Academic Integrity

Academic Integrity in the Classroom

The dynamics of the higher education environment have been rapidly evolving, however, one thing that has remained constant is the need for academic integrity. Educational Institutions have Codes of Conduct to ensure a standard of academic integrity protecting the value of the education they offer and credentials provided to students. “Academic dishonesty is a significant and ongoing concern for the faculty, administration, and students of most institutions of higher education” (Mastin, Peszka, & Lilly, 2009). Offenses are an enormous problem that has been enhanced by technology and the array of convenient temptations it presents. The following is a look at the types of violations, enforcement, and ramifications that take place in the modern day world of education relative to academic integrity in the classroom.

Violations

The best way to identify anything that may be a violation of academic integrity is anything that is dishonest. Many forms of academic integrity violations exist, but all revert to being some form of theft or fabrication and can be accidental or deliberate. In traditional settings instructors used to have to worry about students breaking in to take copies of exams, cheating of their neighbors’ paper in class, creating false information or passing off published and copy written work as their own. There is no longer an honor code or ignorance to the fact that cheating occurs at rather all levels and modalities (Miller & Young-Jones, 2012). Therefore, once any student enrolls at an institution, they either provide documented or implied consent to adhere to the code of conduct that makes such actions a violation of that organizations policy.

Plagiarism

Plagiarism is the most frequent form of violation that occurs within a classroom setting. Plagiarism is defined by Merriam-Webster dictionary as “the act of using another person's words or ideas without giving credit to that person” (2014). With the use of...