CPO test bank system needs follow-through to prevent cheating

It’s the height of midterm season, and you have no idea what your professors want on their exams.

The solution is almost too easy: The Student Activities Center houses a test bank of previously administered exams that all students can access, provided they give an old test.

If you’re lucky, you’ll come across a nearly identical exam to the one you’ll be taking the next morning. What better materials can you study from?

Best of all, it’s not considered cheating under the student code of conduct.

The service was created in the name of peer learning and student retention, according to Antonio Sandoval, director of the Community Programs Office, which runs the test bank.

The test bank operates under three basic assumptions ““ namely, that professors write original exams every quarter, professors will inform students if they don’t want their exams duplicated, and even if students knew identical exams existed in the bank, they wouldn’t go out of their way to cheat.

If professors are not on board with the bank, they can stipulate on their syllabi and on the exams themselves that their tests may not be duplicated or archived in the test banks, Sandoval said.

But many professors are unaware that they can prohibit duplication, and CPO does not reach out and inform professors of their rights because such issues are not under their jurisdiction as a student affairs office.

While the bank checks the exams for such language, no one checks syllabi or follows up with professors whose exams have been submitted because the task is simply too extensive and impractical, Sandoval said.

These assumptions and lack of follow-through are simply naive.

CPO should take the initiative to ensure that their service supports both students and professors in the pursuit of higher education. The office should proactively work to educate professors of their rights, rather than displacing the responsibility to other offices. When the test bank receives exams, employees should contact the professors to receive explicit permission that the materials may be reproduced and distributed. This is as simple as sending an email and getting a yes or no response.

But professors too need to do their part to prevent students from abusing the test bank. For courses with inflexible and factual material, it is understandable that writing a new exam every quarter for years is not a feasible idea.

If professors intend to reuse tests and are upset with the test bank for providing such materials, they should stipulate on the exams that they cannot be duplicated and collect the tests after they have been taken and reviewed in class.

Failing to follow through because the task is too large is irresponsible and unacceptable for an institution whose goal is promoting higher education and academic honesty.