Academic Integrity In College
RJ Gare Gare 1
09-27-13James
Eng. 101-032
Academic Integrity: how to solve the problem at MCC
When considering the academic integrity, or lack thereof, amongst today’s college students, it is important to understand that there are a variety of reasons why students cheat. More importantly, they have been influenced by faculty members as well as teachers they had in high school. While every college is different and made up of unique demographics, it is generally true that there are students who will always cheat, and students who will refuse to cheat. In order to preserve academic integrity at MCC, the focus has to be …show more content…
However if that same student had a professor who strongly reinforced the importance of academic integrity, they may be less likely to cheat because there would be a much higher chance of getting caught. This will only work to a certain extent however because if there are not harsh punishments, students will not fear getting caught. One of the most effective punishments for academic dishonesty can be seen at the University of Maryland. “The standard sanction for academic dishonesty at Maryland is the "XF" grade penalty, noted on the transcript as "failure due to academic dishonesty." Students may petition the Honor Council for removal of the "X" from the transcript one year after being found responsible for an offense if they successfully complete an academic integrity seminar (Office np).” In order for it to be successful, the “XF” grade would have to be mandatory for every class with every professor responsible for reporting all incidents of academic dishonesty. The downfall to this method is that there are many professors who simply don’t take the time to analyze and check to make sure work handed in to them was not plagiarized.
While students must accept their responsibility to do the right thing and preserve academic integrity, faculty members should be expected to do the same. If this means that they have to change their schedule to allow them more time to properly analyze and …show more content…
This makes students feel like they are playing a game rather than going to school to learn. Because of this, students consider their work less important and, seeing as their goal is to pass a test, why would it matter if they cheated on a simple homework assignment? In order to combat this problem, MCC and other colleges need to work with local high schools to develop a plan to educate students at the middle and high school level to appreciate academic integrity and understand how it affects everyone. Studies have shown that the percentage of students who admitted cheating decreases as they go up in grade. This is likely a result of them hearing over and over again the importance of academic integrity in college. If this process were to start at the high school level, students would be more educated about the issue and would be more prepared to not cheat in
09-27-13James
Eng. 101-032
Academic Integrity: how to solve the problem at MCC
When considering the academic integrity, or lack thereof, amongst today’s college students, it is important to understand that there are a variety of reasons why students cheat. More importantly, they have been influenced by faculty members as well as teachers they had in high school. While every college is different and made up of unique demographics, it is generally true that there are students who will always cheat, and students who will refuse to cheat. In order to preserve academic integrity at MCC, the focus has to be …show more content…
However if that same student had a professor who strongly reinforced the importance of academic integrity, they may be less likely to cheat because there would be a much higher chance of getting caught. This will only work to a certain extent however because if there are not harsh punishments, students will not fear getting caught. One of the most effective punishments for academic dishonesty can be seen at the University of Maryland. “The standard sanction for academic dishonesty at Maryland is the "XF" grade penalty, noted on the transcript as "failure due to academic dishonesty." Students may petition the Honor Council for removal of the "X" from the transcript one year after being found responsible for an offense if they successfully complete an academic integrity seminar (Office np).” In order for it to be successful, the “XF” grade would have to be mandatory for every class with every professor responsible for reporting all incidents of academic dishonesty. The downfall to this method is that there are many professors who simply don’t take the time to analyze and check to make sure work handed in to them was not plagiarized.
While students must accept their responsibility to do the right thing and preserve academic integrity, faculty members should be expected to do the same. If this means that they have to change their schedule to allow them more time to properly analyze and …show more content…
This makes students feel like they are playing a game rather than going to school to learn. Because of this, students consider their work less important and, seeing as their goal is to pass a test, why would it matter if they cheated on a simple homework assignment? In order to combat this problem, MCC and other colleges need to work with local high schools to develop a plan to educate students at the middle and high school level to appreciate academic integrity and understand how it affects everyone. Studies have shown that the percentage of students who admitted cheating decreases as they go up in grade. This is likely a result of them hearing over and over again the importance of academic integrity in college. If this process were to start at the high school level, students would be more educated about the issue and would be more prepared to not cheat in