<p>So, I was finishing three classes at my community college before I transfer to a four year university this coming fall. One of these classes was humanities 101, I had already taken the 102 section and aced it. Just for some context, I aced every single project, quiz, and hw assignment up until the final. I would make an A even if I failed the final exam. So, after finishing the exam and handing it in, my teacher stops me outside the classroom and asks me if I was cheating. I was so shocked and of course said no. Her only basis for the accusation was that my body language seemed off. She confirmed that she'd never thought that of me before on any assignment and she also decline my offer to retake the test on the spot. She then said she would take me at my word, but be very "careful" in grading my test. I know when she grades it that there will be absolutely nothing that indicates I was cheating. I really blanked on a good porion of it, and couldn't answer a number of questions. I didn't study as hard because I knew I would still make an A regardless of how I did on it. However, I am still incredibly offended that she would make that kind of accusation without any proof or reasoning other than that my body language was supposedly off. I also offered her permission to ask people around me if they saw something, which she also declined and said wasn't necessary. I suppose there's nothing that can be done except wait and see what grade she gives me overall, but I am still pretty upset. </p>
<p>She didn’t accuse you of cheating; if that were true, your final and your grade in the class would be cancelled altogether. She merely asked you if you were.</p>
<p>It’s completely acceptable to ask students if they’re cheating, but it is a difficult question to ask adroitly. Also, if your body language was “off”, it may have been a maybe-clumsy attempt to find out if it was because of cheating, or maybe some other life stress or tragedy or whatever that, say, might benefit from you being referred to the counseling center or academic support or whatever.</p>
<p>I agree that a question is not an accusation. I’m sure you felt very uncomfortable, but sometimes that is the price of maintaining academic integrity. Your professor is actually trying to ensure that the significance of your grade and every other grade earned honestly is not spoiled by those who might be dishonest.</p>
<p>I know from experience that most professors also find it uncomfortable when they are concerned about dishonesty. By “body language,” the professor may have meant that, from her vantage, you may have looked as if you were copying someone else’s work, or perhaps looking at a crib sheet in your lap. It’s hard to come right out and say a thing like that.</p>
<p>What bothers me about this is that the professor said she’d be “careful” about grading the test…</p>
<p>What ever happened to innocent until proven guilty?</p>
<p>My algorithms class sent out a huge number of cheating/plagiarism accusations at the end of this semester. I didn’t personally receive one, but I know a few people who did, and they were all able to explain their situations (why they weren’t cheating even though they were flagged for having similar code to other people) and none faced any discipline.</p>
<p>Though you have every right to be offended, your professor is probably just being careful because you seem to be an academic outlier. There’s no problem with that!</p>
<p>I don’t really think it’s appropriate for a professor to ask you if you are cheating just because she felt that your “body language” was off. </p>
<p>It doesn’t seem like you gave her reasonable evidence to cause her to think that you cheated. Did you look around a lot during the test? </p>
<p>I just don’t buy her reasoning.</p>
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<p>That applies to legal proceedings, etc. The defendant isn’t going on trial or anything. </p>
<p>Just wait until she grades your paper before you freak out. Instructors have to confront dishonesty if they think they see it. If she doesn’t see anything wrong with your test, she’ll drop the matter. </p>
<p>I’ve seen students look like they’re cheating but upon grading their stuff, it’s clear that they’re not. </p>
<p>Thank you guys very much for your advice and Comments. They have all been really helpful, and given me some perspective. I think the general opinion is correct, what’s done is done. Hopefully, nothing will come of it, but if it does all I can do is try and defend mself. This was my final semester anyways, so no sense in making a mountain out of a mole hill. </p>
<p>That’s a really weird position to be put in, but I think you handled it well. Unless there’s hard proof evidence, as much as it might be difficult, I wouldn’t think twice about this.</p>
<p>I helped in a classroom where I noticed that two students were fidgety- not staying in their seats, moving the paper around. The motion is what caught my attention. I saw no evidence of actual cheating. It looked as if they were just fidgety students- some people move a lot when they are concentrating or anxious, but since they were sitting near each other, I wasn’t sure what was going on at first. </p>
<p>I am not the teacher, and I would not flat out accuse them of cheating, but I might have spoken to them- because I would not want this to be a problem on another test, or SAT/GRE where someone might not know them and make a false accusation. </p>
<p>If I was a professor, and had concern about a student’s activity during a test, I would “grade the test carefully”- what I mean is- compare students’ papers to see if they were identical. See if the performance on the test was not in sinc with their other work. In your case, you are an A student, so doing well would not be unusual. Also, not doing as well would not raise suspicion. It would make no sense for a student to try to not do as well as he/she should. Without proof, I would not accuse a student of cheating, but if I had concerns, I might ask about it. </p>
<p>You have done nothing wrong, so hopefully nothing will happen, but you might pay attention to your body language during a test. Do you move around, stretch, move your paper, or other activity? </p>
<p>@franklin93 I’m really sorry that happened to you. A false accusation like that can sting for a long time. The teacher didn’t handle it well, but you did. You can be proud of that.</p>
<p>Hey guys, just a heads up: I got my grade back from the class and recieved an A, thankfully. Thanks again for all of your advice and enencouragement!</p>