The Negative Effects Of Academic Dishonesty

Academic dishonesty is more prevalent in education in the United States today than ever before and has negative effects on academic institutions. Access to the Internet and advancements in technology has made academic dishonesty easier for students to commit. Students use these resources to perform plagiarism in academic papers and cheat on exams and online assignments. The number of students who engaged in acts of academic dishonesty has increased exponentially (Aaron and Roche 161). Colleges,such as Harvard and Yale, have noticed a rise in cases of academic dishonesty on their campuses. Acts of academic dishonesty can also ruin the reputations of schools. Incidents involving academic dishonesty have featured frequently in the media and can affect the credibility and academic integrity of colleges.

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In their 2013 detailed report on academic dishonesty throughout education, Stemming The Tide of Academic Dishonesty, the authors stated , “ [Academic dishonesty] has been with us for at least decades, but has increased in recent years perhaps related to the impact of technology” (162). Plagiarism is easier to commit because students can copy and paste the research and the intellectual property of others into their work and submit the assignments as their own, original work. Students can search for answers during their tests and quizzes on the Internet using electronic devices such as smartphones (Roche and Aaron 170). Also, colleges are implementing more online courses for their students. Although online classes have their benefits, academic honesty can also occur. According to research found in Stemming The Tide of Academic Dishonesty, “ One professor from the University of California, Berkeley was astounded to find groups of 20 people in a class submitting the same homework (Pappano, 2012).” (qtd. in Aaron and Roche