Word: methodically
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Dates: during 1980-1989
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...This method adds to the formality of the whole affair--you know something serious is going on when you have 10 people being paid to watch your every move for three hours...
...This method of deterrence can backfire, though, as it distracts students from the fact that cheating is actually a wrong in itself. Students may not dismiss cheating because they have reasoned that it is immoral--but may dismiss it because they are afraid of being caught...
Some freaked-out colleges (and some not so weird, like Wellesley) seem to have realized this, and employ an alternative method to combat cheating--the "honor code" method. In this system, there are no "proctors"--just a room of test takers...
...same time, it would be unrealistic to think hard-core cheaters would stop cheating just because the word "honor" is attached to the monitoring method. After all, if you cheat well, you can be an "honors" student...
This situation in many respects reflects the weaknesses of traditional method as students are pitted against each other as if they were pitted against an authority. In bringing students together, it may actually drive them further apart by forcing them to police each other. Anothger weakness with the system is that students should not have to waste their mental energy thinking about whether people will be cheating...