On Friday, December 15th, 2023, the Ashesi Judicial Committee (AJC) heard and deliberated on allegations of violating examination rules during the Circuits & Electronics exam in the 2023/24 Fall Semester by two (2) students from the Class of 2025.
Background to the case:
During the Circuits & Electronics exam, one student (Student A) requested permission from the invigilator to use the washroom. Upon entering the washroom, the student met another colleague (Student B) who was about exiting the washroom. Student B noticed a phone in A’s pocket and called attention to it. Student B then offered to hide the phone behind the waste basket in one of the washroom cubicles as he/she had done same before the start of the exam and promptly left after concealing the phone. After a few minutes, the faculty intern (FI) reported to a colleague FI that a student had visited the washroom and had spent quite some time there.
The FI followed up and checked the washroom including the cubicles and discovered two phones hidden behind the waste basket in one of the cubicles. The FI reported this discovery to the faculty member who directed him to take pictures and present the phones to the Dean. The students after the exam discovered their phones were no longer in its hiding place and used another colleague’s phone to call their respective numbers. The Dean answered and invited them to his office. The two students were asked to submit their statements pending a hearing with the AJC.
At the hearing:
When Student A encountered Student B in the washroom and later hid the phones, Student A admitted entering the same cubicle where the phones had been concealed. While there, he/she succumbed to the temptation of picking the phone behind the waste basket and made references to some information related to the exam. Student A returned to the lecture hall and after the exam both students returned to the cubicle and did not find the phones. The AJC deliberated on the following infractions of policies in the Student Handbook:
“During an examination:
- Students are not allowed to talk to each other, exchange verbal or nonverbal information or physical objects of any kind or engage in any activity that could result in the unfair advantage for one or more students before, during, or after the quiz or exam, while they are in or out of the classroom;
- Must leave all books and other aids in an inaccessible place…
- Must leave mobile phones and other electronic communication devices completely switched off.” (Section 8.1)
- Mobile phones must not be kept on desks or on their person during the examination. (Section 8.2)
Verdict & Recommendations
After carefully reviewing all the case facts, the AJC concluded that both students are guilty and should receive a failing grade “E” for the course.
The Committee would like to advise that:
- Communicating with others during an examination is strictly prohibited and should always be avoided both in and outside the classroom. There are proper channels to do this as outlined in the Student’s Handbook Section 8.2.
- During examinations, faculty members, invigilators etc. should insist that students leave their phones in their hostel rooms or bags preferably. In cases where the phones are accidentally brought to the examination room, they should be handed to a faculty member or invigilator to avoid any tempting situations.
- Invigilators are to ensure strict adherence to examination rules outlined in Section 8.1. & 8.2 of the Student’s Handbook with emphasis on not allowing more than one student to the washroom.
- Ashesi’s mandate to train ethical leaders includes the building of skills such as critical thinking and exercising good judgement in decision-making. Courses such as GVV, Honour Code conversations, leadership seminar series and community engagement activities are all attempts by the university to help students build these skills early and throughout their time at Ashesi. By so doing, students are therefore expected to demonstrate such skills when holding each other accountable.
- In cases such as this where a student exercised poor judgement and assisted another student in the wrong way, it means the student has failed to learn and apply these skills, thereby undermining the value the institution places on the acquisition of these skills. Students must learn from past infractions regarding academic integrity, to understand the seriousness with which cases are treated.
This case provides a lot of learning for the entire community, and the hope is that it is reflected on as such. Our code of ethics is central to our mission: to train a new generation of ethical and entrepreneurial leaders in Africa; to cultivate within our students the critical thinking skills, concern for others, and the courage it will take to transform a continent. This code applies to all, no matter the circumstance.