Brown University professor bans take-home exams after cheating outbreak

A Brown University economics professor, Roberto Serrano, banned take-home exams after a mass cheating incident in his class: about 40 of 86 students earned 100 on a take-home midterm (average around 96), prompting a review. The professor then shifted to an in-person final; of 59 who took the final, 19 failed, with many submitting blank papers. Serrano, who is blind, argues the episode underscores the need for genuine learning and hard work, and he will void the midterm if the final’s grade distribution differs from the midterm’s.