Cheating Academic Integrity

Practical and insightful solutions to the growing problem of academic dishonesty In Cheating Academic Integrity: Lessons from 30 Years of Research, a team of renowned academic integrity experts delivers revealing and practicing insights into the causes of—and solutions to—academic cheating by students. This edited volume combines leading research from an interdisciplinary group of scholars, offering readers an overview of the most important topics and trends in academic integrity research. The book focuses on teaching, classrooms, and faculty behavior and offers a glimpse into the future of this rapidly developing field. Readers will also find: Discussions of the newest forms of cheating, including online “contract cheating” and “paper mills” and the methods used to combat them Explorations of the prevalence of cheating and plagiarism between 1990 and 2020 Psychological perspectives on the student motivations underlying academic integrity violations Teaching and learning approaches to reduce academic misconduct in both online and in-person courses A must-read resource for administrators, leaders, and policymakers involved with higher education, Cheating Academic Integrity also belongs on the bookshelves of school administrators-in-training and others preparing for a career in education.

Cheating Lessons is a guide to tackling academic dishonesty at its roots. James Lang analyzes the features of course design and classroom practice that create cheating opportunities, and empowers teachers to build more effective learning environments. Instructors who curb academic dishonesty become better educators in other ways as well.

Today’s students are tomorrow’s leaders, and the college years are a critical period for their development of ethical standards. Cheating in College explores how and why students cheat and what policies, practices, and participation may be useful in promoting academic integrity and reducing cheating. The authors investigate trends over time, including internet-based cheating. They consider personal and situational explanations, such as the culture of groups in which dishonesty is more common (such as business majors) and social settings that support cheating (such as fraternities and sororities). Faculty and administrators are increasing their efforts to promote academic honesty among students. Orientation and training sessions, information on college and university websites, student handbooks that describe codes of conduct, honor codes, and course syllabi all define cheating and establish the consequences. Based on the authors’ multiyear, multisite surveys, Cheating in College quantifies and analyzes student cheating to demonstrate why academic integrity is important and to describe the cultural efforts that are effective in restoring it. -- Gary Pavela, Syracuse University

Since its publication in 2004, Doing Honest Work in College has become an integral part of academic integrity and first-year experience programs across the country. This helpful guide explains the principles of academic integrity in a clear, straightforward way and shows students how to apply them in all academic situations—from paper writing and independent research to study groups and lab work. Teachers can use this book to open a discussion with their students about these difficult issues. Students will find a trusted resource for citation help whether they are studying comparative literature or computer science. Every major reference style is represented. Most important of all, many universities that adopt this book report a reduction in cheating and plagiarism on campus. For this second edition, Charles Lipson has updated hundreds of examples and included many new media sources. There is now a full chapter on how to take good notes and use them properly in papers and assignments. The extensive list of citation styles incorporates guidelines from the American Anthropological Association. The result is the definitive resource on academic integrity that students can use every day. “Georgetown’s entering class will discover that we actually have given them what we expect will be a very useful book, Doing Honest Work in College. It will be one of the first things students see on their residence hall desks when they move in, and we hope they will realize how important the topic is.”—James J. O’Donnell, Provost, Georgetown University “A useful book to keep on your reference shelf.”—Bonita L. Wilcox, English Leadership Quarterly

Cheating in School is the first book to present the research on cheating in a clear and accessible way and provide practical advice and insights for educators, school administrators, and the average lay person. Defines the problems surrounding cheating in schools and proposes solutions that can be applied in all educational settings, from elementary schools to post-secondary institutions Addresses pressing questions such as “Why shouldn’t students cheat if it gets them good grades?” and “What are parents, teachers, businesses, and the government doing to unintentionally persuade today’s student to cheat their way through school?” Describes short and long term deterrents that educators can use to foster academic integrity and make honesty more profitable than cheating Outlines tactics and strategies for educators, administrators, school boards, and parents to advance a new movement of academic integrity instead of dishonesty

Who cheats and why? How do they cheat? What are the consequences? What are the ways of stopping it before it starts? These questions and more are answered in this research based investigation into the nature and circumstances of Academic Cheating. Cheating has always been a problem in academic settings, and with advances in technology (camera cell phones, the internet) and more pressure than ever for students to test well and get into top rated schools, cheating has become epidemic. At the same time, it has been argued, the moral fiber of society as a whole has dampened to find cheating less villainous than it was once regarded. Who cheats? Why do they cheat? and Under what circumstances? Psychology of Academic Cheating looks at personality variables of those likely to cheat, but also the circumstances that make one more likely than not to try cheating. Research on the motivational aspects of cheating, and what research has shown to prevent cheating is discussed across different student populations, ages and settings. Summarizes 50 years of academic cheating trends in K-12 and postsecondary institutions Examines the methodology of academic cheating including the effect of new technologies Reviews and discusses existing theories and research about the motivation behind academic cheating

With academic dishonesty on the rise, this book explains why students cheat, how to foster integrity, and why it matters. Today’s students are tomorrow’s leaders, and the college years are a critical period for their development of ethical standards. Cheating in College explores how and why students cheat and what policies, practices, and participation may be useful in promoting academic integrity and reducing cheating. The authors investigate trends over time, including internet-based cheating. They consider personal and situational explanations, such as the culture of groups in which dishonesty is more common (such as business majors) and social settings that support cheating (such as fraternities and sororities). They also focus on how faculty and administrators are increasing their efforts to promote academic honesty among students. Orientation and training sessions, information on college and university websites, student handbooks that describe codes of conduct, honor codes, and course syllabi all define cheating and establish the consequences. Based on the authors’ multiyear, multisite surveys, Cheating in College quantifies and analyzes student cheating to demonstrate why academic integrity is important and to describe the cultural efforts that are effective in restoring it.

In the past, it was the struggling student who was more likely to cheat just to get by. Today, above-average college -bound students are just as likely to do so. This sequel to the eye-opening Student Cheating and Plagiarism in the Internet Era: A Wake-Up Call (2000) is a call to arms for students, teachers, administrators, librarians, and parents to transpose school culture from one that ignores or tolerates cheating into one where every effort is made to value, encourage, and support honesty. First person accounts lend credence to a cornucopia of practical ideas and actions. No home, school, or library should be without at least one copy. Cheating continues to be a national epidemic. Here, Lathrop and Foss have produced a sequel to their 2000 eye-opener Student Cheating and Plagiarism in the Internet Era: A Wake-Up Call. But where the first volume focused on honor codes and careful monitoring of student tests and written assignments, their latest work is a call to arms: students, teachers, administrators, librarians, and parents must make a concerted effort to change school culture from one that ignores or tolerates cheating into one where every effort is made to value, encourage, and support honesty. Each chapter offers quick and easy access to practical ideas and actions that can be taken off the page and into the classroom or home situation. Among these, first-person accounts dominate, with such compelling themes as Why I Didn't Cheat, Policies That Support Honest Students, and Student Whistleblowers. It is a myth that the struggling students are the ones who are more likely to cheat just to get by. The above-average, college-bound students are just as likely to do so as they compete for scholarships and college admission. No home, school, or library should be without at least one copy of this book.

This book, written by two nationally renowned scholars in the area of ethics in higher education, is intended to help teachers and administrators understand and handle problems of academic dishonesty. Chock-full of practical advice, the book is divided into three parts. Part I reviews the existing published literature about academic dishonesty among college and university students and how faculty members respond to the problem. Part II presents practical advice designed to help college and university instructors and administrators deal proactively and effectively with academic dishonesty. Part III considers the broader question of academic integrity as a system-wide issue within institutions of higher education.

Nearly three-quarters of college students cheat during their undergraduate careers, a startling number attributed variously to the laziness of today’s students, their lack of a moral compass, or the demands of a hypercompetitive society. For James Lang, cultural or sociological explanations like these are red herrings. His provocative new research indicates that students often cheat because their learning environments give them ample incentives to try—and that strategies which make cheating less worthwhile also improve student learning. Cheating Lessons is a practical guide to tackling academic dishonesty at its roots. Drawing on an array of findings from cognitive theory, Lang analyzes the specific, often hidden features of course design and daily classroom practice that create opportunities for cheating. Courses that set the stakes of performance very high, that rely on single assessment mechanisms like multiple-choice tests, that have arbitrary grading criteria: these are the kinds of conditions that breed cheating. Lang seeks to empower teachers to create more effective learning environments that foster intrinsic motivation, promote mastery, and instill the sense of self-efficacy that students need for deep learning. Although cheating is a persistent problem, the prognosis is not dire. The good news is that strategies which reduce cheating also improve student performance overall. Instructors who learn to curb academic dishonesty will have done more than solve a course management problem—they will have become better educators all around.