Academic Dishonesty
Dr. Huggins
Issue date: 9/4/08 Section: Opinion
On the first day of class each term, like most of my fellow instructors, I talk to my students about plagiarism and academic dishonesty. I explain what kinds of activities are permitted and which are not, and talk about the consequences of academic dishonesty.
Despite this, I end up dealing with cases of plagiarism on a regular basis. It's extremely painful to call a student into my office and show them the evidence of their own dishonesty, and decide upon a penalty to be imposed. It is, by far, the worst part of my job.
Students hear these sorts of speeches about academic dishonesty all the time. Most instructors talk about the issue on a regular basis.
And yet, cheating still goes on all the time. Obviously, simply calling on students to act honorably and honestly doesn't seem to be terribly effective in encouraging good academic behavior. So let me try a different approach to the subject.
When you submit work for a class that is not your own, you are lying to your instructors. You are saying "This is my work", when it isn't.
You are also saying that you think your instructors are so oblivious that they can't tell the difference between your work and someone else's work.
Students tell me all the time that they resort to cheating because they couldn't understand how to do the material, and felt they had no other option. Of course, I hold office hours every week, which are largely deserted. I faithfully attend class every day and offer to answer questions, even though students rarely speak up in class (if they bother to attend at all). I answer email at all hours of the day, even though students don't send me a note. And yet, with all of these opportunities to speak to me, students tell me over and over again that they had no other options but to cheat.
I take that sort of attitude as a personal insult. It's bad enough that my students, who will be the future leaders of our world, don't feel that honesty and integrity are important values to cultivate.
Despite this, I end up dealing with cases of plagiarism on a regular basis. It's extremely painful to call a student into my office and show them the evidence of their own dishonesty, and decide upon a penalty to be imposed. It is, by far, the worst part of my job.
Students hear these sorts of speeches about academic dishonesty all the time. Most instructors talk about the issue on a regular basis.
And yet, cheating still goes on all the time. Obviously, simply calling on students to act honorably and honestly doesn't seem to be terribly effective in encouraging good academic behavior. So let me try a different approach to the subject.
When you submit work for a class that is not your own, you are lying to your instructors. You are saying "This is my work", when it isn't.
You are also saying that you think your instructors are so oblivious that they can't tell the difference between your work and someone else's work.
Students tell me all the time that they resort to cheating because they couldn't understand how to do the material, and felt they had no other option. Of course, I hold office hours every week, which are largely deserted. I faithfully attend class every day and offer to answer questions, even though students rarely speak up in class (if they bother to attend at all). I answer email at all hours of the day, even though students don't send me a note. And yet, with all of these opportunities to speak to me, students tell me over and over again that they had no other options but to cheat.
I take that sort of attitude as a personal insult. It's bad enough that my students, who will be the future leaders of our world, don't feel that honesty and integrity are important values to cultivate.
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