Cutting Edge Curriculum: Cheating 101

Breaking News! The School has announced that there will be a new class open to juniors on how to cheat! Taught by a new professor who recently graduated from Harvard University, Cheating 101 will be held in Room 412, replacing Biology Honors. The School feels that this new addition to the curriculum will make it easier for juniors to pass their classes, in addition to preparing them for college life. 

By utilizing the new resource of Artificial Intelligence (AI), Cheating 101 is one of the few classes offered in the nation that will teach students how to properly use tools like ChatGPT to cheat in their classes. While other high schools prohibit the use and integration of AI, the School is trying to stand out by offering this unusual class. By integrating this course into the standard curriculum, students will get first-hand research experience and discussion practice with cheating, an essential lifelong skill.

After talking with the new professor Dr. Holly Churchill, she has offered to give us a sample lesson plan that will be used next year for the debut of Cheating 101. Churchill states, “The class will start with a brief syllabus and introduction of the course, just to set the boundaries and for the students to understand how the grading will work. Then, the class will pair up into partner groups to practice cheating on a math test. I will use a fairly long slideshow to show the students how to sneak phones into classes.” The School is amazed by how organized Churchill is, as she continues, “The final project at the end of the year will take a whole month to complete. It will consist of a slideshow presentation with a new, innovative cheating method and a graded 30-question test where cheating is allowed. However, if I catch a student cheating, they will fail the class.” Although there are high expectations for the selected class, Churchill is confident that the students will be able to handle the demanding assignments and tests.

In an interview regarding this new course, graduating senior Sarah Ousterhout talks about the importance of integrating Cheating 101 into the curriculum. She said, “When I was taking Biology Honors and Drama 1, I had to cheat the old way. I had to sneak in Post-it notes on my calculator and almost got caught multiple times! But back in my day, I did come up with clever ways to bring my phone into class so that I could remember my lines. I wish that Cheating 101 was a course when I was a junior because it would have prepared me for all my classes this year!”  

Sign up for the new class on how to cheat by visiting Dr. Brakeman’s office, as she will be taking over the enrollment process because of replacement of Biology Honors! Cheating 101 will certainly uphold the foundational principles of the School’s Honor Code and serve a great purpose to the community.