committee of Public Safety. ;-) – Karl Jul 05 '18 at 22:54
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    @Karl I would hope that an accusation of cheating would be at least investigated; likely OP would be interviewed – Tim Jul 07 '18 at 02:44
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    Many would see reporting academic misconduct as the right thing to do, not "ratting out". If you see someone steal something and you can recognize or describe them, is reporting the theft "ratting out"? – Rick Henderson Oct 26 '22 at 14:03
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In addition to ethics, you should also consider what the implications are if you are found out to have told somebody. What they are, is highly cultural-dependent - if you are unfamiliar with the culture you are in, ask organizations like a student union or add a culture tag. I lived in several countries ("corrupt" ones and countries which were a dictatorship previously involving a Secret Police) where ratting out someone is perceived as much worse than what this student did. (I also know many high school teachers and professors who share the viewpoint that basic solidarity among students dictates not ratting out someone in this situation.) This could make your life bad - in university and also if your future employees would find out about that episode. Unfortunately, ethics and reality are not always the same.

I am not saying you should not tell someone. But find out before what the risks are, how you can protect and be as anonymous as possible.

Dmitry Grigoryev
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Udank
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    On the other hand, if corruption is the cultural norm, failing to rat someone out means that you're now participating in the corruption. – Don Branson Jul 06 '18 at 13:44
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    I would not go so far to equate "failing to rat someone out" with "participating in corruption" (this may also be culturally dependent), but in principle you are right. However, there are countries where you cannot move forward without bribing etc. - you may or may not participate, but you definitely should think before about what you can lose when not participating. – Udank Jul 06 '18 at 14:37
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    @DonBranson, in the OP's problem, corruption per se is not involved. Rather, it is involved in developing such cultural norms: if the government (and generally any authority) is corrupt, dobbing anything to them will invariably be viewed as the worst possible behaviour; in fact, as participating in (or siding with) their corruption. – Zeus Jul 09 '18 at 08:00
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You must tell your professor that you've seen the exam, and explain how. Although it is understandable that you don't want to reveal who took the photograph, you are ethically obligated to do so.

Bob Brown
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    Why would you have to reveal who took the photo? That's totally unethical, a mean, useless denunciation. Sorry. – Karl Jul 05 '18 at 17:30
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    @Karl There's nothing mean, the student willingly cheated. He should be ready to accept consequences – IEatBagels Jul 05 '18 at 18:40
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    @TopinFrassi Nobody has had a chance to cheat. The "crime" has been averted, no harm done. Just the prof has to carry the result of his negligence and draft a new test. And "should be ready to accept consequences"? That's a pointless phrase. It's in the nature of consequences that they come to you without asking for acceptance. – Karl Jul 05 '18 at 18:54
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    @Karl The "crime" is taking the photo of the test and spreading it around with the intent to cheat. Whether they are successful or not is irrelevant. Robbery and attempted robbery are both crimes too. – David K Jul 05 '18 at 19:13
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    @Karl there's harm done in that the professor has to write another exam. – IEatBagels Jul 05 '18 at 19:51
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    @Karl Many academic honor codes/policies unambiguously require that you report those involved in suspected cheating. Example: "When a student, faculty member or administrator observes a student violation of the code, this person has the duty and responsibility to: obtain the names of the people involved; inform the instructor in whose class the alleged incident took place." – user71659 Jul 05 '18 at 20:45
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    Well, i'm glad to live under a legislation where such denunciatory "honor codes" for students would be null and void. You're welcome to be of a different opinion. – Karl Jul 05 '18 at 21:23
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    @Karl What country and legislation is that? Note that university honor codes are a civil contractual matter. You agreed to them when you signed up to attend. Don't agree, then you can't come. – user71659 Jul 05 '18 at 21:34
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    @user71659 Germany. Such a clause would be regarded as disproportional and therefore void. What would I gain from being a rat, except face a wave of hate from some fellow students? Just because that prof let confidential stuff lying around? Just so the university can punish one stupid idiot? – Karl Jul 05 '18 at 22:40
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    @Karl I think it's reasonable of OP to not want to rat out their friend (and reasonable for you to agree). However, it's quite unreasonable of you to think that denouncing the friend is unethical. Note that the friend: 1. snooped without permission in the prof's office; 2. took the photo; 3. spread the photo around to a bunch of other students. This was done over a period of time, showing premeditated intent to cheat and to massively aid others in cheating, thus completely undermining the exam's value as an assessment. That's very serious misconduct most certainly deserving of punishment. – Dan Romik Jul 06 '18 at 01:04
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    For all who wonder why someone should not tell offenses: It makes you an untrustworthy person. Trust is something which cannot be acquired, paid or bought with merits. When trust is broken, the damage is often irrevocable. There is a reason why treason is considered one of the worst crimes. – Thorsten S. Jul 06 '18 at 10:06
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    @ThorstenS. I find this comment "interesting", to say the least. OP has been put in a lose-lose position. If they tell that the exam is leaked, they are also expected to hand in the leaker. If they do not tell, they abet a massive and serious assessment misconduct. It is interesting to see that several discussions here see the OP as the one in the conundrum whereas it should be the person taking the illicit photograph that should be chastised for their deed. So, if I understand you (and Karl) correctly, either they cover a close-to-criminal behaviour or they are a traitor. – Captain Emacs Jul 06 '18 at 10:48
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    @CaptainEmacs The very reason that the OP asks for guidance is that the course of action is not self-evident. The OP knows that he belongs to the group of students (not to professors!) and telling the cheat breaks trust, but otherwise that it is not ok to cheat for an exam. So the best course of action seems for me to prevent the cheat and not breaking trust. People who lived in a country which have experienced dictatorship know that unquestioning obedience to authority is a bad character trait. [1/2] – Thorsten S. Jul 06 '18 at 11:57
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    Now cheating in an exam is per se something which is not only breaking simply a rule, but violating integrity standards. It is not a live-or-death decision. But, and this is a big but, would you trust to tell someone that you have done something bad who is known that (s)he tells authorities? No? That is the prize for telling authorities: You are considered untrustworthy and you are sowing distrust [2/2]. – Thorsten S. Jul 06 '18 at 12:04
  • From an ethical point, the professor should refrain from asking who took pictures of the exam. This has twofold significance. First, it encourages students in similar situations to speak up. Second, he accepts responsibility for the compromised exam and as consequence, nobody is punished. Had OP (and other students) chosen not to share the information, the compromised exam would have been held regularly. Similarly, had the professor taken better precautions, students wouldn't have been able to access the exam. So the information "how" it was compromised can help avoid future situations. – user3209815 Jul 06 '18 at 14:00
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    @ThorstenS. I personally agree that OP should not be in the conundrum of having the choice to "trade in" the cheat and be open about the breach at the same time. However, from my experience, cheats would probably not employ equal standards of decency, were the situation reversed. Just the opposite, taking the easy route out, they may try to make someone an accomplice only to give them away at the first sign of trouble. Second, Germany is mentioned where a usual complaint is about lack of "civil courage". When it is actually shown, those people employing it are often left out to dry... cont'd – Captain Emacs Jul 06 '18 at 16:06
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    @ThorstenS cont'd ...and sanctioned for not submitting to "group/herd behaviour". I have witnessed some appalling instances of that. I can understand that one would be uncomfortable turning in the cheater and I understand that they will want to stay anonymous. But I find it very disquieting that some people here seem to consider a whistleblower more untrustworthy – Captain Emacs Jul 06 '18 at 16:16
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    ..than the person creating the breach in the first place. Considering the person wishing to uphold equal and trustworthy conditions and to sanction someone blatantly countervening that as particularly untrustworthy is a reversal of ethics. We are not talking about subverting a nasty, unfair law, unless one thinks that exams are fundamentally evil and should be abolished, but then the fight should be taken to a different level. Arguing "unquestioning obedience to authority" is a red herring. The cheat created an uneven playing field for everyone. Ethical demands on their behalf are misplaced. – Captain Emacs Jul 06 '18 at 16:31
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    @CaptainEmacs This would NOT be whistleblowing the misdeeds of some powerful authority, but denunciation. And, as we are likely talking about an US university, the defendant will not be held responsible in front of an impartial judge or by a jury of equals, but a non-public tribunal, against which he cannot appeal. – Karl Jul 06 '18 at 18:44
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    @Karl I do agree: "whistleblowing" is not the right term, however: "denunciation" is not the right term either. This was not a harmless act or a rebellion against injustice. The closest analogy I found is the printing of fake currency from stolen plates and distributing it (because marks are a currency of the university). I am surprised about your level of protectiveness towards the perpetrator here. The prof was careless; and I may have had some subversive understanding if the cheater just had pried closer into the exams. But photographing them and distributing this signals criminal energy. – Captain Emacs Jul 06 '18 at 19:02
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    @CaptainEmacs Signals adolescense and a certain amount of stupidity to me. We are talking about college kids here, right? Who probably are breaking laws biweekly, by drinking beer. And hey, taking the photo was likely a panic reaction (how do you remember a large set of exam questions if you haven't properly revised?), and then the slob felt bad and wanted to share. – Karl Jul 06 '18 at 20:01
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    @CaptainEmacs Point taken, that I'm a bit biased here. ;-) Still, I don't think I'm cherrypicking, and I don't like the idea to bind kids (or anyone) to an "honor code", which they are supposed to follow blindly, or by fear. Kids deserve compassion, adult students that are caught cheating get kicked out of the exam the first time, out of the university the second. To force someones fellows to tell on him, however, is a method common in secluded groups, sects, rocker gangs, socialist parties of all shades, and worse. Law requires you to testify in court, and to be loyal to your employer. – Karl Jul 06 '18 at 22:27
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    @CaptainEmacs Sorry for answering later, I was busy. First I appreciate your input. One thing you might have overseen: The student did not hold the cheat a secret to gain only advantage for him-/herself (completely possible and happens often), (s)he informed the others to help the group s(he) belongs to. This is a key difference to antisocial behavior....you might balk that this a kind of very bent ethics, but it still is ethics. This is also the reason why it is makes such trouble for the conscience. – Thorsten S. Jul 09 '18 at 20:48
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    @ThorstenS. The fact that it is not purely ego-rational, doesn't make it less criminal. It's effectively analog to vandalism or, more specifically, plunder, where one goes through an unguarded door in a shop and then invites whoever passes to join. Yes, it's "collegiate", namely to the other plunderers. No, it's not ethical. I would agree to see ethics if it had been posted anonymously to all to make clear that the exam had been breached. It'd be subversive, enormously damaging and annoying for the prof, but, yes, I'd agree about the ethics. But just to invite random confidants to join? Nope. – Captain Emacs Jul 09 '18 at 22:18
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    @CaptainEmacs Even if it was a real crime, in my country one makes a crime only by not reporting only listed crimes, especially those that include injuring or killing, endangering the republic, terrorism and war crimes if they already happened. These do NOT include lighter crimes such as stealing, burglary, rape. Then one does commit a crime by not obstructing some more crimes including stealing and such but still it is a limited list of crimes (includes rape, does not include sexual duress). Making similar requirement just for academic cheating is horrible and unethical IMO. – Vladimir F Героям слава Jul 10 '18 at 12:05
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    @VladimirF Sorry I may have not made it clear enough: I meant the original cheater having "criminal energy", not OP. Of course, I am aware that OP is between a rock and a hard place. Secondly, when I talk about "criminal energy" of the cheater, I do not mean "crime" in a legal sense. I am talking about the less formal concept of "criminal energy" which is describing a particular type of attitude/indifference to do things with a cavalier or opportunistic attitude towards ethical considerations. I hope it clarifies my comment. In no way I was intending to accuse OP who is really in a bad spot. – Captain Emacs Jul 10 '18 at 16:27
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1) some professors "s**t test" their classes by "accidentally" leaving out an exam that students could sneak a peek at. They show up, go over an exam review, and everyone sees that they have an exam in their hand their flipping through. Then prof has to step out for a bit. They might be doing this on purpose. Person steps up, takes a quick pic with smartphone, and is back in seat before prof shows up. Person shares pic with class. Come test day, everyone "studied to the test" .. and blows the test, b/c prof gave a TOTALLY DIFFERENT EXAM.

Prof's do this one of two ways...

a) have a honey pot test that has questions that won't be asked on the real test they'll give you (so folks will study only those honey pot questions, and own't be prepped for the real test)

b) they have wrong answers circled on the honey pot exam, so folks thinking they can just memorize A, B, A, C, D, E for a scantron .. will bomb the test horribly. This lets the prof pretty much ensure they can pick out the cheaters, b/c they will simply compare a student's answers to their fake / wrong test, and if they match up fairly well.. well, it means the student probably cheated some how.

So... just b/c someone got a pic of the test doesn't mean that's the real test, and it could be a honey pot where the professor is testing everyone's academic integrity.

2) My personal feeling about looking up old exams .... we live in an age where knowing how to look up info is just as important as retaining information in your head. If a prof is too lazy to update their test to keep students from just studying a quizlet of their old test and passing with flying colors.. that's the prof's fault.

However, I also feel that asking students that take a test (in the same semester) before you take it is scummy. EG: a prof is teaching back-to-back classes of same kind. Showing up on test day to ask the folks ahead of you what was on the test, and specific answers to the test.. is scummy. A prof not having different tests for same classes in same semester is just lazy, too, though.

3) I have a third notion about cheating after I had to deal with one particular professor in my college career. This prof was giving online quizzes with short timers, but the questions required a lot of time to frame up the math. Basically, you cuold either legitimately answer 1 or 2 of the 5 questions in the time span, or you cuold guess and hope you got more then 1 or 2 right, or .. since the quiz questions were already online .. some folks just started blatantly cheating, b/c that was the only way to successfully get an A or B on the quizzes .. while everyone that was trying to be legit was getting F's.

I confronted the professor about this, b/c a) if my theory about this was true, then he should see an inverse bell curve (high F's, low dip into D/C territory, then rising as cheaters got B/A's). Quizzes are supposed to help people study, so all I wanted him to do was either remove the time limits, or extend them.

What he told me was basically he never even bothered to look at the quizzes. He was using quizzes that someone else setup, but slapped on a short time limit thinking they were just glossary terms / definitions multiple choice, not advanced math.

But, what he felt was the main concern was that people were cheating. I told him that people were cheating, b/c the quizzes forced them to. The quizzes were worth 15% of our grade, so if you bombed the quizzes it was almost guaranteed you'd drop a letter grade. So, folks were cheating to try to even the playing field.

He felt that cheating is still cheating, which I thought was absurd. Cheating to me is when people have a fair advantage and try to stack the deck in their favor. Cheating is NOT cheating to me when it's a last resort measure just to try to get a fair advantage.

I guess my chat with him paid off, b/c he increased the time limits, but sent out an email telling people not to cheat. I felt bad, b/c now I felt like a narc tattling on others cheating, but for good reason (b/c they felt it was their only option).

So, I have a flexible moral constitution. I try not to cheat, b/c the effort you put into tests and school reflects the effort you will put into your career / real life. If a person wants to cheat and skate by, then they will quickly hit glass cielings in the working world as folks realize the person isn't creative, or hard working, and can't do anything without someone's coat tails to ride upon.

But, when the deck is stacked against me, while I myself may not cheat, I will speak up to someone to explain why cheaters are cheating, b/c it's a rebuttal to something being unfair.

blahblahblacksheep
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    'A prof not having different tests for same classes in same semester is just lazy, too, though.' Have you considered that, in many cases, people's work loads make anything else completely impractical? '4 sections; 1 prep' means your work load assumes you can prepare one set of materials for all 4. Given that many academic workloads are insane anyway, your remarks strike me as blatantly unfair. It's reasonable for students to cut corners when they have no better option, but instructors are 'just lazy' if they cut corners their employers tell them to cut. Professors are people, too. – cfr Jul 07 '18 at 02:48
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    I would be much more concerned about somebody using quizzes without examining their content. Unless the module is the joint responsibility of several people, so that this instructor is not supposed to be responsible for all parts of the assessment, this is completely irresponsible. – cfr Jul 07 '18 at 02:50
  • The behaviour you narrate under 1) would be highly unethical on the professor's part. In fact, I seem to remember it'd be unlawful in Germany. – Raphael Jul 09 '18 at 07:44
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    Most "cheating" people I know do actually study for a test etc. and are not at all stupid - however, they take every opportunity to get more information. When presented with (the unethical) 1b, they would of course not memoreize A,C,B,D but would compare this exam with their notes - if everything is so blanately wrong, they would soon realize this and find out the real answers. People are not so stupid as you think. – Udank Jul 09 '18 at 19:44
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    Where in the world do professors live which are so mean as you describe? A good professor should prefer "prevent cheating" over "catch cheaters". – Udank Jul 09 '18 at 19:57
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Since you haven't yet sat the exam, and you didn't know that the photo you were looking was the exam, it is not cheating, nor unethical, for you to merely have seen that photo. The student who took the photo has clearly cheated, but you have not. However, now that you have seen a photo of this exam, and know it is the upcoming exam, it certainly would be unethical if you sit the exam anyway, without reporting the issue to the university.

The simplest thing to do here is to inform the professor of what happened, so that he/she knows that there is a copy of the exam being circulated. You could do this anonymously if you want, but I don't think it would be an issue if you reported this without anonymity. In the latter case, it is likely that you will be asked who showed you the photo.

Ben
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Send this negligent prof an anonymous note, with details of the exam so he knows you have indeed seen the actual thing. If you know him well enough and trust him to just admit his own error, tell him personally.

But it's not your job to rat on that guy who yielded the temptation to look, and then thought he was nice and shared it.

There might be one dilemma left for you afterwards: If and how to make sure everybody who has seen the photos knows that the prof knows.

Karl
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    Your answer almost sounds like you blame the professor more for being leaving his office unattended than to the student for snooping while the professor was away. Also, if the other students rely on their photo for all of their studying (aka intending to cheat), then it is their own fault if they are unprepared for the actual exam. – David K Jul 05 '18 at 19:11
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    Edit out the blame and I'll reverse my downvote. – Joshua Jul 05 '18 at 19:19
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    Reporting those involved may be required by your honor code, so your second paragraph is a violation in itself. Example: "When a student, faculty member or administrator observes a student violation of the code, this person has the duty and responsibility to: obtain the names of the people involved; inform the instructor in whose class the alleged incident took place." – user71659 Jul 05 '18 at 20:48
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    Honestly, it would be best for the the OP and the prof to not let the students know, so that he can catch the students who would cheat by changing the exam. Let their immoral actions bite them in the butt, and the smart ones will learn from it. – mbomb007 Jul 05 '18 at 21:02
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    @Joshua OP said nothing about breaking and entering. As I understand, the student was in the room, the exam lying on the table, and the prof left. The guy had probably already read half the thing before he realised this was the new exam. Now take out the taking photo part from the story, and it looks a lot different. The prof has carelessly put that student into a stupid dilemma, in which he failed, 200%. – Karl Jul 05 '18 at 21:53
  • @mbomb007 It might be fair to the guy who took the photos, but all the others? Every single one of them? – Karl Jul 05 '18 at 23:16
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    @DavidK and Joshua, the photographing student is certainly at fault for taking the photograph, but that does not negate the fact that the prof was clearly negligent. When I have an exam printed out in my office, I take great precautions not to allow students to see it, which include: 1. locking the door whenever I leave the office, even for just a few minutes, and 2. hiding the exam when students are around, and even then thinking very carefully before I leave my office with students there, avoiding such an action if at all possible. Calling the professor "negligent" seems wholly justified. – Dan Romik Jul 06 '18 at 00:48
  • @Karl Duh. In the same way a drug dealer is punished as well as anyone taking the drugs. Or intent to murder, or anything else. That's how justice systems work. Intent to cheat is as good as cheating. And if I were to go to the Bible as well, lusting is as bad as adultary, and hate as bad as murder. – mbomb007 Jul 06 '18 at 02:36
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    @DavidK If I understand the OP correctly, the exam was not found in the office but instead brought to a class meeting. The instructor would not be blameless in such a case! – aeismail Jul 06 '18 at 08:48
  • @aeismail I assumed it happened at office hours or something, but I guess the OP wasn't very clear. In any case, I'm not saying that the professor is blameless, just that the student actively taking the photo is far worse than the professor's passive negligence. – David K Jul 06 '18 at 12:18
  • @Karl If you do not enforce the rules, you teach the student that the rules don't mean anything in practice. The student will continue their bad behavior, because they get better grades by cheating. If you enforce the rules, the student learns that cheating will get the worse grades or get the expelled, so they stop. WOAH! Seems like enforcing the rules actually works! – mbomb007 Jul 06 '18 at 14:46
  • @mbomb007: "WOAH!" How do you arrive at the conclusion that enforcing the rules would work? The only lesson you teach the student is "do not tell a student which you don't know your secrets for he could be an asshole". Next time, they will keep the exam for themselves/share it only with their trusted friends. – Udank Jul 09 '18 at 19:50
  • @Udank And then they cheat at everything and can't keep a job and live an unhappy life because they are unintelligent. You can't control a student, whether you enforce rules or not. But not enforcing the rules has an outcome far worse than enforcing them, because some students won't continue cheating if they are punished, whereas no punishment incentivizes cheating. – mbomb007 Jul 09 '18 at 19:58
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    @mbomb007: I do not agree with your "cheaters always cheat and are stupid" mentality. I know many intelligent people who study well but if there is an easy opportunity to look at the test, they would do it. (And of course, still study in case that the information is wrong.) However, they do not "cheat at everything", "can't keep a job" and "life an unhappy life because they are unintelligent". – Udank Jul 09 '18 at 20:05
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    @mbomb007: moreover, do you mean to say that everybody who is not "intelligent" enough for university exams lives an unhappy life (or deserves to live an unhappy life)? – Udank Jul 11 '18 at 18:28
  • @Udank No. They are unintelligent because they chose to cheat. Not because they cannot pass. Unwise would probably be a better word. Anyways, you're picking at the part that doesn't matter. What matters is that enforcing the rules is the responsibility of the school. They are not responsible for the bad behavior of their students, but they do have a responsibility to set boundaries. Each student is responsible for their own bad decisions when they do not respect the school's boundaries. – mbomb007 Jul 11 '18 at 19:08
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    @mbomb007: Then I don't see why they should live an unhappy life (or why they cheat again). Anyways, I am still not convinced that this action teaches students not to cheat (instead of not to share the information), at least I don't think the amount of students who learn when ratted out deserves a happy "Woah" or "enforcing the rules actually works". Propably we disagree here. – Udank Jul 11 '18 at 19:40
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"...later someone revealed to me that it was the upcoming exam which we’ll take in about three weeks."

If true then the Prof. is not serious at all about the potential for cheating. If you believe that the picture compromises the exam, and you think that the Prof. would think that this would be a huge problem, then you also need to re-assess the reliability of the statement about the paper in the picture being the actual exam.

Count Iblis
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As Buffy already suggested, write an anonymous note, but with an additional twist.

Suggest that the professor stays completely silent and informs the class before the (now revised) exam that the exam he "coincidentally left" was a honeytrap.

Advantages:

  • What before could have been interpreted as neglience on the professor's part is now quite fiendish.

  • The students will be punished to learn entirely for a honeypot.

  • The students are not angry that someone was ratting them out, now they are angry for themselves not learning.

  • The students won't try to cheat this way ever again.

Everyone feels fine. You have done your task of informing the professor, the professor is now not an idiot, but a devilish antagonist and the students are punished for cheating.

The nice thing is that some professors actually are that fiendish, so even if the students cheating read all the answers here in SE, in contrast to the others they cannot identify that someone told the professor.

Thorsten S.
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    This is completely silly. If I was tbe professoor, I would have a really bad opinion about you since (a) you want me to be part in such a stupid scheme which helps noone and (b) you tell me how to do my job. Awful. – user114084 Sep 16 '19 at 11:11
  • Did you actually test this version (as a student or prof)? Is seems "academic" to me (ie not working in practise) – user111388 Feb 14 '20 at 14:37