At Issue:
In March 2021, Dartmouth’s Geisel School of Medicine was rocked when 17 students were charged with cheating based on the school’s review of their online activity on a learning management system. Despite outcries from the students, there were threats of expulsion, suspension, failures, and misconduct marks that would have derailed future medical careers. Dartmouth gave students less than 48 hours to respond to charges and would not even provide complete data logs.
Outcome:
Following a review of the software, it was determined that student devices were generating activity even when they were not in use. It was also found that the university was using the learning management system to retroactively track student activity—something it was not designed to do. All honor code charges were dismissed.
