Cheating and plagiarism during exams
Cheating and plagiarism in tests and exams is an offence that VIA takes very seriously. If cheating in exams is proven, VIA can apply sanctions to the student(s).
You are seeing specific information relevant for:
Cheating in exams includes, but is not limited to:
- plagiarising, including reusing one’s own text (self-plagiarism) without citing sources and quotation marks
- forgery
- lying or misleading about own efforts or results
- engaging in unauthorised collaboration
- receiving or trying to receive help during an exam or test, or helping others when it is not a group exam
- using unauthorised aids
- having unlawfully gained prior knowledge of the exam assignment
- providing incorrect attendance information or
- attempting to circumvent, de-activate or otherwise obstruct the intent of the educational institution’s use of electronic monitoring programmes.
If you cheat in the exam, your answer will not be graded, and you will also be documented as having used up an exam attempt. You may also receive a written warning or be temporarily or permanently expelled from the education programme.
Use of chatbots for exams
You are not allowed to use a chatbot to cheat on your exam. The exam rules still apply - but in cases where aids are permitted, you can use a chatbot in many helpful ways, e.g. when you need to generate new ideas, create an overview, or need feedback on your own text.
Even though chatbots can be very helpful, there are some specific considerations you should be aware of. Read these points carefully before using a chatbot for your exam.
- It is not allowed to use chatbots to generate text that you add to your assignment unless it is explicitly stated in the curriculum for the relevant exam.
- Be aware that chatbots are not scholarly sources, and you should not base your knowledge on information from chatbots. Always be critical of your sources.
- If you refer to or quote a chatbot, make sure to provide a correct source reference.
- If you misuse chatbots in your exam, you risk cheating, which can result in the cancellation of your assignment, a used exam attempt and sanctions ranging from a warning to removal from the program. Therefore, it is important that you are aware of, how you can and may use chatbots.
- If you are unsure about the use of chatbots for your exam, make sure to check the course description, study regulations, or contact your teacher.
You find a visual overview of the rules here below: