18 Midshipmen Expelled By Naval Academy For Exam Cheating

ANNAPOLIS, MD — The U.S. Naval Academy in Annapolis has expelled 18 midshipmen who cheated on a physics exam in December 2020 by using outside sources, including websites, to complete their tests, officials said.

The expulsions over honor violations were announced Friday. As students took the exam administered through the website myopenmath.com they were told they could not use outside sources to complete the exam, including other websites.

Academy officials became aware of the possible use of outside sources in exams through student discussions on an anonymous chat platform and other means.

“Character development is an ongoing process and midshipmen must make the choice to live honorably each day and earn the trust that comes with a commission in the Navy or Marine Corps. This incident demonstrates that we must place an increased focus on character and integrity within the entire brigade,” said Superintendent Vice Admiral Sean Buck in a news release.

Investigators reviewed thousands of pages of information and technological data with help from experts, including NCIS. The website browsing history during the exam timeframe for all midshipmen who took the test was examined.

According to the academy, investigators determined violation of the exam rules was primarily carried out by midshipmen visiting websites independently and without any coordinated effort.

In an effort to prevent cheating, midshipmen were required to complete calculations on scratch paper that was turned in with the exam. The school said the biggest vulnerability identified in the process was inadequate proctoring.

Officials said 105 midshipmen likely used unauthorized resources for the exam and went through the Naval Academy’s Honor System for suspected violations of the honor concept.

While 18 midshipmen were expelled, another 82 midshipmen remained at the academy with sanctions and took part in a five-month honor remediation program. Four midshipmen were found not to have violated the honor concept and one is awaiting adjudication by the Brigade Honor Board.

Subsequently, the academy advised instructors to use paper-based, in-person exams. When an electronic device is required for an exam, either a browser security program must be activated for all online examinations or a proctor must be able to view each midshipman’s screen throughout the exam.

The entire Brigade of Midshipmen conducted a day-long honor conference with intensive training and discussions on honor in April 2021, the academy news release said.