Karl G. Maeser Weighs in on Academic Honesty: “Place an exam on Proctorio–video monitored, verified ID and location–there is a possibility that I will cheat in some way or another, but put an exam on Learning Suite, and have me give my honor to not use my notes. Can I cheat on this exam? No, never! I’d die first!”

Prominent, and deceased, LDS educator Karl G. Maeser gave his thoughts on academic honesty during this semester’s midterm season. He also went into detail about how exactly he would get away with cheating on a Proctorio exam.

It came as little surprise to BYU students and faculty when Maeser spoke about honor and the importance of keeping your word. He commented on the total lack of exam security on Learning Suite but does maintain that “As long as students stick to a code of honor, Learning Suite is the safest platform imaginable.

What was more surprising was when the mustached former principal explained how he would bypass Procturio’s security measures.

“Let’s start with the classics,” said Maeser before launching into an exhaustive list, including:

  • Wear an earpiece that has answers fed through
  • Pay off your TA
  • Hire a lookalike who is smarter than you
  • Have a friend stand outside your window holding answers up, and have them duck when you do a room scan
  • System of mirrors

Maeser concluded this list by saying, “Those are some ideas, hypothetically.”