The Future of Academic Honesty - Paper

Academic dishonesty undermines the purpose of graduate school because it devalues the student’s education and also hurts the reputation of the school. When a student devalues their education it shows that the student values a grade more than they value the lessons they are learning. In

Cheating has always been an issue among students. Almost everyone cheats in some fashion in classes. Whether it’s by blatantly copying another student’s answers, or working together on an assignment meant to be done on your own, cheating will remain a staple occurrence in academic life. In Rebekah Nathan’s article, “The Art of College Management: Cheating,” Nathan (2005) delves into students’ various reasons for cheating and even includes cheating as an “aspect[] of student culture,” (p. 27) from the point of view of a student. Nathan defends cheating as a whole by including it as an inevitable part of student culture. Additionally, she claims that everyone cheats, further diving into the idea that cheating is not inherently wrong. As a result of consistently defending cheating, Nathan neglects to provide worthy solutions to the issue as well as ignoring the consequences of cheating.

Ethics are the principals that build an individual’s character and integrity. It is the code of conduct that a person lives by; it is the way that a person conducts themselves when no one is around. Stealing, lying, and cheating are wrong, yet every day in the workplace these issues occur. Growing competition lends to the need for people to do what they can to get ahead and stay ahead. Ethics are pushed to the side as people try to gain power or to stay out of trouble, all at the risk of tarnishing their character. This same mindset has spilled over into Academia. A student’s desire to successfully earn a degree by any means necessary has caused educational institutions to address these ethical issues by setting policies in place to combat academic dishonesty.

Multiple studies have found that students are spending less time on their academic studies leading to a decrease in education and an increase in temptation of academic dishonesty.  Cheating has been prevalent since mankind existed, but writer William Chace gives his outlook on the issue in his article, “A Question of Honor”. Chace is able to use adequate reasoning to engage the reader in an article that depicts perspectives from every angle. Included within the article are a sense of sympathy, through explanations and even a proposed solution of how to end academic dishonesty.

Plagiarism can be described in different ways depending on the policy of the academic or professional institution. Consequences of plagiarizing work have a significant impact on the individual. Strategies exist to help avoid plagiarism. There are policies for academic integrity in all of academia.

Chace, W. M. (2012). A Question of Honor: Cheating on campus undermines the reputation of our universities and the value of their degrees. Now is the time for students themselves to stop it. (Cover story). American Scholar, 81(2), 20-32.

As college standards increase yearly, students feel greater pressure to succeed. As a result of the rising academic expectations, cheating has become a national issue and most students have admitted to cheating at least once in their educational career. Overloaded with school work, students see cheating as an advantage and step towards academic success. Thus, cheating results from an urgency to do well in school and being overscheduled.

Prior to completing the Academic Integrity Program, I thought academic integrity was as simple “not cheating.” I considered it a policy solely implemented to ensure that students learned the material. To me, cheating was mostly plagiarism, or trying to pass off someone else’s work as your own. It was not until I completed the program that I began to understand the long-term effects of cheating on the peers, the professor, and the institution. Now, I understand that cheating affects not just me, but also the other students in my courses and the university’s reputation. I also understand the reasoning behind the university’s strict policies regarding academic integrity violations, as they are in place to protect the student, the classmates,

75% of college students cheat at one time or another in their college careers due to laziness, competitive pressures, or simply fear. In “Cheating Lessons: Part 3”, by James M. Lang, he explains that certain learning environments unknowingly give students opportunities to cheat. Lang also provides tactics to help classrooms reduce the numbers of cheating, while aiding students to achieve their academic goals with the right “tools.”

Solution of cheating culture is honor codes and techniques for academic integrity which are important parts of the solution. It is the responsibility of students as well as faculty and administration to establish an environment where honest students do not feel that they are at risk or disadvantage. “Just as cheating can become normalized at a school, so too can academic integrity efforts move the pendulum in the other direction and create a climate where cheating is not cool” (Callahan, 2005). Academic integrity and

The principle of academic integrity stretches beyond the limits of a classroom. Good students are honest with themselves, their professors, their roommates, and their community.

Many researchers have indicated that cheating is a serious problem on campuses (Bowers, 1964; Engler et al., 2008; Gallant, 2008; Leming, 1978; McCabe, Trevino, & Butterfield, 2001). Studies completed by Bowers (1964) and McCabe and Trevino (1996) revealed nearly identical results regarding student-cheating behavior despite the 30 year time span; both studies identified that

Student Perceptions of Cheating in Online CoursesYour Name:Class Name:University Name:Instructor Name:Student Perceptions of Cheating in Online CoursesAcademic integrity has long been a core concern of faculty as well as administrators operating in campuses. Recent statistics done on the extent of cheating that occurs in college campuses shows that the large majority of students have engaged in this vice to some extent. The core difference in today’s environment is the wide proliferation of technological devices that are used for both delivering as well as accessing information on university courses. Educators are fast becoming concerned on the impact that technology has on the numerous forms of academic dishonesty. Indeed a number of sources have argued that the internet is fast becoming a major culprit for the increasing instances of academic dishonesty. This paper therefore strives to examine what is the prevalence of cheating in online courses looking at it from the college student’s perspective.The number of students who a-re actively participating in college level online courses has far outpaced other forms of distance learning. Online courses are becoming a critical part of many campuses long term strategy as evidenced by the fact that colleges have seen a distinct increase in the levels of online enrolment. The growth in learning opportunities online has increased on the concerns concerning cheating in online courses (Cluskey et al, 2011). Numerous studies have

McCabe has said that an estimated seventy percent of college students have admitted to some type of cheating. He supports this claim by saying that the parties to blame here is the school system and the media. HBU defines academic dishonesty to when a student cheats or steals someone’s work and passes it as their own among these are a list of actions that count for academic dishonesty. Some examples being brought up about dishonesty is how in the NFL saw past the deflating incident in the Super Bowl were it seems like the media praised the player for his actions (Loschiavo). Therefor, students think it is correct to do be dishonest in their class work.

Academic dishonesty is another facet of unethical behaviour. It is an action or attempt that results in creating an unfair academic advantage for oneself or a disadvantage for any other member of academic community. A child uses his or her experiences in society to shape personal ethics. Family has a strong influence on one's values and behaviour,parents establish rules from the start and it becomes the basis for our ethics and morals. A personal ethical commitment is part of what makes students a success. A lack of ethical commitment will always result in acdemic failure. I personally believe that students who are academically dishonest cheat themselves out of an education and harm their fellow students by screwing the grading curve for the class as a whole. Therefore academic ethics are vital and students should commit themselves to maintaining highest personal ethical standards.