Academic Integrity: You Can Help Clear the Murky Waters

Every institution, every faculty member, and every student is faced with the issue of academic integrity.  There are cases of clear, outright plagiarism, and there are unclear, more subtle cases such as participation in group work.  From one extreme to the other, cheating is likely happening on every campus, is affecting the institution, the professors, those who do the cheating, and those who do not.

Often, an instructor and a student do not share a common definition of cheating.  It is important to provide a structure for the co-development of a common definition of cheating (based on your institutional policies).  The result will be improved communication and a clear picture of an institution and instructor’s expectations regarding cheating.  Maryellen Weimer encourages faculty to create scenarios relevant to their teaching situations to clarify exactly what is and what is not considered cheating.  

Some starting points:

  • Construct a collection of scenarios relevant to your course and setting.  
  • Let students decide if cheating has occurred.
  • Collect and then anonymously share the students’ responses.
  • Share your results.

How you chose to use these points can vary.  A PowerPoint presentation using polling questions with scenarios that requires students to decide whether or not cheating had occurred could be an effective way to structure this discussion.  This presentation strategy forces the student to make an individual decision about whether or not cheating is occurring. This supports their development as an adult learner (Kloss, 1994).  This presentation style also allows the student’s decision to be a low-stakes one as it is anonymously added to the class data.  The class data is viewable in real time and allows for a data-based discussion in which the instructor can share his or her view and relevant institutional policies.  

The scenario selection is important. Showcasing occurrences that are likely to arise during the semester increases students’ awareness before they happen.

Below are a few of the scenarios from Maryellen Weimer’s article followed by related research. These examples can be used to help you create your own.

Paul is working on a take-home test for math. He asks his girlfriend Grace, who’s a math major, to double check his calculations on several problems. She checks his answers and doesn’t find any errors.

  • Is Paul cheating?
  • Is Grace cheating?

[In a study that used a scenario similar to this one, 72% of the students did not think that Paul’s behavior was cheating; a bit over 63% of the faculty thought it was.]

Al and Jose are in the same art history course. The instructor gives take-home essay exams. Al and Jose spend some time talking about the questions and possible ways they could be answered. They then each write their essay individually.

  • Is Al cheating?
  • Is Jose cheating?

On the next take-home exam, Al and Jose talk about the questions before they write their essays. Then they read each other’s essays, make suggestions for improvement, and make some revisions based on those suggestions.

  • Is Al cheating?
  • Is Jose cheating?

[In a study that used a scenario with a take-home exam where one student asks if another student got the same answer and when that student says no, the first student finds a calculation error and corrects it, 45% of students said the student who corrected the answer cheated and almost 71% of the faculty called it cheating. Meanwhile, 32% of the students said the student who provided an answer cheated and almost 61% of the faculty called it cheating.]

Starting the semester with this type of activity will create an opportunity to clear the murky waters of cheating and set the stage for promoting academic integrity.  

References
Kloss, R.J. (1994). A nudge is best: helping students through the Perry scheme of intellectual development.  College Teaching, 42-151-158.  doi:10.1080/87567555. 1994.9926847
Weimer, M. (2018, May 3). Scenarios:  Is It Cheating? Faculty Focus Premium:  Higher Ed Teaching Strategies from Magna Publications.
Submitted by:
Susie Stear
Course Design Consultant, Center for Learning and Teaching
Oklahoma City Community College

More tips and just-in-time resources are available at https://conhi.asu.edu/academic-innovation