A cheating conspiracy at the Ohio State University College of Veterinary Medicine has 85 students facing discipline that could range from a warning to dismissal from the college, which was ranked fifth among the nation's 28 vet schools last year by U.S. News and World Report.

A cheating conspiracy at the Ohio State University College of Veterinary Medicine has 85 students facing discipline that could range from a warning to dismissal from the college, which was ranked fifth among the nation�s 28 vet schools last year by U.S. News and World Report.

An investigation was launched in February after someone alleged that students had worked out a way to share answers on online take-home tests, according to university officials. There are about 650 students in Ohio State�s four-year Doctor of Veterinary Medicine program.

Officials would not name the courses involved or discuss the discipline in detail, citing federal student-privacy laws, but a written statement noted that penalties for unauthorized collaboration can range from a warning to dismissal and also include receiving a zero on the exam or quiz in question.

The college�s Student Judiciary Committee imposed the punishments, and its rulings were upheld by the college�s Executive Committee. Some of the students are appealing their punishments to the office of the university provost.

When investigators examined data from the tests in question, they looked at where tests were taken and how long it took students to complete them. They also searched for patterns of right and wrong answers.

As a result of the conspiracy, OSU�s Office of Academic Affairs is reviewing other veterinary-college tests and quizzes that used the same software as the test on which the cheating was discovered. The college began using the software two years ago.

The college also has stopped using the software for any exams or quizzes on which collaboration is banned and, in the future, won�t assign take-home tests on which collaboration isn�t allowed.

A written statement said the university will make changes to student orientation programs and other training to stress more heavily the honor code and �university-wide expectations for academic conduct.� It also is developing new training for instructors on dealing with �academic misconduct in the digital age.�

Last year, the university punished 24 students in the College of Food, Agriculture and Environmental Sciences after finding that one student completed online coursework for the other 23 in exchange for payment. In the 2014-15 school year, the university found a total of 501 undergraduate and graduate students in violation of academic-conduct rules, up from 457 the previous year. Those numbers do not include professional students such as those in the veterinary program.

Sharing answers on take-home tests has become a familiar source of large-scale scandal. In 2012, Harvard University announced that it was investigating 125 students accused of working together on such a test. The incident raised questions about whether a current academic and business-world emphasis on collaboration and working in teams has blurred students� understanding of what constitutes cheating.

mcedward@dispatch.com

@MaryMoganEdward