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Importance of academic integrity for students
Importance of academic integrity for students
Importance of academic integrity for students
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Value of the Honor Code Throughout the nation, many high schools and colleges have used or still use what is called an honor code. An honor code is a pledge made by the school that states that student are not allowed to cheat, steal or plagiarize another student or author 's work. Students are also expected to inform the school if they see another student breaking the honor code. It is imperative that schools maintain the honor code to prevent cheating and dishonesty amongst its students. The honor code is what most schools use to defend against cheating and other dishonest acts. In today 's world, cheating is becoming more and more common among students. Two-thirds of fourteen thousand college students who were polled admitted to cheating …show more content…
Having an ineffective system is just as bad if not worse than not having one at all. Also, peer-pressure is a very influential force in a student’s life, regardless of age, and using that to create a world of academic integrity is a powerful asset. Honor codes are intended to teach responsibility, self-respect, and integrity. A strong honor code will make sure that students understand that the strict consequences of cheating will outweigh the rewards that students may receive by trying to take advantage of the system. It is important that students are taught at a younger age to have integrity and also avoid tempting decisions such as cheating, dishonesty, and plagiarism. This helps the students develop a pride in doing their own work. The honor code is critical to success of students of all ages and must adapt to the advancement with new technology …show more content…
Students who are under the honor code generally feel the same amount of pressure just like students who are under the non-honor code system do. However, students under the honor code see it as an integral part of integrity to their school or university. Honor codes stresses that students are responsible for policing each other and ensuring a leveled academic playing field. Some honor codes also involve students who help determine what some of the punishments can be when the code is broken. Students under the barrier of an honor code feel as though they are in a community of trust and loyalty to others and themselves and also to honor the trust and expectations from others (Can We Trust School Honor Codes to Prevent
The essay, “Standing Up for the Power of Learning,” by Jay Mathews explained how one of many students was accused of academic dishonesty. During the regular school session of the year 2001, three fourths of 187 students at Georgia Institute of Technology (GIT) were found guilty of cheating. This was because they collaborated on an assignment in a computer science (CS) course with friends. By communicating with others about the project, the students violated the course honor code that prohibited the discussion among students for that particular class.
Ethics or rather morals entail mechanisms that defend, systematize as well as recommend conceptions of right or wrong. Many organizations develop ethical codes to ensure employees and employers understand the difference in doing good or bad. In that respect, ethics are an essential aspect of successfully running of any organization or government. Ethics ensure employee’s productivity levels are up to the required standards. It also assists them to know their rights and responsibilities. Additionally, employers, as well as any persons in management, are guided by them to ensure they provide transparent leadership. Ethics also defines how customers should be handled. Ethical codes govern the relationship between customers and an
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.
All penalties are handled in an all-student court. The author states, “Our 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) Enforcing the honor code in this way give the students an input on how the students are charged. In order to inveigh a student for cheating or plagiarism, the they must have evidence leading up to the accusation of cheating. This way students will have laws of a propensity to cheat or
Honor codes or systems have been established at many schools across the nation, including Paloma Valley High School. These rules dictate what the school defines as ethical and yet not every student in attendance upholds these rules. Paloma Valley High School’s honor codes regarding education require maintenance as students avoid enforcement of the guidelines, meaning unethical behaviors prevail in a rather honest environment.
Even though students may be aware of the honor code, that doesn’t make them immune to cheating. It’s not enough to construct and present requirements--there has to be a swaying factor to influence the consideration of cheating. A brilliant approach of this would be “a requirement for students to write a pledge of honor on every piece of work submitted” (Source B).
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
Having a honor code or system in schools promote integrity. This code is the school's position on practices such as cheating, stealing and plagiarizing, along with the consequences of violating the code. Source C explains that the punishment of violating the code ranges from suspension to expulsion. Going even further, a consequence that has been carried through has been taking away a student’s diploma after he/she has graduated (Source D) . By having this penalty, it forces students to move away from the temptation to cheat or plagiarize. Students are now aware of the consequences of their action when they violate the code. Schools, such as the University of Virginia, have students memorize a saying that confirms that their work is nothing but theirs; students also have to write this saying on all their tests during their college career (Source D). Having students continually see and write this statement is a constant reminder
“The real question was what type of environment we wanted to live in (Source B).” By eliminating the honor codes this action will show the students that they will have zero confrontation and not be held responsible for the mistakes of their fellow peers. “The students opposed this obligation to take action against another student because they did not see it as their responsibility (Source B).” The problem about honor codes is that it can create confrontation between peers, which in result will create an uncomfortable and unfair environment. Therefore schools should disregard any form of honor codes because it is not full
After some research on other university honor codes, the processes of honor codes are really similar to the University of Colorado at Boulder. In fact, Colorado State University (CSU) have a similar honor code pledge as us, which is “I have not given, receive, or used any unauthorized assistance. ” Comparing the discipline process between here and CSU and Stanford University, they are looks identical but written differently. However, the discipline from Stanford are harsher than here an CSU. From the Office of Community Standard Student Affairs website, “the standard sanction for a first offense includes a one-quarter suspended suspension. ” While CSU, they have a bit more lenient sanction for a first offense. From the CSU website, there are
An honor code can affect students’ behavior positively by the student knowing between what is right and what is wrong; that builds a principle that student will follow for the rest of their life. Honor codes reduce the amount of cheating that is occurred in classrooms, this is very beneficial since cheating is looked at very negatively since it is a very dishonest way of showing your knowledge. Also, if a student has cheated their whole way through high school, their life would be much more difficult. An honor code not only gives a school a better name, but it also shows that the kids that come out of the school are honest and hard workers. We need honest hard workers for several important jobs, such as a doctor, etc. If people were cheating and did not learn what they were supposed to know for this job, that can become very harmful. An honor code is necessary to make the world a better
However, the school recently had a plagiarism and cheating scandal where 157 students were investigated. According to Source D, “thirty-nine of those accused of violating the school’s honor code have either dropped out or been expelled” and “some students who had already graduated lost their diplomas”. This proves that if a school where an honor code had been in effect has a problem with honor, then a school currently without one, like my school, will not be able to make it
While this is true, if an honor code were established, it can be made to accommodate the students, allowing it to be handled by an all-student court (Source C). Having the system be handled by an all-student court can build trust within other students, allowing them to feel comfortable writing their paper without having someone look over their shoulder. However, the success of the honor code, as Source C claim, depends on the expectations that students have and how much the college reinforces honesty. If honesty were to be reinforced, this would raise the academic integrity and honesty in the school. Trust should also be built between students and teachers. Source A claims that a spycam can greatly improve honor code, but students will surely feel uncomfortable and untrustworthy. During a test, relying on peer monitoring can increase that trust between a teacher and their students. Research shows, according to source F, “that significantly lower levels of cheating reported at honor code schools do not reflect a greater fear of being reported or caught.” They’d simply be embarrassed to have other students find out they were
Modern students face many pressures for academic success. They are often unwilling to disappoint their parents or spouses. Some fear that not cheating will weaken a student’s ability to compete with their peers. They rationalize their unethical behavior, unwilling to accept a poor grade, consequently justifying cheating as the only means to that end.
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...