admin
12-03-2007, 02:28 AM
With finals week approaching fast, some students might resort to desperate measures to pass, even if it means cheating. Academic dishonesty is a serious issue, one that can have severe consequences for a student if caught. "At this point we've had about 15 to 20 cases of cheating," said Trae Mitten, assistant dean of students. "It tends to take place a lot more during the end of the semester. Some students do this totally on purpose or based on ignorance."
Plagiarism is a big issue when it comes to cheating. "Plagiarism is the most common type on this campus," Mitten said. "It's one of the easiest types of cheating, and it's very common to detect." According to the Educational Testing Service and the Ad Council, 75 to 98 percent of students cheat in high school. Results indicate that just as many students in college and graduate school cheat at the same rate.
"Plagiarism is probably the most common, particularly with students' access to the Internet," said Clare McKinney, assistant principal at Lafayette Jefferson High School.
But the Internet is not the only method for plagiarism. "Students have access to many electronic devices," McKinney said. "A student might text message a friend in the same class the answers, or even take pictures. We have zero tolerance for electronic devices during school hours."
Cheating is common in certain courses more than others. "Fortunately, we do not have too many cases of it," said Nate Thomas, a guidance counselor at West Lafayette High School, "but if we do, it's typically in an English class, or sometimes social studies because of the types of assignments."
At Purdue, deans usually leave the penalizing in the hands of the teachers. "The faculty member can impose any penalty they see fit," Mitten said, "and as far as the University goes, they can give warnings, probation or expulsion depending on the severity of the offense." Teachers, however, have been keeping a watchful eye so that nothing slips past them. "There are teachers who are a lot more savvy these days," Thomas said. "They have ways of finding out through the Internet, such as taking an excerpt from a paper and searching it online. Some students feel like the teachers won't check."
Purdue Exponent - 11/27/07
Plagiarism is a big issue when it comes to cheating. "Plagiarism is the most common type on this campus," Mitten said. "It's one of the easiest types of cheating, and it's very common to detect." According to the Educational Testing Service and the Ad Council, 75 to 98 percent of students cheat in high school. Results indicate that just as many students in college and graduate school cheat at the same rate.
"Plagiarism is probably the most common, particularly with students' access to the Internet," said Clare McKinney, assistant principal at Lafayette Jefferson High School.
But the Internet is not the only method for plagiarism. "Students have access to many electronic devices," McKinney said. "A student might text message a friend in the same class the answers, or even take pictures. We have zero tolerance for electronic devices during school hours."
Cheating is common in certain courses more than others. "Fortunately, we do not have too many cases of it," said Nate Thomas, a guidance counselor at West Lafayette High School, "but if we do, it's typically in an English class, or sometimes social studies because of the types of assignments."
At Purdue, deans usually leave the penalizing in the hands of the teachers. "The faculty member can impose any penalty they see fit," Mitten said, "and as far as the University goes, they can give warnings, probation or expulsion depending on the severity of the offense." Teachers, however, have been keeping a watchful eye so that nothing slips past them. "There are teachers who are a lot more savvy these days," Thomas said. "They have ways of finding out through the Internet, such as taking an excerpt from a paper and searching it online. Some students feel like the teachers won't check."
Purdue Exponent - 11/27/07