Throughout this week we’ve discussed many aspects of integrity and honesty in academics and in real life situations. Although the situations and environments change, the core issue remains constant in all threads, when people choose to abandon their moral principles they negatively impact their own lives and the lives of other people around them. Our discussions have shown examples from cheating in the classroom to cheating on a spouse, all situations that could have been avoided and all the result of flawed integrity on behalf of one or more people. The concept of integrity is simple but it runs deep in the course of our daily lives and I feel there is little, if any, separation of the influence it has in an academic or professional setting. We have the opportunity to exercise our integrity, or lack of it, in every decision we make and every …show more content…
They are byproducts of the situation, not the cause. It’s easy to find an excuse to cut corners in any situation, but the act of cutting corners is still a direct result of the integrity of the person doing it. In an “all about me society” it’s not hard to believe students will cheat to ensure they get the grades they want. The idea of earning something by working hard for it doesn’t exist in most vocabularies anymore. The use of Honor Codes at schools and universities has played an important role in reducing instances of cheating. According to a study reported in one article, “24% of students report cheating vs. 47% in schools without Honor Codes” (Roberts & Hai-Jew, 2009). Statistics like this paint a good picture, but I have a sneaky suspicion that part of the reason schools with Honor Codes have lower reported instances of cheating (by students) is because many of the students don’t want to admit to being dishonest in a school with such high ethical
William Damon, a professor of education at Stanford University, analyzes the value of honesty and the ways in which people in our current society may be falling short of or disrespecting the moral and ethical responsibility of honesty. His article “The Death of Honesty”, written in a formal style and neutral tone, uses the appeals of logos and ethos to convince the reader of this societal dysfunction. He first considers the fact that honesty has some exceptions in which it is acceptable to lie. Secondly, he discusses the importance of candor in human relationships, and that dishonesty is socially impairing our current society. Lastly, he analyzes educational settings which seem to be in recent years neglecting to teach and reinforce morals
Across the nation, schools, colleges and universities have established honor codes in their campuses to discourage cheating and promote academic integrity. Whether or not their honor codes are effective is a topic well debated and both sides have merit. At my school, Brookwood High School, the honor code should be revised, for only in an environment where the students are involved, consequences for cheating are high, and a culture of honor and integrity are established, can such as system thrive and succeed.
Dr. Morris states, “Despite the increase in interest [on ethics], there are pressures on schools to produce students who make money their top priority, particularly from school rankings that are based partly on how much salaries increase after graduation. Built into those structures are incentives to behave unethically” (Gardner, 2). In this case, the bottom line for the school is its school ranking. If schools are able to produce top students with secure and high salaries, the prestige of the school increases. Often times, the pressure for students to perform well is coupled with incentives such as a sense of entitlement as a “valedictorian” or a “magna cum laude” student. Within this context, it is important to keep in mind how money is perceived as a means to an end. With an increased yet secure salary comes a hierarchy of status, power, and image for both the student and the school. . In the real world, there are a limited number of seats for those to be on the top, but many people fighting to attain one of those seats. Competition creates much tension between students of the same school since the opportunity to advance and secure financial stability is appealing and restrictive. Personal integrity may be compromised by students who choose to cheat their way to the top. Unethical behavior such as cheating during exams or projects, lying
Throughout our childhood, making our way up through the dozen years of schooling we are required to complete, the intolerance for cheating is always revealed, and there’s obvious effort in enforcing it, but not many people follow the honor code set in place. For any reason at all, the decision between compromising your morals and maintaining your integrity always depends on the consequences and the environment in which it’s taking place. Establishing an honor code isn’t what’s difficult, maintaining one is. Maintaining an honor code should be done fairly and thoroughly, with no exceptions or bias.
Studies have shown that, “…many schools with academic honor codes allow students to take their exams without proctors present, relying on peer monitoring to control cheating…a more important factor seems to be the peer culture that develops on honor code campuses—a culture that makes most forms of serious cheating socially unacceptable among the majority of students” (Source F). By using peers to uphold the honor codes, students are embarrassed if they are caught cheating. Therefore, they are less likely to defy the honor code at their school. However, if they break the honor code they should be punished by the same students and teachers who revised the honor code. Honor codes will be revised and enforced differently. For example one school’s, “honor code is strictly enforced, and the enforcement is handled by an all-student court. Students convicted of lying or cheating can expect to receive punishments ranging from suspension to expulsion” (Source C). If the honor code is in place, it needs to be enforced by the same people who follow it. This creates trust between the students and teachers which is how an effective honor code should
The Honor Code system is the moral expectation of trusting students to confront and report their fellow peers when they see that he/she is not obligating the honor code policies. The Schools should eliminate all honor code policies. By eliminating the honor code policies the high schools and colleges will accept that the non-reporting of lying, cheating, and plagiarism is inevitable whether or not the students sign the honor codes. The schools will gain back the trust and respect of the students by changing the overall atmosphere. Not all schools have the abilities to prove these honor codes effective.
Integrity is an idea that has been discussed by individuals with a verbal acuity far beyond anything I could ever hope for. With that in mind, I will not delve deeply or poetically into what integrity is or should mean. However, I will simplify the meaning of integrity; at the core, integrity boils down to doing what is right even if nobody is watching. See a piece of trash on the ground and nobody is around...pick it up. Driving down the road with no cops in sight...drive the speed limit. Arrive at a tollbooth and no attendant is working…pay the toll. An applicant is not readily available to sign a form for enlistment…track them down and ensure they sign it. I could write examples until infinity becomes paltry in comparison, yet I am sure I have made my point clearly; the greater good must be upheld regardless of who is there to ensure it is happening. It seems obvious that integrity should be a trait every individual is hardwired with from birth. However, integrity is a thankless trait; nobody is around after all. An individual cannot expect someone to clap, to smile, to thank them, to do anything actually. By definition, integrity should be something that is followed through with simply because an individual wishes to do what is correct, not because they expect accolades of any sort.
My own school, Weddington High, in order to motivate students to report to one another, has to resort to turning students into bounty hunters, offering financial compensation to report others to officers, which still has little advantage. The honor system is built on a pillar of student-led self-sufficiency, a pillar, that more often than not, doesn’t care about functioning. Chief among the various fallacies of school honor systems, is the possibility that in schools who experience decreased cheating, an honor system may not be the actual cause. Assuming that a school with the code doesn’t adopt the stereotype seen in source A’s comic, a controlling, authoritarian approach that constantly monitors students, all of the sources that have cited decreased cheating, share a common key-phrase that doesn’t have to have anything to do with the honor code: “environment.” Decreased cheating stems from promoting the “responsibility to perform honestly in the school environment,” as source B argues; values of honesty “made Jefferson’s school a richer academy,” claims another student-led In all of the academies’ descriptions of their honor, the honor code isn’t the absolute root of the cause; the environment
Academic integrity is a commitment, even in the face of adversity, that is based on five fundamental values including honesty, trust, fairness, respect and a responsibility for your actions.
In conclusion, integrity is a vital part of all our lives. Without a basic human integrity, we are animals. Integrity defines how we live, and who we are. Are we good people? Is our neighborhood safe? Is our college a great place to live? When trying to answer these questions, you first look at the integrity. In life and in death, a man will always be defined by his integrity. Is this neighborhood safe for me to my family to? Is this college a good one to send my child to? These questions are constantly being asked, and the answer always lies in integrity.
Academic integrity holds a great deal of weight. This includes honesty in the work produced, as well as being able to accomplish the work. Responsibility in addition plays important factor into integrity. I see responsibility as owning up to what has to be done and getting done. If I have an assignment due, I need to have that obligation completed by the set due date. Trust also helps with this. As a freshman, I have to trust that my professors will give the right amount of time to do assignments, and in return I must do the work I’m capable of.
The purpose of honor codes, generally, is to promote an ethical and moral way of life, whether just in academia or in all aspects. Cheating and plagiarism are clearly behaviors that undermine the individual student’s education, as well as the institution as a whole. If academic work is done dishonestly, the degree gained at that institution becomes worthless. However, I do not feel that a rigid honor code is the most effective way to tackle the problems of academic dishonesty. For example, a strict honor code becomes just another rule for young adults to rebel against. Co...
For example, many students believe cheating when it’s once in awhile becomes a problem. Many campuses do not have honor codes because they do not want students involved (Mccabe). This shows that students think that cheating is not okay. Secondly, some might say that “students who have violated the honor code and not been caught is only 40%” (Sledge,Sally and Paige). This shows that 20 % are honest. However,’’American high schools, with roughly two-thirds of students acknowledging one or more incidents of explicit cheating in the last year”(Mccabe). This shows that more high schools are cracking down on cheating. In conclusion, this is how Academic codes keep people in
Without academic integrity, learning can never be assured. Honesty is not fixated, and changes by situation. Everyone should strive for academic honesty or integrity. By trying your hardest and receiving what you deserve, you will go farther than anyone else in life.
Cheating is prevalent and on the rise, especially in schools. In a 2009 study of advantage high school students from 4,316 high schools, 93% stated they cheated at least once. Within this same study 26% of upperclassman cheated five out of nine ways students cheat (Galloway 378), usually by plagiarizing , copying another student’s homework or exam, or collaborating on homework (McCabe 3). Students are under a lot of stress and pressure to succeed in school and in their personal life which comes from other peers, society, family expectations, and themselves. When students see fellow classmates cheat, it sends a message to them that it is acceptable. It has become the normalized (Galloway 378-379). However the consequences if they are caught are getting expelled from school, or receiving a low grade in the class, which in turn will show on their transcript. It’s been shown that teachers don’t report students cheating, handle it in their own way, or they just simply ignore the issue because the teachers don’t want have to deal with all the paperwork in reporting (McCabe 133). According to McCabe’s survey of 789 teachers at 16 U.S. colleges from 2002 to 2010, 40% ignored the issue of cheating and 51% didn’t repo...