Academic integrity

2. Bazerman and Tenbrunsel (2011) and Ariely (2012)
posit that the many factors that impact decisions and
actions in sports, the workplace, healthcare, and in
education are varied and complicated.

4.  Reverence the unique dignity of each person
 Encourage a trustful, prayerful community of
learners
 Serve one another, society, and the Church
 Foster peace and justice
 Respect creation

5.  Honesty to oneself and others;
◦ “Cultivating honesty lays the foundation for lifelong integrity,
developing in each of us the courage and insight to make
difficult choices and accept responsibility for actions and their
consequences, even at personal cost.” (p. 6)
 Trust and open communication between students and
faculty;
 Fair treatment and mutual respect between faculty and
students;
 Personal responsibility to assist in preventing cheating.

6. “True academic integrity means that there is
honesty in all matters relating to endeavors of
the academic environment” (p. 1122)
 Teaching and learning of knowledge and skills
 Discovery and dissemination of new knowledge
 In health care professional education it includes
rendering diagnoses, administering treatment,
communicating with patients or clients.
Turner & Beemsterboer (2003)

7. • Copying from another student during an exam
• Using a crib sheet during a closed-book exam
• Previewing the exam from a “test file” when the teacher
does not permit this and is unaware of the file
• Presenting a paper copied from a file or purchase
and presenting it as original work
• Faking the results of a laboratory experiment or work
• Asking for examination content or answers from
another student
• Using material from another student’s paper without
credit to the other student
• Working in a group when an assignment was
assigned as individual work

8. • “sitting for” or taking an exam for another student
• memorizing questions from an exam in order to create a
file for later use
• writing a laboratory report without performing the lab
activity/experiment
• purchasing or receiving notes from a fellow student
• basing an “article report” on an abstract rather than
reading the assigned article
• selecting two answers on a computer answer sheet when
instructed to make one choice
• allowing another student to look at one’s answer sheet
during a quiz or exam
• claiming authorship or participation in a group paper or
presentation when no contribution was made
Danielson, Simon and Pavlik (2006)

10.  Attempting to cheat, even if unsuccessful
Lambert and Hogan (2003, p. 2)
 Feigning illness when not ill in order to
postpone a quiz, exam, or submission of an
assignment
 Reporting the death of a loved one in order to
postpone quiz, exam, or submission of
assignment
• Ariely (2012)
• Adams (1990)

11. Adams (1990)

12.  Pressure to succeed (high stakes, parental pressure)
 Limited time to study
 Fear of losing status amongst peers
 Feeling peer pressure to cheat
 Observing cheating
 Lack of understanding of what plagiarism is
 Citing sources
 Quotations
 Lack of knowledge of institutional policies
Theart and Smit (2012)

13. Research supports that students with more
knowledge of institutional policy tend to cheat
less and students with less knowledge of
institutional policy tend to cheat more.
Jordan (2001, p. 243)

15. Intrinsic versus extrinsic learners:
Valuing learning and the learning
process, course content, and the
connection of the course and material
assessed to the bigger picture vs. the
“means to an end” approach.
Jordan (2001)
Classroom Diversity: Student Engagement Across the
Spectrum

16.  Issue of fairness
 Correlation between frequency of cheating in
college and work place dishonesty
Nonis and Owens Swift (2001)
 Skills gap
Hardy (2012)
 Inflated perception of abilities

17. “1) Recognize and affirm academic integrity as a core
institutional value.
2) Foster a lifelong commitment to learning.
3) Affirm the role of teacher as guide and mentor.
4) Help student understand the potential of the Internet – and
how that potential can be lost if online resources are used for
fraud, theft and deception.
5) Encourage student responsibility for academic integrity.
6) Clarify expectations for students.
7) Develop fair and creative forms of assessment.
8) Reduce opportunities to engage in academic dishonesty.
9) Respond to academic dishonesty when it occurs.
10) Help define and support campus-wide academic-integrity
standards.”
McCabe and Pavela (2004, p. ##)

18.  An honor code typically includes a statement of
the values of the educational institution as well as
a description of the expected behaviors for all
persons who function at the institution. Many
honor codes place responsibilities on students for
not only upholding their personal behaviors of
honesty but to assist others as well.
 Two purposes: educational and regulatory
◦ Educational: enhanced general good citizenship as a
student and member of society.
◦ Regulatory: clearly delineates what is punishable. It is very
important that, for the regulatory purpose of honor codes
to be effective, they must be uniformly practiced and
enforced.
Turner and Beemsterboer (2003)

20. Bluffton University observes the honor system in taking
examinations and writing research papers. No monitor is
in the classroom during test or examination periods.
Students are asked to write and sign the following pledge
on every examination paper: “I am unaware of any aid
having been given or received during this
examination.” If a student cannot conscientiously sign
this pledge, the course instructor is to be notified.
Plagiarism is considered a serious violation of the honor
system. Reported offenses are normally resolved through
the campus judicial system. Although the honor system
applies specifically to the academic area, it is understood
that the spirit of the honor system should pervade all
aspects of campus life.

21.  “On my honor I have neither given nor received
any aid on this exam.” (Indiana University Medical School, Bloomington -
Dr. Bruce Martin’s Physiology Class)
 “I will not knowingly engage in any dishonorable
behavior, cheat, steal, lie or commit any act of
plagiarism during any academic work, course or
endeavor. If I observe an act which I believe
violates the University’s Honor Code, I may, at my
discretion, report it to the appropriate
personnel.” (University of Findlay)

22.  The literature consistently reports that the
incidence of cheating is lower in institutions with
honor codes.
 McCabe and Trevino (1993)
• Surveyed students from 31 colleges.
• 14 institutions had traditional academic honor codes and 17
did not.
• 47% of students of the non-honor code institutions reported
one or more serious incidents of test or exam cheating, only
24% of the students from honor code institutions reported
incidents.
• McCabe (2005) explains that it is not only the presence of
the honor codes at these institutions but also the culture
and environment of integrity that may be more apparent
and valued by students of many of these institutions.

23. Include in syllabus what happens when
an assignment is late
student misses a quiz
student misses an exam
student’s work is not their own or student is
found to be cheating on quiz or exam
Be very clear.

24.  Fall 2012 (sabbatical)
 Reviewed 39 course syllabuses representing
39 departments or disciplines
 Selected courses labeled as 100 or 200 level
when available but excluded foundational
courses (READ, ENG 100, MATH 120)
 Results

25.  No reference to honesty policies or
procedures
 General statement
 Referred student to Student Handbook
 Cut and pasted statements from Student
Handbook. Note: at USF, “first offense” is
handled as described in the course syllabus
 Plagiarism
◦ 50% deduction on paper
◦ F or F/0 on assignment
◦ Re-submit but lateness penalties applied
◦ Re-submit with 20% deduction if lack of
understanding
◦ F in course

26.  Reduce opportunities
 Promote content as valuable – intrinsic
learning
 Have policies and procedures in place in
advance
 Educate students on what proper citation is
 Be consistent in handling breaches
 Promote community of learners and the value
of honesty
 Be honest and demonstrate the same
principles in our work

27. In Academic Dishonesty: An Educator’s Guide
(Whitley & Keith-Spiegel, 2001)
Educators are striving to
 ensure equity in assessing students;
 contribute to the moral and ethical development of
students;
 uphold the mission in higher education to transfer
and advance knowledge;
 support student morale and support faculty
morale;
 favorably impact the future behavior of students
and, finally,
 uphold the reputation of the institution.

28. Aaron, A., Simons, P., & Graham-Webb, D. (2011).
Academic dishonesty and unprofessional behavior.
Radiologic Technology, 83, 133-140.
Adams, M. (1990). The dead grandmother/exam
syndrome and the potential downfall of American
society. The Connecticut Review, 1–6.
Ariely, D. (2012). The (honest) truth about dishonesty.
New York: Harper Collins.
Bazerman, M. H, & Tenbrunsel, A.E. (2011). Blind spots:
Why we fail to do what’s right and what to do about
it. Princeton, NJ: Princeton University Press.
The Clemson University International Center for Academic
Integrity. (October, 1999). The fundamental values of
academic integrity. Retrieved from http://www.
academicintegrity.org/icai/assets/FVProject.pdf

29. Danielson, R. D., Simon, A. F., & Pavlik, R. (2006).
The culture of cheating: From the classroom
to the exam room. The Journal of Physician
Assistant Education, 17, 23-29.
Jordan, A. E. (2001). College student cheating: The
role of motivation, perceived norms,
attitudes, and knowledge of institutional policy. Ethics
and Behavior, 11, 233–247.
McCabe, D. L. (2005). It takes a village: Academic
dishonesty and educational opportunity.
Liberal Education, 91, 26-31.
McCabe, D. L, & Pavela, G. (2004). Ten updated principles
of academic integrity. Change, 36, 10-15.

30. McCabe, D. L. & Trevino, L. K., (1993). Academic
dishonesty: Honor codes and other contextual
influences. Journal of Higher Education, 64, 522-
538.
Nonis, S., & Owens Swift, C. (2001). An examination
of the relationship between academic dishonesty
and workplace dishonesty: A multi-campus
investigation. Journal of Education for Business,
77, 69-77.
Pincus, H. S., & Schmelkin, L. P. (2003). Faculty
perceptions of academic dishonesty. Journal of
Higher Education, 74, 196–209.
Sportsman, S. (2012). Academic dishonesty in 2012.
(Elsevier white paper). Retrieved from Elsevier website:
http://pages.elsevieradvantage.com/rs/elsevierhse/
images /ACG-October-2012-White-Paper-
Dishonesty.pdf

31. Theart, C. J., & Smit, I. (2012). The status of academic
integrity amongst nursing students at a
nursing institution in the Western Cape. Curationis,
35,1-8.
Turner, S. P., & Beemsterboer, P. L. (2003). Enhancing
academic integrity: Formulating effective
honor codes. Journal of Dental Education, 67, 1122
1129.
Weimer, M. (2012, July). Makeup exams: Seeking
answers in a Sea of Student Excuses. Faculty Focus.
Retrieved from http://www.facultyfocus.com/
articles/educational-assessment/makeup –exams
seeking-answers -in-a-sea-of-student-excuses/
Whitley, B. E., Jr., & Keith-Spiegel, P. (2001). Academic
dishonesty: An educator’s guide. Mahwah, NJ:
Lawrence Erlbaum Associates

32. Thank you.
mksolon@sf.edu