Editing Herzing Issues: Academic Integrity (section)

=== HU-086: Open-book, unproctored prerequisite test-outs create foundational academic integrity concern ===
{| class="wikitable" style="width:100%"
! style="width:14em" | Severity
| High
! style="width:14em" | Status
| CONFIRMED
|-
! Issue type
| Prerequisite Assessment Integrity
! Date added
| 2026-05-05
|-
! Owner
| colspan="3" | Academic Affairs / Enrollment / Registrar
|}
'''Finding.''' Herzing offers test-out exams for prerequisite courses (A&P I & II, Chemistry, Microbiology, Statistics) at one hundred dollars per exam. Students confirmed these exams are open book, unproctored, and can be completed from home. One student documented passing all four prerequisites without studying, scoring 92, 98, 94, and 96 respectively, noting she used knowledge retained from a recent TEAS exam. Another student took a twelve-dollar Udemy microbiology course before her test-out and passed with a 93. The formal Herzing test-out email documented in the Facebook group does not specify open book; it only states the exam is password protected and warns of technical issues, yet students confirm it is open book in practice, a discrepancy between institutional policy as stated and as practiced.

'''Evidence.''' Formal Herzing Test-Out Email (documented approximately lines 14391 to 14415): does not say open book but warns about technical disconnection, and contains no proctoring requirement. Source Group: Herzing Direct Entry MSN Facebook Group Export (Dec 2022 to May 2026), Exhaustive Line-by-Line Review, 34,887 lines, 1,350 posts, 14,112 comments, 8 passes (Volume 7).

'''Reported statement.''' Student CF reported passing four prerequisite test-outs without studying, using retained knowledge from a recent TEAS exam, and stated that each test-out allowed only one try and was 45 minutes for 50 questions. Student J said the exams were open book and not proctored. Student BK told other students the exams were literally open book and to use whatever resources they found helpful. Student K said the exam was 50 multiple-choice questions on very fundamental content, and that she took a twelve-dollar Udemy microbiology course before her test-out and passed with a 93. Student D said the exam was unproctored but timed, and that an 85 percent score was required to pass.

'''Standards.''' 34 CFR §668.14 (administrative capability): institutions must maintain academic standards and credential integrity. ACEN Standard 3 (Curriculum): prerequisite requirements exist to ensure students have foundational knowledge for advanced nursing coursework; allowing test-outs that can be passed without studying undermines this gatekeeping function. Academic integrity principles: assessments used for credit must maintain reasonable security measures. A one-hundred-dollar open-book, unproctored exam for graduate nursing prerequisites does not provide meaningful academic gatekeeping. 34 CFR §600.2 (credit hour): credits awarded through test-out must reflect genuine competency demonstration.

'''Impact.''' Students entering the MSN-DE nursing program without genuine prerequisite mastery, because test-outs can be passed without studying, are less prepared for high-stakes nursing coursework and clinical settings. Nurses who lacked foundational A&P, Chemistry, and Microbiology preparation may practice with gaps in foundational knowledge. The revenue dimension is also notable: one hundred dollars per test multiplied by approximately four prerequisites and the number of students opting for test-outs represents a significant revenue stream for what amounts to an open-book quiz.

'''Notes.''' The discrepancy between the formal policy email (no open book mention) and actual practice (universally described as open book) suggests either the policy is intentionally vague or students are not being informed of restrictions. Either way, the outcome is functionally equivalent to an open-book assessment. Cross-reference: {{HU|HU-078}} (HESI exam content sharing), {{HU|HU-037}} (in-cohort exam sharing), {{HU|HU-051}} (cross-cohort exam sharing), the test-out issue being the upstream entry-point version of the broader academic integrity pattern.

<span id="HU-089"></span>