Students report cheating in many ways. And technology is making it easier and easier to do so. The Open Education Data Base (http://oedb.org/ilibrarian/8-astonishing-stats-on-academic-cheating/) cited a survey that included 30,000 students; 60% reported cheating while in college. It was also reported that cheaters have higher grade point averages than peers who do not cheat. Popular paper mill websites report receiving about 8,000 hits per day. Roughly 75-98% of students who are cheating in college were also cheating in high school. 85% of students reported that cheating is essential to their academic success.
This information as well as some experiences we had in our classes last year, lead to a discussion with colleagues about academic dishonesty. We questioned ways in which we could work to reduce this problem. Additionally, what more could and should we be doing if students are reporting cheating is essential to academic success?
What are we talking about?
When we are talking about academic dishonesty, we are focusing mainly on plagiarism and cheating on assessments, exams and quizzes, in the traditional classroom setting as well as in the online learning environment.
Do students know they are cheating?
As part of the discussion, we questioned, “do student always know they are cheating?”. This specifically applies to plagiarism. For example, when they are writing papers, do they know that they have plagiarized when they present a summary of an article, and they do not cite the source in-text. It is not simply just copying and pasting something that someone else wrote, which is what many students believe. Perhaps, being more intentional about not only teaching students what plagiarism is, but also exactly what they can do to avoid it is necessary.
How do we know?
So…how would we know if a student is cheating? For example, how do we know if a student bought a paper from an online site, especially if they are in an online setting. How can we be sure that they are buying a paper and not receiving help from the tutoring center at the school? Building relationships is one way to help to identify cheating. The more interactions we have with students in the discussion forums and through face to face conversations or conversations by phone, the better equip we are to determine if the work being submitted is similar to other interactions we are having with the student.
Technology and Cheating
Wearables have become more popular and prevalent in recent years. They are another tool that students are using to cheating. This came to our attention at the end of the semester when a student was caught using a wearable to access study material during an exam. It appeared that a resource that was given in class was on a student’s wearable and that it was being used during an assessment. After addressing the student regarding the situation, it was clear that bans on wearables would now also need to be addressed in course policies. Prior to this incident, things like cell phones, other technology, and resources were banned, but we had not specifically included wearables.
Policies
In some academic institutions, academic policies have not been updated in a decade or more. Therefore, there are not bans put into place or consequences written to address academic dishonesty that can occur using technology, such as wearables. As academics, we are responsible to ensure that documents that are relevant to our classes are updated regularly. If new technological advances have not been considered and included in Course Policies, we would like to encourage you to meet wth your colleagues as you prepare for the semester and revise the policies used.
Consequences
Academics also report that they do not feel the consequences for academic dishonesty always fit the offense. Academics need to ensure that they are involved in writing policies that are put into place to reduce academic dishonesty and address it when it occurs. If students know that they will only receiving a warning, they are not as worried about cheating than if they hear they will receive a 0, get kicked out of class, or get kicked out of school. While we are not saying that kicking students out of school is the best answer, it is important that students understand the severity of cheating and that consequences deter students from participating.
Additionally, students do not feel the consequences for academic dishonesty are harsh enough. Students get really upset when they are aware that a classmate is cheating without consequence. Students, who are working hard to earn their grades, find this to be unfair, unethical, and want the peer who is cheating to be punished. They look to the professor to address the behavior and report it.
Reporting
Is the process for reporting academic dishonesty at your institution easy to access and use? Faculty may feel that reporting cheating is too tedious and too time consuming. In addition speculation is often not enough to report a situation. If they instructor does not have “hard evidence”, they may be unable to report the situation that took place. Therefore, the incident goes unreported and the student may be cheating in multiple classes without consequence.
Students are becoming more creative in the methods they use to cheat in classes. Therefore, we must also become more creative in the ways in which we work to maintain the integrity of the course content and materials used to assess students. They must learn the material in our courses as they will be our colleagues in the field one day.
Check out our Facebook live session as we discuss Academic Dishonesty.
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Have you ever received a grade on an assignment and wondered how the score was assigned? Did you question if the instructor even read your paper? Did you wonder how you could improve your next paper due to lack of feedback provided? When grading assignments, how will you ensure that students do not have the same questions? As you prepare for the semester, not only should you create assignments but also tools you will use to grade them.
In 2007, I made a rather quick decision to enroll in a PhD program. This had been something I had been thinking about for some time, but one day, I just decided to DO IT. Rather than thinking about it, I enrolled! The one thing that continued to hold me back….keep me from enrolling….was the fear of writing a dissertation. I remember my mother telling me that due to her fear of writing a dissertation, she never pursued her PhD. Rather than allowing my fear to continue to prevent me from pursuing my PhD, I decided to use it as motivation. I knew that I was capable, and I could do it. In September 2007, I started my course work. Although, I was still worried about writing a dissertation, I believed that doors would open, as I needed them to, which would provide access to the tools and resources that I needed to be successful and complete my program. I would take one step at a time, until all the pieces came together, and I had a finished product. And that is exactly what I did!
Get up early or go to bed later. Unfortunately, I found that sleep was something that had to often be sacrificed in order to find time to work. I am not a night owl; therefore, I would get up early, before the rest of my house. When my kids were really young, this was easy. I would wake up in the wee hours of the morning to feed and change them, and then I would settle them back into bed. Then, I would make a pot of coffee and head in to my office to work. The early morning hours were the most productive for me. Perhaps, the coffee should get the credit for that!
Marathon Not a Sprint. Tenacity, persistence, endurance, grit, stamina, perseverance – these are all words that you need to embrace through this process. When people tell you that a dissertation is a marathon, not a spring, they are not lying. Get ready to WAIT. You will rush through edits and submit them only to wait for weeks before you receive feedback from your chair or committee members with additional edits you need to make. During the period of time, while you are waiting, consider what else you can be working on. It is important to develop a routine and schedule and stick to it. If you stop working for 10 days while you await feedback, it is often hard to reestablish the routine of writing. You should be writing, revising, editing, etc. daily if your schedule permits. Great advice that I was given was to touch your dissertation every day. Even if it is only for a few minutes. Get into the habit of working on it daily.
Preparation also includes organization. Often times, it seemed like the same advice that was being given in a previous revision was now being taken away in a current revision. I was being asked to remove information, and then in the next revision, I was being asked to put the information back in. I learned to save all of my revisions. I actually kept a file for all of my deletions and used this file as I wrote the final chapter of my dissertation.
Select a book that complements the course objectives that you identified. The book should provide information on topics that you will cover. However, the textbook should not drive the content of the course. Rather than selecting a textbook and then building your class around the textbook, develop your course and select a book that complements the topics and objectives you have identified. Keep in mind that a textbook can be supplemented with journal articles and other readings or materials.
We often say, “Teaching is a lifestyle”. Most people who work in higher education know the toll that this type of lifestyle can take on your health. Schedules during the academic year can be extremely hectic. Teaching classes, planning for classes, grading, attending meetings, holding office hours, researching, publishing research, working with graduate assistants….and the list goes on and on. It often seems that there are not enough hours in the day to get it all done. Therefore, personal health often gets placed on the back burner, because there is not enough time to meal prep, eat well, exercise, or sleep. These are things that tend to be forgotten until the semester ends. By the end of the semester, many professionals in this field are exhausted, physically, mentally, and emotionally. The break that one has is often spent recovering from illness due to lack of self-care.
As academics, we often sit for long periods of time while grading, researching, returning emails, or driving to and from work or between campuses. In some cases, this can lead to mindless eating or unhealthy snacking. In fact, sometimes, we only have time to grab lunch out of a vending machine or from a fast food restaurant. Or maybe, we skip lunch altogether, because we are rushing between classes and campuses. In addition, each semester schedule changes make it difficult to establish long-term routines and healthy habits.
When we are healthy, we feel strong and empowered, genuinely capable of taking on new challenges. Consider the many different aspects of health that were discussed above. Begin by making one small change at a time. Select one category above to focus on. Consider ways to maximize your time. Involve family and friends in healthy meal planning and physical activities. Not only are you positively influencing them to live a more healthy life, but you are also spending time with them. Strong relationships keep us healthy, so foster them.
Creating kits that can easily be stored in your office or car and carried in a bag that you use to take supplies to classes can assist with preparation, professionally and personally. Teaching kits that include supplies needed to successfully teach your class can be packed and stored in a teaching bag. A personal kit can also help to ensure classes run smoothly providing comfort; when you feel and look your best teaching is a bit easier. 
It was not until after an emergency that we realized some of these items needed to be carried in our kits. For example, one day I had back-to-back classes and was having trouble with my one of my contacts. I was miserable! By the time I had a chance to go to the store and buy the items I needed, my eye was bright red, watering, and I had a terrible headache. Now, I keep a contact kit in my office that holds a case, bottles for contact solution, and a small mirror. A small bottle of ibuprofen and Tylenol is also in my desk drawer for unexpected headaches.
Some of the items above you may use and need to replenish every week, while others you may not need all semester or year. We recommend being conscious of what you use and being sure to replenish as needed. Some of the items may be damaged by temperatures in the car; therefore, consider what can be stored there and what will be damaged. In addition, check items that are not used regularly from time to time to ensure they are still in good condition.
As the fall semester draws near, many educators will begin to prepare and plan. Perhaps, lecture and powerpoint presentations need to be updated. Maybe, you are revising your syllabus or assignments. As you prepare, do you consider feedback you gained from students at the end of the semester?
There are many ways to collect feedback from students. Sometimes, I ask just by a show of hands. Sometimes, I create a quick survey (paper/pencil or electronic). Online tools can be very effective for collecting data. Survey monkey is an online tool you can use to create surveys to gather feedback from students. This tool allows you to collect data from students anonymously. Additionally, some universities survey students at the end of each class; however, some institutions only do this annually. This anonymous method for collecting feedback can also be very useful. If this data is collected, inquire about how you can gain access to it if it is not share with you. This will help as you prepare for future semesters.
I have learned to look for value in the feedback I receive. I work hard to remind myself that not every student in my class has to like me; however, they do need to learn from me. Do their comments provide feedback regarding my pedagogy? Should I consider adjusting strategies that I use to enhance their learning? I work hard to feel less offended and more empowered, because I have the power to make changes. I have the ability to select feedback that could make the course better. I have learned to read through the comments and identify nuggets of information that I can use to improve my teaching.
I love when people say to me “it must be nice to be a teacher and have your summers off”. I don’t know about you, but time off is something that is scarce in my life. While my summer schedule definitely looks different than the schedule I follow during the academic calendar year, I would not classify it as time off. I have different tasks to complete in the summers that help to make my job a bit easier and smoother when school resumes in the fall. Preparation, during the summer, helps to make me feel relaxed at the beginning of the semester when I am not only preparing myself for the beginning of the semester but also getting my kids in ‘back to school’ mode and helping them get use to a new routine.
My office space looks a little bit different in the summer. It is mobile. I may take my laptop to the pool and work while my kids participate in swim practice. I may wake up early and work at the kitchen table for a few hours before my little humans begin to stir. Sometimes, I head to the local library with my kids in tow and while they check out books and read or participate in one of the library activities, I get a little bit of work done. I am a mother as well as an instructor, and teaching is not my only responsibility. This also makes the term “time off” extremely humorous. Moms….do we ever really get ‘time off’?