February 22, 2003
Maryland University students caught cheating by SMS
Twelve students were accused of cheating during an exam at the University of Maryland by receiving the answers by SMS from friends outside the classroom. They were reading off the answer keys posted on the Internet by a professor once the exam began.
According to an article in the WSJ, the students unknowingly fell into a trap set up by faculty members, who suspected exam-takers were cheating. The business-school professors posted a fake answer key, then checked the exams to see which matched the bogus answers.
This is the first story of it's kind reported in America, but other similar stories have been reported around the world. It's a growing concern in Finland and Japan — where one teacher turned the tables on the student and had them pass an exam using their cell phones. And in April 2001, an Indian schoolboy from Kolkata was caught sending SMS from the bathroom during a biology exam, text messaging questions on one phone, and receiving answers on the other. (cf Ananova)
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