Archives for the Month of August 2007 on Colin Mulholland's Online Journal
The Aspects of Cheating
Colin Mulholland
August 30, 2007
“The Aspects of Cheating”
Cheating in my high school was a very common occurrence as I am sure it was very similar for many others as well. Some students reasoning behind the situation was “cheating is cheating only if you get caught” – Taylor (a longtime friend and classmate). I am completely against all forms of cheating because I value my moral integrity much higher than I do a letter grade that my professor may be giving based on his or her opinion of my work. Others may think different and feel that a certain assignment maybe the deciding point of them being accepted into their dream university. Others may be so pressured by their parents, that they feel that their best work is not acceptable; therefore, they must try and gain an edge on their fellow classmates. The other two fields of cheaters are those who are not intellectually gifted or those who are just plain lazy. Everyone who cheats may have a reason, but there is no excuse for anyone to cheat or to allow another to do so.
Lack of academic integrity is a huge reason why cheating is so “accepted.” Teachers want to think that cheating only exists with the less intelligent students because never would they ever suppose one of their “little angels” ever try to copy or steal someone else’s work. I feel that cheating is much more common from the middle to upper level students who are fighting for their class rank or attempting to get into elite institutions. There are countless extreme measures that students take on the daily basis to steal other’s hard earned knowledge. They range from the blatant cheating to downloaded coke bottle wrappers, calculator storing, writing on the upper thigh region (girls), and putting a “cheat sheet” in the back of a tie (guys). The last two were only common in my high school because it was private and we had a strict dress code which included skirts for the girls and ties for the boys. Some maybe thought as more productive than others, but in reality they are all pathetic and sickening.
Administration may feel that cheating is way too prevalent and accepted amongst their student body, but they feel they have done all they can. This is outrageous! Some teachers use multiple choice tests which I am completely against because I feel that they just invite students to cheat and give a student who is completely unprepared the opportunity of passing just because he or she is a quality guesser. Short answer questions and essay exams not only test students thought process and understanding of the material much better, but it is also much more difficult to copy. If a student is used to writing essays in class, then he or she will be more comfortable with longer papers and less inclined to plagiarize.
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