GMIT students offered examination resit after cheating allegation

Students at Galway-Mayo Institute of Technology (GMIT) have been given the option of resitting an examination after questions on the paper were allegedly seen in advance by at least one student.

Some 124 final-year students of the Bachelor of Business Studies (Hons) course are affected. The paper involved was in enterprise information technology, a mandatory subject.

The original examination was held on May 11th, but the students involved were informed last Monday that the exam was invalid because it is alleged a student had received an advance copy of the questions.

Flights abroad

Many students were reported to be furious as they had booked flights abroad for the summer. Foreign students feared

they would have to return to sit their examinations.

The college refused to elaborate on how it happened, but one parent said his daughter had seen the questions posted on another student's Facebook page. Other students informed the college authorities.

The parent said his daughter was due to travel to the United States on Tuesday on a J1 basis. "A number of students complained. On Monday they were told the exam would be rescinded and they would have to resit the exam. Then they weren't told anything until Friday."

GMIT president Dr Fergal Barry convened a special meeting of the academic council standing committee yesterday to consider the implications of the leaked examination paper.

The vice-president for academic affairs and registrar Michael Hannon had already decided the results from the examination should not stand.

The committee decided students should be allowed to resit the examination or have their continuous assessment marks, which are 40 per cent of the total module, considered as an overall mark instead.

A disciplinary action regarding the alleged incident will be held next Wednesday, GMIT student union president Michael Kerrigan said. The majority of the students were happy with the decision, he added.