Blog Assignment One: Academic Integrity
It has been said that cheating is “on the rise” in high schools. New technology, such as camera phones, text messaging, and the Internet have undoubtedly helped to make sharing information much easier. Policies and procedures have been tightened in an effort to stop this “outbreak” of cheating. Having taken a myriad of tests over the past year, I can attest that merely possessing a cell phone is enough to disqualify you from any standardized exam. I do not believe, however, that the solution is as simple as “buckling down” on testing security. The issues surrounding academic integrity are complex, and to fully understand them one needs to look at both how the school and the students are responding to this issue.
How is this being addressed at the high school level? Based on my experiences, the schools seem to be responding in a few ways. The first is by externally motivating students to uphold the academic code of honor. By distributing written copies of the code and reading it to the class, the administration lays out its expectations. Consequences for failing to meet these standards might range from a lowered grade to possible expulsion. Certain websites which identify plagiarized work can also help to discourage cheating. This provides further external motivation to uphold the code. For example, “turnitin.com”, a website used by several of my teachers, requires students to submit papers online. Once submitted, the site highlights sections of the paper matching other texts, allowing teachers to identify copied work. Thus, by setting out clear expectations and enforcing consequences, schools relay the message that “cheating is bad”.
The second part of the message is that “cheating is wrong”. In addition to relying on external motivation, the school appeals to students’ inner consciences, as well. Many teachers reinforce this by explaining that plagiarism is a form of stealing and is morally wrong. They teach that cheating does not merely break a written school code, but also breaches an unwritten ethical code. In an effort to reduce plagiarism, instructors often teach the proper method for creating a works cited page. There are also numerous resources on the web for reference; my high school, for example, had links leading to templates for writing a bibliography. By teaching them to cite their sources, and reinforcing the importance of doing so, schools are actively empowering students to pursue academic integrity.
So, what else can be done to stop cheating in the schools? I believe nothing. That is not to say that schools should condone cheating, but rather, that it ultimately becomes the student’s responsibility to practice scholastic integrity. Whether using an in-text citation in a biology paper, quoting Dickens in an English essay, or naming the biography used for a history report, students must reference the sources that they have drawn from. This idea is not just constrained to formal writing, but should be applied to all areas of writing in education. Glancing at what someone has written on their math test or copying someone’s French homework is claiming someone else’s work as one’s own. This is still plagiarism. Thus, it is critical that while working collaboratively, students strive to maintain academic integrity, honesty, and excellence in every area of learning.
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