The War On Fraud: Reducing Cheating In The Classroom

Abstract

The purpose of this article is to alert and inform the reader of the rampant amount of fraud (cheating) that is taking place in the classrooms across the country and to provide some measures that can be employed to reduce the likelihood of it happening in your classroom. Cheating is analyzed and diagnosed utilizing the components of the fraud triangle (pressure, opportunity, and rationalization). Activities to promote ethical behavior and making it more difficult to rationalize cheating are proposed. Strategies for reducing the opportunity to cheat are also included. “In the broadest sense, fraud can encompass any crime for gain that uses deception as its principal modus operandi” (Wells, 2005)