Etydhv

I proctored a calculus final exam with another teaching assistant and the professor and saw what appeared to be cheating activities between two students during the exam. I remembered the names of both students -- one of them is in my recitation section that I help teach.

Upon looking at both of their exams for grading, I see that their multiple choice sections -- 10 questions -- have identical answers. They got exactly the same questions right / wrong.

I am torn about what to do. I've already submitted my share of graded exams to the professor but have not yet reported my suspicions that cheating occurred between these two students.

Can I just ignore my suspicions and not follow up?

What could be the consequences if I simply don't report it?

I don't want my student from my recitation section to fail this class.

Can I just ignore my suspicions and not follow up?

No. A major part of your job as proctor is to report suspected instances of cheating.

What could be the consequences if I simply don't report it?

If it is found out that you intentionally concealed evidence of cheating, I would expect that you will not be allowed to work as a teaching assistant at this university anymore. This might jeopardize your ability to continue as a student.

I don't want my student from my recitation section to fail this class.

Nobody wants their students to fail, but part of your job is to help ensure that students get the grade that their work, and their behavior, earns them, even if that isn't the outcome you want.

I am torn about what to do. Can I just ignore my suspicions and not follow up? What could be the consequences if I simply don't report it?

I can understand your anxiety in this situation. However, you agreed to proctor the exam, and that job entails reporting evidence of cheating that you saw. Reporting students for possible academic misconduct when there are grounds to do so can be an awkward situation, but it is a necessary part of enforcing proper academic conduct. Students should not be relieved of the responsibility not to cheat in an examination simply because the proctor has decided that she does not want the student to fail. Your role as a teacher of this student should not undermine your role as a proctor for this exam.

In processes like this, it is not your "suspicions" that you are reporting. You are obliged to report the factual evidence that you saw. You say that you "saw what appeared to be cheating activities" between the students, and you also see evidence of collusion in the answers on the exam. As a proctor for the exam, it is my view that you are obliged to report this information to whoever is the relevant authority for reporting (e.g., course lecturer, Head of School). That person will then have to make a decision of whether that evidence you have reported is sufficient for an investigation into academic misconduct.

As to the consequences of inaction, if you decide to keep this to yourself, it is unlikely that anyone else will know what you have done. (Indeed, the only evidence you saw this is your present post on this forum.) But you will know. Situations like these give us a test of integrity, and if you decide not report this information, simply because of your role teaching this student, you are doing a disservice to the other students in the university. This kind of situation is well described by the aphorism of Adam Smith: mercy to the guilty is cruelty to the innocent.

Upon looking at both of their exams for grading, I see that their multiple choice sections -- 10 questions -- have identical answers.

In itself, that is not strong evidence of collusion. Giving the same answer on multiple choice questions where that is the right answer is not evidence of collusion at all. Giving the same wrong answers may constitute evidence of collusion to the extent that these choices of answers are unusual, but on its own that would be weak evidence of collusion. In any case, it is not your job to assess the strength of the evidence --- your job here is to report the things you saw that have caused you to believe that academic misconduct may have occurred.

If your institution has an honor code that requires you to report suspected cheating, you have your answer: You must report it. This is not ambiguous.

If your institution does not have an honor code, it's a matter of personal ethics (i.e., do you have any?) and a question of whether you have enough spine to do what's required even though it may be unpleasant. If you do, same outcome: You must report it. Again, this is not ambiguous. (If you lack the requisite ethics or spine, you should not be a TA.)

Either way, all you're doing is reporting suspected cheating. You are not judge and jury. Once you make the report, it is someone else's problem (an honor council, an academic conduct officer, your professor, your department chair, someone else) to examine the evidence, meet with the students, decide whether to find the students responsible and, if so, what the consequences should be.

First, it is totally unprofessional to think of students as friends because you teach them in some sessions or if this influences your decision about whether to report them.

Next, you ask what could happen if you don't report it. Most likely nothing can happen to you if nobody can prove that you did know about it.
However! Not reporting is the unethical and wrong thing to do! You should definitely tell the professor (if they are not totally unreasonable) about your suspicion - as a TA, you work for them, so you have to tell them. It's likely that they know what to do and whether some action has to be taken.

Largely echoing the other answers, but I don't see any that have all the essential elements.

I proctored a calculus final exam...and saw what appeared to be cheating activities between two students during the exam.

You should have reported this immediately to the other proctors. At this point, you can still report it, but it is almost certainly too late.

Upon looking at both of their exams for grading, I see that their multiple choice sections -- 10 questions -- have identical answers. They got exactly the same questions right / wrong.

This proves absolutely nothing.

Can I just ignore my suspicions and not follow up? What could be the consequences if I simply don't report it?

Failing to report evidence of cheating is a clear dereliction of duty. Doing so for your friend's personal gain is a good reason to get fired. In practice, however, it would be very difficult to prove that you knew about this and didn't report it.

I don't want my student from my recitation section to fail this class.

Why not? Students are not your friends, and it is inappropriate to think of them as such. If this was a pre-existing friend, you have a conflict of interest and should have disclosed this at the beginning of the term.

Identical answers on ten multiple choice questions is, in itself, ZERO evidence of cheating. In the absence of some actual evidence of copying, just ignore it. If it were a hundred questions then maybe there is some evidence. If they were written answers, then yes.

But what you may have evidence of is that two people have the same misconceptions. Depending on the teaching that isn't especially rare. After all, they heard the same lectures and use the same materials. They may even have studied together.

Don't make accusations unless you witnessed something improper going on, and then treat the students the same way you would any others. But it is the witness accounts that are the basis of action.