With the last day of classes only seven days away for most students, finals and wrapping things up are on everybody’s mind.’
The last exams are approaching with finals following soon after. Now more than ever, people tend to fall victim to laziness and shortcuts.’
‘Laziness is one of the main causes of academic dishonesty,’ education sophomore Kendra Berglund said. ‘(Students) choose to do other less important things than study.’
Plagiarism, a form of academic dishonesty, has been thwarted by technologies which have made it easier to find cheaters. Tools like Turnitin.com and Google can assist most professors and educators in recognizing cases of academic dishonesty.
Despite the advancement of technology, cases of plagiarism along with more traditional methods of cheating still exist. Students who neglect to plan for tests and fail to keep up with curriculum either demonstrate their lack of knowledge in poor grades or resort to dishonest methods during exams.
The University’s policy handbook lays out what is considered academic dishonesty and the policies and provisions regarding the methodology of enforcement.
According to the handbook, ‘the university can best function and accomplish its objectives in an atmosphere of high ethical standards.
The University ‘expects and encourages all students, faculty and staff to contribute to such an atmosphere in every way possible, and especially by observing all accepted principles of academic honesty.’
Along with desperation and other exogenous motives, the ease of cheating can effect a student’s decision to do so. Factors like class size and the amount of monitoring directly correlate to the likelihood for someone to cheat.’
‘Generally, class sizes is one of the biggest factors in making cheating easier,’ St. Thomas University student Clyde Kuykendall said.
One solution that might hinder students’ ability to cheat would be an increase in monitoring during exams. For the most part, monitoring is done solely by the professor standing at the front of the class.’
Even if cheaters are not caught immediately, however, whether you cheated or not will eventually show.
‘Academic dishonesty, or cheating, has become a widely accepted practice in America because of our apathetic outlook on education. Americans are not in college for the education, but for the potential paycheck they think it entitles them to,’ Kuykendall said.
Students who do not pay for their own school, who have had things handed to them their entire lives and who intend to have jobs handed to them definitely exist.’
On the other hand, students who intend to better themselves actually soak up their academic lessons and remember them – not because they have to, but because they enjoy doing so.
The cohorts of cheaters and students who have never worked for a dime to pay for their education are ignorant of what hard work, tenacity and dedication can do. The dividends paid by studious habits, dedication to grasping academic concepts and pursuing an education passionately are things they will never experience.’
Eventually, the decisions of those who led dishonest academic careers will catch up to them. Those who cut corners will not reach the highest levels of some careers. People who aspire to be professors and professional academics cannot reach their goals in dishonest ways.’
In the end, the people who work hardest get the most returns for their efforts.
