This last quarter, I was taking CIS 101 (Computer Information Systems). It’s a prerequisite, pass or fail class, where we have to complete “projects” on Word, PowerPoint, Excel, and Access. The projects consist of a set of instructions that we must follow in creating our document. We then upload the document onto a server and it immediately grades us.
Anyway, I was doing my final project of the quarter (Access) and I submitted and passed it with a 91%. A girl (whom I don’t know) sitting behind me sees that I am working on this project and asks for my help because she is really struggling. I put my project onto my flash drive and put it onto her computer and walk her through a couple of the steps (the only reason I put it on her computer was to look at my work and try to help her on the problem she needed). Anyway, I left before she submitted her work and she later failed the project but just last night, I get an email saying I have been accused of academic dishonesty in this class. I’ve researched the software that catches plagiarism on these projects and she basically would’ve had to have copy and pasted a part of my project for this to happen. Before I got my official accusation (when her professor accused her of cheating) she contacted me and swore up and down she didn’t copy anything.
I really don’t know what to do here. I have gotten my official accusation now, which says I can’t talk to her. Do I listen to that?
Luckily for me, the software states that she copied off of me and not the other way around, so I’m in the clear there. Should I hire a lawyer? This is kind of a big deal.
There there is no way she could possibly claim originality if she copied my work because the software says she copied off me (I submitted my project first and I got a higher grade. A much higher grade). There’s no way they can possible suspect ME of cheating off HER. Do you think there’s a way I could ask exactly what I’m being accused of?
I also I also have a witness that she asked me for help and that I walked over and helped her. That being said, I don’t think she’s out to throw me under the bus. But I do want to cover my own ass first in this situation.
I think you should talk to your professor asap for starters. You guys obviously didn’t submit identical projects if one failed and one got a stellar grade.
Also, make sure you keep a file of all this stuff. Electronic or hard copy. If for some reason you can’t get it dismissed and you have to talk to somebody higher up or grad school admissions or something it helps to have everything you need.
An act of cheating involves both someone who facilitates the cheating and the person who benefits from the cheating. If there is a whiff of you being the former, you will be accused of cheating. You probably have a fairly decent case to defend (the electronic trails shows who “copied” who and the fact that you submitted your assignment first and got the higher grade), but it is something you will have to defend. Don’t dig yourself a deeper hole: don’t talk to her, talk to your professor. Being proactive is probably the best approach - keeping mum and hoping this goes away is not a good strategy.
Talk to the professor…Say that she asked you for help, and you did walk her through what you did on your project to give her an overview. You realize now that to do so you had loaded your access file on her computer …and that she must have submitted it or a slightly modified version. It was not your intention to give her the file but give her guidance.