High Tech Cheating: A Moral Pandemia

High Tech Cheating: A Moral Pandemia (29 Words)

Academic misconduct is notion that encompasses multiple forms of academic deviance from cheating on a test and plagiarism to inappropriate collaboration. In today’s society, education is the key to every door; everyone needs it and will go by any means to obtain it. Furthermore, with advancements in technology and the internet, cheating for today’s aspiring student has become more accessible, portable and it has completely desensitized the concept of academic integrity. With this ever growing problem, educators are struggling to combat this academic deviance.

In an effort to combat the use of technology to cheat in academia, teachers have pursued multiple avenues of prevention. One such method involves the direct banning of electronics in the classroom. A student caught even possessing such a device is accordingly punished. This method prevents the immediate use of cell phones, PDAs, music players, and other portable devices, but does not necessarily address such issues as plagiarism. Another method is to limit the accessibility to external networks such as the internet. If a student can’t access the World Wide [spelling error -- the preceding two words should be spelled as one word] Web from within the classroom, he or she is less capable of obtaining information posted online. The major problem with this approach is that some communication devices, such as cell phones, don’t require wireless access. Access to cell phone towers can sometimes be just as accommodating as the internet to a student during an exam. Yet another method utilized ["utilize" is an over-used word and has become hackneyed and a clichÐ"©. Use it only to mean "make good use of," as in "Many teachers utilize computers for instruction." For all other cases, prefer "use." ] by some educators to combat cheating using technology is to embrace technology in helping to monitor the activity of students during testing. One such professor went so far as to have the students use their PDA’s for quizzes. The catch was that the students had to use the same PDA’s they used throughout the semester and were required to log onto the course web site using an authentication code allowing them to take the test from the proper classroom at the proper time (Read, 2004, p. 3). In any method, the end result [Word use: these two words are redundant (one is either the same as the other or contained in it); eliminate the first with no change in meaning.] is to deter any cheating, including that which incorporates the use of technology. There are [Expletive construction--"there is," "there are," "there was," "there were," "it is," or "it was" are phrases that mean nothing. Unless "there" or "it" is a place or a thing, the composition will be much more concise if rewritten to eliminate such phrases.] a few points that a teacher can subscribe to in order to better develop a plan to combat cheating. These recommendations are broad in that they can apply to any form of cheating. Students must be taught what plagiarism is and why it is [Expletive construction--"there is," "there are," "there was," "there were," "it is," or "it was" are phrases that mean nothing. Unless "there" or "it" is a place or a thing, the composition will be much more concise if rewritten to eliminate such phrases.] ["It" must refer to a specific word in the sentence or the reader can become confused by the vague pronoun reference. Example вЂ" It demonstrated his recent achievement. (This usage is incorrect because "it" does not refer to a specific element in the sentence.) When Victoria received her diploma, she put it in a frame. ("It" clearly refers to the diploma.)] wrong. A contract between the establishment and each student should be drawn up to define the standard code of honor. Teachers should instruct students on the methods of proper citation and other documentation techniques. In the course materials, educators must set a good example by citing their own work. Instructors should redesign assignments every semester enough to make it difficult to plagiarize. Anti-plagiarism software can be purchased and used by faculty to check the integrity of student assignments. Teachers should emphasize the fact that students have been and will be caught if they cheat. Finally, the penalties should be clear and severe, such as failing the class, suspension, or expulsion (Granitz & Loewy, 2007, p. 301-302). Though technology has made it easier and more appealing for students to cheat, educators are taking more innovative approaches to ensure a fair and educational environment.

Due to the portability of technology it has made cheating more convenient for students starting from high school thru [Misspelling] [word selection -- through ("thru" is an advertising shortcut. It is not appropriate in an academic paper) ] college. Devices such as Personal Digital Assistants, Cell phones, Ipods, and Mp3 players. PDAs have made storing information a luxury to students who have not taken the time to study. They can organized cheat sheets for classes and they are portable. There memory size is very large which takes no time to store every formula to the next math test right at your [Word choiceвЂ"using the second-person pronoun "you" is inappropriate in academic writing. Except within a direct quote, rewrite with third-person pronouns (he, she, it, they).] own finger tips. Cell phones that have access to internet have made finding information quicker, You [Word choiceвЂ"using the second-person pronoun "you" is inappropriate in academic writing. Except within a direct quote, rewrite with third-person pronouns (he, she, it, they).] could email the test answers to yourself or have someone email the answers to you. Just a second away you can access your email account and have the answers at your own finger tips. Cell phones