Use Gradebook data to discourage cheating

Updated 18 Sep 2025

The Gradebook can reveal potentially questionable student behavior that results in students cheating themselves out of the Mastering learning opportunity.

Watch a video: Use Mastering security features

Students who consistently don't submit work may have dropped the course. Or these accounts may have become phantom students, a possible cheating method. The accounts should be dropped.

Below, student Last13, First13 should be dropped.

Shows a segment of the Gradebook that lists three students with fabricated names. The middle row shows scores for a student named First 13 Last 13. This student’s most recent five scores are all zero, indicating that the student may have dropped the course. Or other students may be using this account as a phantom student, requesting answers and then copying those answers into their own submitted work.

You can check how long students spend on an assignment by displaying the Time tab in the Mastering Gradebook or by exporting times or difficulty ratings. Students who cheat may do well but spend a very short time on answers.

From the Gradebook you can drill down to see a student's work on an individual assignment, including any item, item part, or individual answer. Examining the individual work of multiple students can reveal patterns of possible answer sharing. Time of submission can also be important.

See also: How to discourage student cheating | About security settings