CASPer Scenario for Discussion #2

[PrepMatch]

You have just discovered someone selling a test bank for your calculus class on Kijiji. You are struggling in this class, and so this can potentially really help your grade.

1. Would you purchase the test bank?

2. Would you report the seller if their identity is not anonymous?

3. If you were one A+ from meeting the GPA requirement to maintain a scholarship that you desperately need, would this change your answer?

Discuss below!

(This scenario is from PrepMatch.com, the free peer-to-peer CASPer preparation platform that allows you to practice hundreds of scenarios for free. PrepMatch is a non-profit partnered up with the SDN that aims to make the admission process more equitable)

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[Gwynbleidd]

1. I would not purchase this test bank, especially if it would be considered cheating. Plus, test banks don’t necessarily teach you anything and wouldn’t help my understanding of the course in the long term. If I am struggling, I would reach out legitimate help resources (professor, supplemental instruction, online videos) to improve.

2. If the seller’s identity is not anonymous, I would report them. Selling test banks creates an uneven playing field for everyone else in the class: those who can afford it (and are willing to break the rules) and those who are not. I would not want my grade and that of others in the class to suffer if other students are using cheating to get ahead.

3. It would not change my answer. As important as the scholarship is, I would feel very guilty knowing that I obtained a scholarship through cheating. This could also come back to “bite me” if it was discovered I used a test bank, possibly resulting in my scholarship being taken away. It is better in every way to just put in the work and try to obtain the scholarship through legitimate means.

 

[xDNA]

1. I would not purchase the test bank. This would be doing myself a huge disservice, this would most certainly be considered cheating. The more appropriate thing to do is reach out to the professor or classmates for assistance with material you are struggling with. This way you are actually learning the material and concepts being taught.

2. I would not report the seller if their identity was not anonymous. I would instead focus on myself and improving my grade and knowledge of the material in the class. It is unecessary for me to delve into the business of others.

3. I would not change my answer. There would be a heavy sense of guilt on me if I were to have obtained a scholarship by cheating. The risk of being caught and also losing the scholarship, as well as having an institutional action on my record would be too high.