Abbott would not confirm the use of electronic devices or any other specific cheating techniques used, but said that the students who were dismissed violated rules in the student handbook.

“If you go to our website, there’s a list of five things that we consider academic dishonesty,” he said. “It’s one of those five things.”

They include:

• Aiding another student

• Copying from the paper of another student while taking an exam

• Plagiarism

• Unauthorized signatures; that is, using a person’s signature without permission

• Using unauthorized aids to pass an examination, including “crib notes, electronic devices (e.g. cellphones), books, or any other material to assist ... in passing the examination unless the instructor of the class has specifically given permission to use such materials.”

It is up to individual professors to establish cell phone usage policies in their classes.

When asked if the cheating was a coordinated group effort, Abbott declined to comment.