Ethics, Academic Integrity and Student Conduct Nancy A. Stanlick Assistant Professor Department of Philosophy April 30 and May 1, 2003 UCF FCTL Summer Institute

Cheating and Plagiarism Defined: Cheating: unauthorized assistance in graded, for-credit assignments Plagiarism: appropriating the work of others and claiming implicitly or explicitly that it is one’s own. Intentional and unintentional

Methods of Cheating 1. High-tech methods Internet Text beepers Cell phones PDAs and Handheld Computers Walkmans/Tapes/CDs 2. Low-tech methods Water Bottles Mirrored Glasses Body Writing The “Support” Bra Folded Paper/Leg Fans Duplicate Blue Books Phantom Students Test form replacements

Methods of Plagiarism Internet Plagiarism Websites ~200 A Resource: Turnitin.com Technologically Undetectable Cases – custom papers Translations Patchwork Papers Plagiarism the Old Fashioned Way More High Tech Methods

Causes of Academic Dishonesty Lower Level Lack of Skill, Knowledge or Preparation, Time Constraints Laziness Excess workload Poorly defined/constructed assignments Lack of instructions Higher Level Competitive View of Education Individual Ascendancy – present orientation, hedonism, duty to self. (See Kibler, Nuss, Patterson and Pavela, 4)

“The very stress on individualism, on competition, on achieving material success which so marks our society also generates intense pressures to cut corners” (Sissela Bok, Lying: Moral Choice in Public and Private Life, New York: Vintage, 1999, 244).

Preventing Academic Dishonesty Lower-Level Approaches State expectations in your syllabi Explain rules of research Remind students of penalties & honor policy(ies) State clearly what is permitted and what is not permitted in your classes Unique Assignments “Building Papers” an element at a time Limitations/Advantages Conferences with students, in-class essays on papers, explanation of references Proctor actively and avoid distractions Beware (and be aware) of online resources

Preventing Academic Dishonesty: Higher Level Prevention A Virtue Ethics Approach Community Ascendancy – future orientation, takes responsibility, duty to others (See Kibler, Nuss, Patterson, and Pavela, 4). Stating the rules is not enough – understanding Punishment is not the solution

Thinking of education as competitive does not solve the problem of cheating. It might instead exacerbate it. The way to combat the problem of cheating is to prevent the temptation before it starts. And the way to do that is to build educational communities in which teachers and students interact with each other, not in which students are considered potentially recalcitrant players in a competitive educational game.

Academic Integrity Seminars: Proactive and Reactive See these links for the students’ course at UCF: and New Student Orientation Reaction to Confirmed Instances Educational, not punitive Forward Looking – Utilitarian/Community Oriented Rehabilitative/Responsibility Oriented A Rejection of the Backward Looking Approach Retributive A Case of “Giving Up”

“Trust and integrity are precious resources, easily squandered, hard to regain. They can thrive only on a foundation of respect for veracity” (Bok, 249).

Content of the Student Seminar* See for the most recent syllabushttp://pegasus.cc.ucf.edu/~stanlick/oscethicsmar03.html 1. Overview of major ethical theories & relationship of these to academic dishonesty 2. Analysis of argumentation concerning causes of academic dishonesty & discussion with students of their own cases. 3. Discussion & demonstration of on-campus, Library, and respectable and reliable Internet resources for research 4. Discussion of ways to avoid plagiarism and effective strategies for studying. 5. At least two original essays/outlines *General content – details and assignments change for each meeting.

References Bok, Sissela, Lying: Moral Choice in Public and Private Life (New York: Vintage Books, 1999). Herman, A.L., “College Cheating: A Plea for Leniency,” Journal of Higher Education, 37(5) May 1966: Kibler, William L, Elizabeth M. Nuss,et. Al., Academic Integrity and Student Development: Legal Issues and Policy Perspectives (College Administration Publications, 1988). McCabe, Donald L, Linda K. Trevino and Kenneth D. Butterfield, “Cheating in Academic Institutions: A Decade of Research” Ethics and Behavior, 11(3), 2001: McCabe, Donald L. and Linda K. Trevino, “Academic Dishonesty: Honor Codes and Other Contextual Influences” Journal of Higher Education, 64(5), Sep-Oct. 1993: Noah, Harold J. and Max A. Eckstein, Fraud and Education: The Worm in the Apple (Lanham, MD: Rowman & Littlefield, 2001).

On-Line Resources The Center for Academic Integrity at Duke UniversityThe Center for Academic Integrity at Duke University. UCF Writing Center MLA, Chicago, Other ManualsMLA, Chicago, Other Manuals through UCF Library Plagiarism: How to Recognize it and How to Avoid it. Go to Ethics Updates. Go to