I got caught using a Pebble watch during a little 10 point quiz that I took in the testing center. I told him there’s nothing on the watch, and he never asked what type of watch it is. He just said it looked suspicious that I was looking at my watch. There is a camera in the testing center, but will they be able to zoom in on the image to see what I was looking at? If I withdraw from the class immediately, what are the chances that I’ll still fail the class or be expelled?
The proctor at my college was suspicious I cheated. Will withdrawing from the class possibly save me
I had to google Pebble watch, here’s what I found: https://help.getpebble.com/customer/portal/articles/1722567-introduction-to-pebble
So let’s clarify a few things.
You got “caught using” a Pebble watch. translation: you were cheating.
“a little 10 point quiz” – the size or importance of the exam has nothing to do with anything. Additionally, if it were really that nonconsequential, then why did you cheat?
“he never asked what type of watch it is”-- the odds are overwhelming that he knew perfectly well what was going on before he said anything. While you were looking at your “watch” he was looking at you. He wouldn’t have said anything unless he was sure.
I’m not sure there’s much you can do. You cheated. You got caught. Now you get to wait and see what the consequences are. There’s no way that anyone on line can predict this one for you.
^^^
From the pebble link @bjkmom posted -
“Pebble is a customizable watch that conveniently and subtly delivers the information that you want directly to your wrist.”
lol
Withdrawing from a class usually requires the signatures of both your advisor and the professor. If the proctor reports you for cheating, why would either one sign a withdrawal form? I don’t think they’ll have any desire to help you skirt your school’s honor code.
Dang, dude, all that stuff about lying to universities before didn’t kick your moral compass back into place??
From your previous threads it appears that your choices are either getting expelled for cheating or getting expelled for lying about having attended other colleges. You do realize that when colleges find out that you lied they can require you to pay back all the financial aid grant money you received, don’t you? So not only will you have difficulty getting into another university, you’ll have debt for classes that you won’t be able to use.
You may want to withdraw completely from every college you’re attending and enroll in a community college until you get your records cleared up. Then try transferring to a 4-year school using your entire record. When you can show that you’re able to do the work and behave honestly and ethically, you’ll have a better chance of getting accepted to a school where you can stay long enough to actually complete a degree.
This has taught me a hard lesson, but I have already withdrawn before they could do anything. Can she still give me an F in the class, or can she still start an investigation if I’m no longer a student?
You’ll have to check school policies. Did you withdraw early enough so that a “W” is all that appears on your transcript? If not, you may end up with F’s in all your classes. If the professor filed a report with the administration, will they add a note to your transcript similar to what high school guidance counselors do when high school students cheat? You need to find out what’s on your transcript. The easiest way to do that is to request an unofficial transcript from every school you’ve attended before you try applying to any others. But when you do apply, make sure to send transcripts from every school you did attend or you’ll face the threat of being expelled (or having your degree rescinded) when you’re discovered.
I withdrew from the class and emailed my professor explaining that the proctor was suspicious for me checking my watch, but that there was nothing on the watch. Here’s her response:
Hello Student X,
I had no idea what happened until I got this email. I am sorry you had to withdraw. At least you have done most of the work already and it will be easier next time. I hope to see you again in the future. If not,
Good luck
Sincerely,
Professor X
The proctor said that he was going to tell the professor, but he didn’t say he would tell anyone else. It sounds like my professor views it as I was just at the wrong place at the wrong time, and didn’t do anything wrong. Do you think either the proctor or the professor might still tell my dean?
You got caught cheating. Saying there was nothing on the watch is just adding lies to cheating. If there was nothing on the watch, you wouldn’t have been looking at it long enough to make the proctor suspicious, and then to continue to watch as you looked at your watch again and again. Proctors KNOW where the clocks are in the room. They know how long it takes to check the time, and how often a typical kid finds it necessary to check the time. And you were caught.
Newsflash: you’re not the first kid in history to assume that the proctor wasn’t as smart as he was. Lots and lots and lots of kids get caught cheating every year, on all levels.
Stop trying to avoid the issue. Yes, I think they’ll file the paperwork with the dean; they may just have other stuff to do at the moment.
Otherwise, why not ask them to review the camera in the classroom, prove your innocence, and go on with life in the same classroom? Why drop the class? In fact, once you realized he was suspicious, why didn’t you take the watch off? Why was it even on during the “little 10 point quiz”??
This issue is far deeper than academics.
Even if the professor does nothing about this, the fear alone has made me decide to never do something like this again. I’m just looking for a second chance at this point. There was nothing on the watch for which they had evidence to accuse me of cheating off of. If the professor is planning on failing me or getting me expelled why would she make not mention of this almost 24 HOURS after the incident occurred, and why have I not gotten any emails or calls about this? The quiz was 10 points, and I looked at my watch for maybe 15 seconds. Unless they had CSI cameras, there’s no way they could have zoomed in on the image and determined if I was looking at notes. The school doesn’t have any ban on watches, so what evidence does the proctor have that I was cheating besides looking a bit suspicious?
It’s NOT about whether or not they “have evidence”!!!
Every single thread you have posted talks about scheming the system, about getting away with something.
Again, newsflash: this is your first rodeo. It’s not the prcotor’s, it’s not the professor’s, its’ not the school’s.
Is this really the person you want to be? The one who is always trying to pull a con, the one with absolutely no integrity? Because, honestly, that’s how you’re coming across.
I don’t want to be that type of person. I’m panicking at this point. Can someone please tell me whether you it is more likely that I’ll fail the class, be suspended, or be expelled?
This WAS your second chance, lol. You’d think that the fear of having your transfer fraud found out would have stopped you from doing more immoral things. What’s next, plagiarism?
If you have successfully withdrawn from the class (which looks suspicious as all hell, by the way) then I don’t see how they can fail you.
You’re absolutely right. However, I just want to know what are the chances that they might expel me.
I think it is somewhat greater than 50/50 that you are in the clear, because of sheer inertia if nothing else. It would be a lot of work for them to go after you, especially since they didn’t do it at the time. As you said, the video doesn’t prove something, and since the TA didn’t examine your watch or take a picture of sketchy contents, the evidence would be flimsy at best.
However, not to pile on, but I hope you do feel bad after your professor sent you that kind email. You broke her trust. Please keep that in mind the next time you consider doing something questionable.
You are not a bad person, I would be willing to wager, but you did make some bad decisions. Going forward, you can do better and learn from this near miss. Tell yourself it is okay to get a B or a C or a D, as long as you try your best. If you keep working at it, those will becomes A’s, B’s and C’s, and eventually A’s and B’s. And grades matter, but they don’t determine your worth as a person.
I agree with you that the evidence is very flimsy. Unless they can zoom in 10-fold on the images they took and hope there’s no glare, I don’t think they have enough proof that I did anything wrong besides having an electronic device in my possession. I’ve hired an attorney who’s helped students with cases like these at my school before. How much do you think that will help?
I imagine the attorney would know far better than we do.
Your fee will help the attorney pay the rent for the month. Will it help you, who knows? I’m not sure college is your thing. Why not try something else?