Importance of Academic Honesty - Essay Example

Table Of Contents ...................................................................................................................2 2. Introduction............................................................................................................2 3. Importance of Academic Honesty........................................................................2 4. Academic Dishonesty……………………………………..……………………...3 4.1 Cheating .......................................................................................................................3 4.2 Plagiarism.....................................................................................................................4 4.3 Dishonest Conduct........................................................................................................4 4.4 Abuse of Academic Resources......................................................................................4 4.5 Collusion.......................................................................................................................6 5. Consequences of Academic Dishonesty…………………………………………6 6. Conclusion..............................................................................................................7 Bibliography 1. Abstract Academic dishonesty in schools colleges and universities has reached epidemic proportions and has become a common concern for students, faculty and society. Cheating, plagiarism, collusion, dishonest conduct and abuse of academic resources have become rampant at all levels of education Institutes and are treated as a normal part of academic life. In this paper we try to define what academic honesty is and its importance to the individual and to the social structure of the society. 2. Introduction Honesty in all spheres of life is important for the promotion of a healthy and progressive society. A society that lacks the basic moral value of honesty is weak and prevalent to ethical decay and disease. Academic honesty is a cornerstone of the development and attainment of knowledge, it is a very important element of a student’s life, as the Integrity and honesty learned at the academic level leads the students into becoming responsible citizens with a core of justice and integrity leading to just and fair nation. A dishonest student on the other hand becomes an unreliable individual, creating chaos and disorder in society 3. Importance of Academic Honesty The Centre for Academic Integrity (1999) indicates that “Higher education and society benefit when colleges and universities have standards of academic integrity that provides a foundation for a vibrant academic life, promote scientific progress, and prepare students for becoming responsible citizens” Therefore the concept of education is not just to impart knowledge, but also to provide moral values so that a conscientious society can be created. Academic dishonesty mocks the students quest for knowledge and hampers educator from accurately assessing the individual talents and accomplishments of their students. It is very important that all students and mentors respect the integrity of one anothers work and recognize the importance of recognizing and safeguarding intellectual property so that academic honesty can be upheld. “Individual integrity is vital to the academic environment because education involves the search for and acquisition of knowledge and understanding, which are, in themselves, intangible. Evaluation of each student’s level of knowledge and understanding is a vital. Part of the teaching process and requires tangible measures such as reports, examination, and homework. Any act that interferes with the process of evaluation, misrepresentation of the relation between the work being evaluated, or the resulting evaluation, and the student’s actual state of knowledge is an act of academic dishonesty” (The Academic Policy of WPI). Academic honesty is also very critical as a student’s evaluation of work becomes a permanent school or university record, it is critical that such records be accurate and consistent for future references. The point of education is to develop skills such as problem solving, critical thinking, acquiring information, the ability to clearly express ideas to others through writing or speaking and make correct judgements. Unless a student is not academically honest he cannot learn these skills and will most probably perform inadequately in a job or in advanced studies as they will lack the ability or knowledge that they should have due to academic dishonesty.  This in turn lowers the value of the courses, degree, and institution that awarded that degree in the eyes of employers and other academic institutions.  Students who earned their grades and degrees honestly can suffer from this devaluation, as they may be prejudged to be lacking in skills and knowledge based on the performance of dishonest predecessors. (Heather E. Lorimer Ph.D.) Academic dishonesty is a serious infringement of the trust that the academic community and society places in its students and faculty members. All members of the academic community, students and faculty are responsible not only to engage in honest conduct but also to fight academic dishonesty as a social evil. 4. Academic Dishonesty The term Academic dishonesty means any intent to deceive the faculty members of school or universities by submitting work that has been plagiarised, cheated, fabricated or is dishonest in any other way. Unfortunately it has always been very easy for students to be dishonest from the time formal education has been in existence. Studies through the years have shown that a significant number of students cheat in college (Whitley, 1998; Brown and Emmett, 2001), and that cheating is pervasive across diverse cultures (Magnus et al., 2002) Especially since the advent of technology cheating, plagiarism, or collusion have become even easier and more widespread. There are many types of Academic dishonesty. 4.1 Cheating Cheating is one of the earliest methods of academic dishonesty, students have been looking over someones shoulder during an exam, passing notes or hiding notes in the bathroom toilet tank, in the brims of their baseball caps, up their sleeves, or obtaining an examination questions prior to its date for a long time now. Technology of course has made cheating more sophisticated by providing tools like calculators, pagers, cell phones, and other electronic devices. Another common form of cheating is to getting another person to do ones work and then submitting it as ones own or submitting work done in one class for credit in another without the instructors permission or by tampering with an examination after it has been corrected, then returning it for more credit than deserved. 4.2 Plagiarism Plagiarism is a serious academic offence which has gained a immense amount of popularity in the scholarly world. Plagiarism is literally stealing someone’s intellectual property. It is the duplication of original ideas and writings without appropriate acknowledgment of the author or source. This includes published and unpublished written documents, interpretations, computer software, designs, music, sounds, images, photographs, and ideas or ideological through print or electronic media. The academic world considers ideas and particular ways of expressing ideas to be of such great importance that presenting the ideas of another as if they were ones own, or using the using the words of another author without giving credit to that person, is considered serious academic misconduct, usually treated under the title plagiarism. (University of Puget Sound) 4.3 Dishonest Conduct Lying about or misrepresenting your work, academic records or credentials are also a part of academic dishonesty. This includes forging signatures, forging letters of recommendation and falsifying credentials in an application, taking credit for group work to which you did not contribute significantly or meet your obligations. 4.4 Abuse of Academic Resources Destroying, stealing or disabling academic resources so that others cannot use them is also academic dishonesty. This includes removing books or other library material without authorization, or mutilating or misplacing library materials. Unauthorized or wrong use of computers, calculators and other forms of technology in course work, assignments or examinations and deleting or damaging computer files intended for others’ use. 4.5 Collusion If any student helps another student to cheat, plagiarize, fabricate then this is also considered as academic dishonesty, even though the student helping is not the one committing these acts. 5. Consequences of Academic Dishonesty The penalties for academic dishonesty are at the instructor’s judgment, depending on the severity of the violation, the penalties range from receiving an "F" on the exam or the assignment to receiving an "F" grade in the course. Such cases of are also forwarded to the Dean of Students Office and could result in suspension or expulsion. Even though the penalties are strict many students are not deterred by them and end up facing harsh consequences. 6. Conclusion Academic Honesty is the foundation of a student’s persona and is important, not just for academic records sake but for the future character of the student and society. The integrity students learn and exhibit at the university becomes an indication of the professional and personal integrity they will practice when they complete their academic life. A student who cheats, plagiarizes or uses any other form of academic dishonesty is setting a precedent for future dealings as well. Bibliography 1. Brown, B.S and Emmet .D. (2001) Explaining variations in the level of academic dishonesty in studies of college students: Some new evidence. College Student Journal 35(4): 529-536 2. Heather E. Lorimer Ph.D. Academic Dishonesty 3. The Academic Honesty Policy of WPI states: Worcester Polytechnic Institute (WPI) 4. The Centre for Academic Integrity (1999) 5. Magnus, J. R., Polterovich, V. M., Danilov, D. L., and Savvateev, A. V. (2002). Tolerance of cheating: An analysis across countries. Journal of Economic Education 33(2): 125-135 6. Whitley, B. E. (1998). Factors associated with cheating among college students: A review. Research in Higher Education 39(3): 235-273 7. University of Puget Sound -Copyright ©2008 - Intellectual Ownership Read More