Throughout this week we’ve discussed many aspects of integrity and honesty in academics and in real life situations. Although the situations and environments change, the core issue remains constant in all threads, when people choose to abandon their moral principles they negatively impact their own lives and the lives of other people around them. Our discussions have shown examples from cheating in the classroom to cheating on a spouse, all situations that could have been avoided and all the result of flawed integrity on behalf of one or more people. The concept of integrity is simple but it runs deep in the course of our daily lives and I feel there is little, if any, separation of the influence it has in an academic or professional setting. We have the opportunity to exercise our integrity, or lack of it, in every decision we make and every …show more content…
They are byproducts of the situation, not the cause. It’s easy to find an excuse to cut corners in any situation, but the act of cutting corners is still a direct result of the integrity of the person doing it. In an “all about me society” it’s not hard to believe students will cheat to ensure they get the grades they want. The idea of earning something by working hard for it doesn’t exist in most vocabularies anymore. The use of Honor Codes at schools and universities has played an important role in reducing instances of cheating. According to a study reported in one article, “24% of students report cheating vs. 47% in schools without Honor Codes” (Roberts & Hai-Jew, 2009). Statistics like this paint a good picture, but I have a sneaky suspicion that part of the reason schools with Honor Codes have lower reported instances of cheating (by students) is because many of the students don’t want to admit to being dishonest in a school with such high ethical
William Damon, a professor of education at Stanford University, analyzes the value of honesty and the ways in which people in our current society may be falling short of or disrespecting the moral and ethical responsibility of honesty. His article “The Death of Honesty”, written in a formal style and neutral tone, uses the appeals of logos and ethos to convince the reader of this societal dysfunction. He first considers the fact that honesty has some exceptions in which it is acceptable to lie. Secondly, he discusses the importance of candor in human relationships, and that dishonesty is socially impairing our current society. Lastly, he analyzes educational settings which seem to be in recent years neglecting to teach and reinforce morals
Integrity to me means going above and beyond with everything I do. I think this will fuel good grades and completion of assignments. Having good integrity also came with some confidence, because I had to do more and go outside of the crowd. I did and do more than everyone else, that made me fell a lot more confident about my actions. Confidence has pushed me to make suggestions that I otherwise wouldn't.
In “Why Colleges Should Ditch Honor Codes” Susan Greenberg is trying to inform the audience as to why society does not require the honor code anymore. The rules that lie behind this regulation are becoming outdated and more students are finding themselves punished for disobeying it. A lot of honor code schools are trying to get rid of this process because it only brings the students more pressure. Typically, students that are in honor code schools tend to cheat more than schools that do not possess it. If a student is enrolled in a more prestigious school, he/she is more tempted to cheat in order to maintain his or her good grades. Greenberg explains a situation that took place in Stanford University that led more than 100 students in academic
Across the nation, schools, colleges and universities have established honor codes in their campuses to discourage cheating and promote academic integrity. Whether or not their honor codes are effective is a topic well debated and both sides have merit. At my school, Brookwood High School, the honor code should be revised, for only in an environment where the students are involved, consequences for cheating are high, and a culture of honor and integrity are established, can such as system thrive and succeed.
Dr. Morris states, “Despite the increase in interest [on ethics], there are pressures on schools to produce students who make money their top priority, particularly from school rankings that are based partly on how much salaries increase after graduation. Built into those structures are incentives to behave unethically” (Gardner, 2). In this case, the bottom line for the school is its school ranking. If schools are able to produce top students with secure and high salaries, the prestige of the school increases. Often times, the pressure for students to perform well is coupled with incentives such as a sense of entitlement as a “valedictorian” or a “magna cum laude” student. Within this context, it is important to keep in mind how money is perceived as a means to an end. With an increased yet secure salary comes a hierarchy of status, power, and image for both the student and the school. . In the real world, there are a limited number of seats for those to be on the top, but many people fighting to attain one of those seats. Competition creates much tension between students of the same school since the opportunity to advance and secure financial stability is appealing and restrictive. Personal integrity may be compromised by students who choose to cheat their way to the top. Unethical behavior such as cheating during exams or projects, lying
Throughout our childhood, making our way up through the dozen years of schooling we are required to complete, the intolerance for cheating is always revealed, and there’s obvious effort in enforcing it, but not many people follow the honor code set in place. For any reason at all, the decision between compromising your morals and maintaining your integrity always depends on the consequences and the environment in which it’s taking place. Establishing an honor code isn’t what’s difficult, maintaining one is. Maintaining an honor code should be done fairly and thoroughly, with no exceptions or bias.
Studies have shown that, “…many schools with academic honor codes allow students to take their exams without proctors present, relying on peer monitoring to control cheating…a more important factor seems to be the peer culture that develops on honor code campuses—a culture that makes most forms of serious cheating socially unacceptable among the majority of students” (Source F). By using peers to uphold the honor codes, students are embarrassed if they are caught cheating. Therefore, they are less likely to defy the honor code at their school. However, if they break the honor code they should be punished by the same students and teachers who revised the honor code. Honor codes will be revised and enforced differently. For example one school’s, “honor code is strictly enforced, and the enforcement is handled by an all-student court. Students convicted of lying or cheating can expect to receive punishments ranging from suspension to expulsion” (Source C). If the honor code is in place, it needs to be enforced by the same people who follow it. This creates trust between the students and teachers which is how an effective honor code should
The Honor Code system is the moral expectation of trusting students to confront and report their fellow peers when they see that he/she is not obligating the honor code policies. The Schools should eliminate all honor code policies. By eliminating the honor code policies the high schools and colleges will accept that the non-reporting of lying, cheating, and plagiarism is inevitable whether or not the students sign the honor codes. The schools will gain back the trust and respect of the students by changing the overall atmosphere. Not all schools have the abilities to prove these honor codes effective.
...rity, as with as much in life, involves a system of interconnected rights and responsibilities that reflect our mutual dependence upon one another. The success of our individual efforts in this course, as with so much in life, depends on all of us conscientiously exercising our rights and living up to our responsibilities. And the failure of any of us--even just one of us--to do what is required will diminish, however slightly, the opportunity for the rest to achieve their goals. That is why it's essential for all of us in this class to practice academic integrity, n both senses of the word practice. For practice today will lay a solid foundation for practice tomorrow, and the day after that, and the day after that, so that through daily practice integrity will come to woven throughout the fabric of our lives, and thus through at least a part of the fabric of society.
For example, many students believe cheating when it’s once in awhile becomes a problem. Many campuses do not have honor codes because they do not want students involved (Mccabe). This shows that students think that cheating is not okay. Secondly, some might say that “students who have violated the honor code and not been caught is only 40%” (Sledge,Sally and Paige). This shows that 20 % are honest. However,’’American high schools, with roughly two-thirds of students acknowledging one or more incidents of explicit cheating in the last year”(Mccabe). This shows that more high schools are cracking down on cheating. In conclusion, this is how Academic codes keep people in
The purpose of honor codes, generally, is to promote an ethical and moral way of life, whether just in academia or in all aspects. Cheating and plagiarism are clearly behaviors that undermine the individual student’s education, as well as the institution as a whole. If academic work is done dishonestly, the degree gained at that institution becomes worthless. However, I do not feel that a rigid honor code is the most effective way to tackle the problems of academic dishonesty. For example, a strict honor code becomes just another rule for young adults to rebel against. Co...
Honesty and integrity play a large role in academics in different levels of expertise: Elementary, High School, and College. During elementary school, children are not only developing their physical bodies, but there minds as well. They a... ... middle of paper ... ...
From a young age we are taught the differences between right and wrong, but as we get older the line between moral and immoral is often blurred. Things that were once thought of as unacceptable are now perfectly fine in our minds. Have you ever seen anyone cheat on an assignment or exam? Do you know anyone that’s been expelled from school for cheating? What if it was discovered that a U.S. senator plagiarized his college thesis paper? Imagine if it got out that one of the most respected universities in the U.S. was involved in a huge fraud scandal that involved thousands of students. Academic cheating is a terrible offense because it is unethical, self-degrading, and can be detrimental to the learning environment.
In conclusion, integrity is a vital part of all our lives. Without a basic human integrity, we are animals. Integrity defines how we live, and who we are. Are we good people? Is our neighborhood safe? Is our college a great place to live? When trying to answer these questions, you first look at the integrity. In life and in death, a man will always be defined by his integrity. Is this neighborhood safe for me to my family to? Is this college a good one to send my child to? These questions are constantly being asked, and the answer always lies in integrity.
Cheating is prevalent and on the rise, especially in schools. In a 2009 study of advantage high school students from 4,316 high schools, 93% stated they cheated at least once. Within this same study 26% of upperclassman cheated five out of nine ways students cheat (Galloway 378), usually by plagiarizing , copying another student’s homework or exam, or collaborating on homework (McCabe 3). Students are under a lot of stress and pressure to succeed in school and in their personal life which comes from other peers, society, family expectations, and themselves. When students see fellow classmates cheat, it sends a message to them that it is acceptable. It has become the normalized (Galloway 378-379). However the consequences if they are caught are getting expelled from school, or receiving a low grade in the class, which in turn will show on their transcript. It’s been shown that teachers don’t report students cheating, handle it in their own way, or they just simply ignore the issue because the teachers don’t want have to deal with all the paperwork in reporting (McCabe 133). According to McCabe’s survey of 789 teachers at 16 U.S. colleges from 2002 to 2010, 40% ignored the issue of cheating and 51% didn’t repo...