3) Then, with reference to all 5 theories, explain why cheating in the academic context is unethical. [25 points]
Cheating in any circumstance is ethically wrong. Since this project mainly targets students, we will discuss the importance of why academic dishonesty is unethical and why academic integrity should be practiced by all.
What is Academic Dishonesty?
It’s the practice of participating in any fraudulent activities in an academic setting. This can be in the form of cheating, plagiarism, fabrication, deception and sabotage. (UC Berkeley)
One of the most common acts of academic dishonesty is cheating. Since it’s the easiest way out and requires no hard work, most students opt for this. For example, a student who is weak in a particular course or is under a lot of pressure by their parents and wants to achieve a good grade would choose to copy off answers from another student or use unapproved sources of material to cheat off an exam.
Why is this wrong? It’s simply unfair to others who put in a lot of time, hard work and effort to excel while someone else does nothing and achieves the same grade or sometimes even better. It’s unethical because copying someone’s work is the wrong thing to do. You need to put in your own effort to get a good grade. More importantly, cheating will never help you in the long run. Yes, you might pass your exam but that only means you achieved a good grade while in actuality you haven’t really learned anything at all. Punishments are now
Module Three Rough Draft One of the most common problems in our schooling system is that students cheat. This happens a lot with older students who struggle with the topic that their assignment is on. In “The Shadow Scholar” by Ed Dante, and “Introduction: Fraud and Fundamental Misunderstandings” by Shane Borrowman shows how students cheat to move on in their education. In both of these texts the authors tell their first-hand stories of their different students cheating.
The nature of cheating originates from the common misconception of helping others and a student’s lack of self-confidence. Plagiarism, not so different from cheating, disperses from the broad range of information on today’s technology. Through an authentic study, it has been revealed that teachers have established many students who have cheated their way through complexed assignments. Even misleading students who have kept a high grade point average has been found as participants of academic dishonesty. Today, professors seek to find different measures that should be taken to decrease cheating and plagiarism.
Cheating is nothing new to society. It has been seen over the years in schools and in life. Today, however, the cheating epidemic is out of control. In an essay written by Richard Perez-penasept, he shows us the facts of how cheating is out of control, and how a new set of rules on how to deal with cheating might be necessary. New competitive mindsets, easier access to online sources, and lack of integrity are reasons why schools should have more strict penalties against cheaters.
Throughout my high school education, I have found myself being unable to trust my peers as I have been told to cover my answer sheets during tests, or have seen other students on their phones during quizzes that I had studied hours for the night before. In my school, cheating runs rampant as many students feel that there is no consequence as it has been deemed socially acceptable, many teachers don’t discuss repercussions for cheating at the beginning of the year, and it is not very difficult to difficult to cheat. In fact, as outlined in Source F, two thirds of students surveyed at the collegiate level admit to acts of academic dishonesty. The same source found that “the highest levels of cheating are usually found at colleges that have not engaged their students in active dialogue on the issue of academic dishonesty,” (Source F). Although many would believe that implementing an honor code would stir further distrust among students as they are told to suspect and report each other, I believe that an honor code in my school would set an important precedent for academic honesty, as there is currently little to no social pressures around cheating.
This article on ethics was really interesting and a dilemma that is prevalent within criminal justice. In the article Dr. Steven Davis recognized that students cheating in high school increased by 20% in the 1940 to 75% today. Davis stated, "If students lack ethics in high school and college, then there should be little surprise that they lack ethics in their careers. (2008). " This observation by Davis holds some value, because individuals that is willing to cheat to get ahead, definitely has no problem crossing ethical lines, because in their mind the wrong is acceptable, just as it was when they cheated.
9/12/2016 Abdulaziz ENG -100 Assignment No.1 Kate Brennan In “Slip-Sliding Away, Down the Ethical Slope,” by Robert J. Sternberg, the author is concerned about a real problem that begins to spread within the whole society, which, in his words “goes much deeper than the occasional incident”. In fact, it is okay for cheaters to cheat, but they do not want to be caught. He starts off by giving two examples for two types of cheating. First, copying the work of someone else and getting exam answers beforehand.
High school and College students’ ethics have elevated over the years and has only increased. Cheating has been a tremendous epidemic for a long period of time and recently skyrocketed because of the creation of smartphones and electronics. Students who are academically dishonest are usually in honors and advanced placement classes because they are challenged and learning a more rigorous curriculum than the other students who are in college prep courses. The reason for their actions is because of academic stress students receive on a daily basis to obtain admirable grades, so they can go to a well-known college.
A lot of students don’t want to do something that can get them suspended or expelled from school. Those students choose to follow the rules and just do the work no matter how hard it is. As much as many students want to be honest, some students struggle so much in a class they feel the only way to pass is to cheat. Sadly. there are many people who can be paid off to write a paper or
Students are faced with more stress and unnecessary responsibilities. Honor codes stop students from learning many important communication skills, due to the fear of getting in trouble for plagiarism or unauthorized collaboration. Likewise, students are tempted to cheat by honor codes, due to the loose restrictions during exams. Students can take the test on their own time, and without a professor, meaning temptation will become increasingly hard to repress. Furthermore, students are forced to disclose their close peers for cheating, which cause tensions between classmates.
Utilitarianism Justification of Exam Cheating Utilitarianism is one of the best ethical approaches that can be used to justifying a right action from a wrong action by focusing on the outcome of the path taken. The most important thing is that the action taken to achieve a certain outcome has to be of the greater benefit of the society at large. Whether the outcome is bad, it can be used to morally justify some deeds regardless of how inhumane they can be. On the other side, utilitarianism also does not justify everything because it is difficult at time to predict whether the actions taken will be good or bad at the end. Additionally, values cannot be accounted for.
Dishonesty harms us and harms others as well. Being honest at school is by choosing not to cheat in any way.
I remember some classmates, cheating back in high school. Throughout my entire educational career, I have experienced meeting a lot of cheaters. Plagiarism is considered a form of cheating. The punishment has changed from a zero grade to expulsion. A lot of students who cheat, are only fooling themselves.
Using Kant’s notion of a maxim it would be wrong to cheat on the final exam in a course that you do not like and feel you will not benefit from. In the book it stated this, “Immanuel Kant (1724-1804) argued that lying is wrong under any circumstances. He did not appeal to religion; instead, he held that lying is forbidden by reason itself” (Rachels 129). This shows that no matter what the situation may be that lying is looked down upon. He believed that every rational person should believe the Categorical Imperative.
Study shows that one reason why students cheat is because they feel as if they almost have to because of their peers. In their article, “Source Is Important When Developing A Social Norms Campaign to Combat Academic Dishonesty”, Jennifer N. Engler and Joshua D. Landau maintains that “By this account, students cheat because they believe that their peers
We are taught the difference between the right and wrong since our childhood but are always told that the lying and cheating always makes things difficult but when students go to school and college they are faced with different dilemma as then the cheating seems to be the easier way to get good grades. They do not really see cheating as the wrong way of doing things they see it as an easy way of doing things .They do not even consider it as an unethical thing because they have been taught that to do the right thing is the easy way .They are taught that the right path and the ethical path is always the easy one but in reality that is not true. The ethical and right path is difficult and complex as J.K.Rowling has said, “Sometimes we must choose between what is right and what is easy.”