Academic Integrity: Changing the Perspective - Personal Statement Example

1234/1000 Eun Cho #11251946 Academic Integrity Paper May 25th Academic Integrity: Changing the Perspective I. Issues Surrounding Violation II. Level of Responsibility III. Lessons Learned A. Personal definition of integrity 1. Conformity to WSU’s definition 2. Reasons for Differences B. Intellectual property and plagiarism C. Second academic integrity violation D. My academic goals Academic Integrity: Changing the Perspective Violation of academic integrity is a dishonest and unethical action which has affected me in different ways. I understand that it was improper to act in the way I did, copying from the works of other students and claiming that it was my own research. I did not realize the scale of the mistake I had made until I was punished for this action. On the one hand, I acted in an inappropriate way toward my instructor and the entire educational staff. I ruined my reputation and made them doubt my ability to complete the EconS 311 course and pursue my major in economics. On the other hand, I had used the information, which was the intellectual property of other students, and copied it into my paper without acknowledging their contribution. I understand that the opportunity given to me to complete the quiz on academic integrity and submit this paper is good intentioned and will serve as an apology. This will demonstrate how serious I am in pursuing my degree and in proving that I can cope with academic assignments in an ethical way. I truly realize the level of responsibility I have to bear for violating the rules and standards by cheating. When I was getting prepared for the exam in the EconS 311 class, I had conducted comprehensive research on my own and was doing well during the exam, but the temptation to copy the correct answers from other students was enormous. This resulted in my dishonesty and inappropriate behavior. I am fully responsible for what happened and think that the decision to punish me in this way is a great chance to prove that I can do better. Before explaining what I have learned from the VAILTutor, including all four modules and the quiz I have passed (scoring 100%), I would like to state that I am a student that feels terrible about this situation. I know that a person who has cheated once can easily cheat another time, but I promise that this will never happen again. I have gained a completely different perspective on the temptations that occur during exams and in other academic environments. Therefore, I know how to avoid such situations in the future and maintain a good academic reputation, which I will surely regain now that I have been given this chance. I have learned a lot about academic integrity, the concepts of plagiarism and academic dishonesty from the four modules of the VAILTutor. According to the tutorial “VAILTutor: Virtual Academic Integrity Laboratory,” compiled by the staff members of the University of Maryland University College and published in 2003, students that cheat in their academic activities may be cheaters in their professional careers. In this respect, I have formulated my personal definition of academic integrity, which is largely based on what I have learned from the VAILTutor. In this respect, my definition may be simplified, but it fully reflects what I have learned and what I am going to follow in my future academic activities: 1) My research activities will demonstrate my ability to think critically, and improve increase my decision making and problem solving skills. 2) I will develop these skills and use them to gain more knowledge and skills and have a deeper understanding of various concepts, more so those that relate to my area of specialization. 3) For me, tests and exams serve as a good proper reflection of the skills and knowledge that I have gained in class. What this means to me is that all the information that I provide during exams and tests will be a result of my engagement in critical thinking and will be done by me personally. Maybe this definition is not very clear, but it helps me to focus on the process of gaining knowledge and skills without using dishonest activities to succeed during tests. The WSU definition of academic integrity pertains to the honest pursuit of scholarship and learning, as suggested in the First Module of the “VAILTutor: Virtual Academic Integrity Laboratory.” It is clear that students need to utilize their critical thinking skills to the fullest to demonstrate their capabilities. I believe that my definition of academic integrity conforms to WSU’s definition, because it focus both on the knowledge and application of critical thinking for demonstrating students’ abilities and results achieved during the semester or course. A reason why these two definitions differ may lie in the fact that my personal definition may be viewed more like an interpretation, while the definition provided at WSU is concise and succinct. Intellectual property is the major issue over which my problem occurred, not to mention the academic integrity violation. I was aware of the ways students may be involved in unintentional plagiarism. In addition, I knew how to avoid plagiarism by using my own notes, using credited sources when referring to ideas of other authors, and many other details that were supposed to save me from making such a gross mistake. At the same time, I have learned a lot from the VAILTutor, as it provided clear examples that showed how plagiarism and a lack of integrity can lead to cheating not only in the academic environment, but also in professional activities. I know that there are different kinds of punishments suggested for academic integrity violations and for inappropriate behaviors of WSU students. A second academic integrity violation will be punished in the way suggested in the chapter “WAC 504-26-404: Procedure for Academic Integrity Violations” of the Washington Administrative Code, last updated on January 30, 2012: “If the reported violation is the students second offense, the student is ordinarily required to appear before a university conduct board with a recommendation that the student be dismissed from the university” (3). In other words, this is my last chance to show that I am capable of pursuing scholarship in an honest manner. Currently, my academic goals include my enrollment in next semester. However, this is only a short-term goal, which would still affect my future since my long-term goal is to gain my degree in economics. Since making the gross mistake in the exam, I could not imagine that my own hands would ruin everything I was dreaming of. Now, I perfectly realize that all my efforts have been effective until I decided that copying some excerpts of work from other students was a good idea. I can see now, it was not a good idea at all. I have this opinion not because I was caught acting dishonestly, but because I have gaining another perspective on this entire situation. I realize that I cannot compromise my own efforts and my future in such a way. I believe in my own strengths and my ability to reach my academic goals. Works Cited “VAILTutor: Virtual Academic Integrity Laboratory.” University of Maryland University College, 2003. Web. May 22, 2014. . “Chapter 504-26 WAC: Standards of Conduct for Students.” Title 504 WAC Washington State University. Washington Administrative Code, January 30, 2012. Web. May 24, 2014. . Read More