Hundreds of American Air Force Academy cadets ‘cheat’ during online learning

COLORADO SPRINGS: The Air Force Academy is reviewing its honour code in the wake of suspicion that hundreds of cadets cheated last spring after being sent home for online learning at the height of the pandemic, foreign media reported.

Two of the nearly 250 cadets suspected are no longer at the academy. Most of the remainder have admitted to cheating and are on six months of probation and remediation, according to the service academy.

On Friday, the academy announced the review as well as the alleged infractions, which were discovered through faculty academic safeguards. Those infractions ranged from failing to properly cite sources and using unauthorised tutoring websites, to receiving solutions to exam questions in real time and completing final exams in small groups, according to an academy news release.

“The honour code is not only foundational to the Air Force Academy, but it serves as a guide for cadets to live an honourable life, whether serving in uniform or not,” Lt-Gen Richard Clark, the academy’s superintendent, said. “Honour serves as one of my fundamental institutional priorities for developing leaders of character.”