Many students find it tempting to cheat on homework assignments. While teachers do not have full control over this because they are not with students when they complete homework assignments, the strategies in the list below may offer help for this problem.

• Allow students to work together on assignments whenever possible and appropriate.

• Avoid busywork assignments that lend themselves easily to cheating: looking up definitions, questions at the end of a chapter, math problems that don’t involve showing the process, labeling a map or diagrams, etc.

• Offer homework assignments that appeal to students’ learning styles and interests, that are relevant, and that deal with real-life situations as often as you can.

• Make sure students know how to do the work and how they will benefit from it.

• As previously stated, allow students to have a voice in planning homework. Spend time discussing assignments, possible due dates for longer assignments, and other any other aspect that will allow them a sense of ownership in their work.

• Consider a homework contract where students can choose among assignments.

• If you suspect that a student has copied another’s work, speak to him or her in private before making accusations. Often, if a student is aware that a teacher is alert, cheating will diminish.