2008 Woodie Awards
Definitions of cheating differ on campus
HAYLEY PETERSON
Issue date: 10/13/08 Section: News
Schoolwork shortcuts that many University students consider acceptable are dishonest in the minds of faculty, a survey revealed.
About 60 percent of students surveyed in the University's annual academic honesty report said collaborating on individual work was fair, compared to 11 percent of teachers who said it was permissible.
Nearly 40 percent of students said it was OK to falsify a bibliography, and 12 percent of teachers agreed. More than one-third of students said it was OK to copy homework, which 94 percent of teachers considered an honor code violation.
Approximately 1,000 students and 600 faculty took part in the survey.
"The results show most students and faculty have a clear understanding that honesty is important to the University of Georgia," said Gayle Andrews, associate professor of elementary and social studies education. "I think [the discrepancies between students and teachers] just represents room for us to grow."
But the discrepancies raised questions from the administration.
"That kind of misunderstanding is surprising," said Jere Morehead, vice president for instruction.
Violations are explicitly addressed in the academic honesty code, he said.
"It could be the way the [survey] questions were asked," he said. "It was the students that seemed to have the greater problem."
Despite discrepancies, "the number of violations was down this year," he said.
There were 329 total honesty violations in the 2007-2008 academic year, according to the survey. Half the students surveyed admitted to violating the academic honesty code at least once in the past year, and half said they had never witnessed another student cheating.
Though a majority of students said the policy was "highly effective," 79 percent said they would not report a close friend, as the policy recommends. In fact, 45 percent of faculty said they ignored an incident of cheating.
Morehead said Deborah Bell, coordinator for academic honesty, held programs on campus and spoke at every orientation session this year to notify campus of the honesty policy.
To resolve the discrepancies between students and faculty, Morehead said "there is no question that [Bell] will remain proactive."
About 60 percent of students surveyed in the University's annual academic honesty report said collaborating on individual work was fair, compared to 11 percent of teachers who said it was permissible.
Nearly 40 percent of students said it was OK to falsify a bibliography, and 12 percent of teachers agreed. More than one-third of students said it was OK to copy homework, which 94 percent of teachers considered an honor code violation.
Approximately 1,000 students and 600 faculty took part in the survey.
"The results show most students and faculty have a clear understanding that honesty is important to the University of Georgia," said Gayle Andrews, associate professor of elementary and social studies education. "I think [the discrepancies between students and teachers] just represents room for us to grow."
But the discrepancies raised questions from the administration.
"That kind of misunderstanding is surprising," said Jere Morehead, vice president for instruction.
Violations are explicitly addressed in the academic honesty code, he said.
"It could be the way the [survey] questions were asked," he said. "It was the students that seemed to have the greater problem."
Despite discrepancies, "the number of violations was down this year," he said.
There were 329 total honesty violations in the 2007-2008 academic year, according to the survey. Half the students surveyed admitted to violating the academic honesty code at least once in the past year, and half said they had never witnessed another student cheating.
Though a majority of students said the policy was "highly effective," 79 percent said they would not report a close friend, as the policy recommends. In fact, 45 percent of faculty said they ignored an incident of cheating.
Morehead said Deborah Bell, coordinator for academic honesty, held programs on campus and spoke at every orientation session this year to notify campus of the honesty policy.
To resolve the discrepancies between students and faculty, Morehead said "there is no question that [Bell] will remain proactive."
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hmm
posted 10/13/08 @ 11:54 AM EST
this sounds a lot like an article printed in the ABH a week or so ago....
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