Background: Cheating in university education is commonly described as context dependent and influenced by assessment design, institutional norms, and student interpretation. In software engineering education, programming oriented coursework has historically involved ambiguity around collaboration, reuse, and external assistance. Recently, large language models (LLMs) have introduced additional mediation in the production of code and related artifacts. Aims: This study investigates how software engineering students describe experiences of using LLMs in ways they perceived as inappropriate, disallowed, or misaligned with course expectations. Method: A cross sectional survey was conducted with 116 undergraduate software engineering students from multiple countries, combining quantitative summaries with qualitative data. Results: Reported LLM cheating practices occurred primarily in programming assignments, routine coursework, and documentation tasks, often in contexts of time pressure and unclear guidance. Use during quizzes and exams was less frequent and more consistently identified as a violation. Students reported awareness of academic and professional consequences regarding LLM cheating, while formal sanctions were perceived as limited. Conclusions: Our study indicates that reported LLM misuse in software engineering is associated with assessment and instructional conditions, suggesting a need for clearer alignment between assessment design, learning objectives, and expectations for LLM use.

翻译：摘要：背景：大学教育中的作弊现象通常被描述为具有情境依赖性，并受评估设计、制度规范和学生解读的影响。在软件工程教育中，以编程为导向的课程作业历来涉及协作、代码复用和外部辅助方面的模糊性。近年来，大语言模型（LLM）进一步介入了代码及相关工件的生成过程。目的：本研究旨在探究软件工程专业学生对于以自认为不当、被禁止或不符合课程预期的方式使用LLM的经历描述。方法：对来自多个国家的116名软件工程本科生进行横截面调查，结合定量总结与定性数据进行分析。结果：所报告的LLM作弊行为主要出现在编程作业、常规课程任务和文档编写中，通常发生在时间紧迫且指导方针不明确的情境下。在测验和考试中使用LLM的情况较少，且更被一致认定为违规行为。学生普遍意识到LLM作弊可能带来的学术与职业后果，但认为正式制裁措施有限。结论：本研究表明，软件工程领域中报告的LLM滥用行为与评估及教学条件相关，这提示需在评估设计、学习目标与LLM使用预期之间建立更清晰的协调。