There are few things more relevant today in universities than cheating. Nathan hit the nail on the head when she decided to do a study on it. Although she provided both standpoints, I felt she was biased towards the “all cheating is wrong” viewpoint as I expected. For the most part, I agree that cheating is unacceptable, but she never gave thought to perhaps the small absurdities associated with academic dishonesty at many universities, including JMU. For one, collaboration on homework can be considered cheating. I personally don’t see that as dishonest as long as all parties are making contributions. When working together, new ideas and methods can be brought up, passed around, and maybe after all is said and done, those who collaborated have a better understanding of the material and the assignment. The idea that learning should be done individually is so wrong and unlike the real world that I cannot even begin to fathom it. There are few things in the world that are done completely individually and without the input of others.
Nathan also makes a point that the reason students cheat is because of the environment that surrounds them, and I completely agree with that. Universities are very dynamic and social places. When asking the average college student why they love college, they will probably respond with an answer such as, “because I have a lot of fun and all of my friends are here” as supposed to “the academic rigor and stress are really shaping me into a responsible adult”. Now, don’t get me wrong, academics are the most important part of my time here at JMU. But living with my peers creates almost a completely new environment where my social life is very important. With this, comes peer pressures, including pressures to cheat. There are many places these pressures come from including stress and competition amongst other students. I’m not saying that I am planning on cheating, but I’m saying that it is impossible to stop. Cheating is going to happen, in fact, most of the time it will go unnoticed.
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I agree with what you said about collaborating on homework. If you do not understand how to do something and a friend does, why can he or she give you help with your work. I don't mean give you answer, but maybe walk you through what has to be done. Its basically the same as if you went to a tutor for help.
ReplyDeleteI disagree with the claim that cheating is a result of peer pressure. I believe that the pressure to cheat comes from the idea of procrastination, or unwillingness to study/learn. When you cheat on a test, you don't think "Hmmmm my roomates were saying that i should cheat on the test cause thats what cool people do." No, more likely your thinking "I forgot to study and have no idea what I'm talking about. I hope the guy in front of me does." Now I don't cheat, but I know people who have and admit it proudly. And in most cases their reasoning was that they hadn't studied.
In response to the above comment, I understand where you are coming from, but I'd have to agree with the claim that cheating could be a result of peer pressure. Students may find pressure from their peers to get a certain grade that they feel like they cannot normally obtain. Therefore, they feel the need to cheat off someone who they see as smarter. There are many things that factor into why a student may cheat in school, but I feel like peer pressure is one of the major reasons why a someone may cheat. With colleges becoming more challenging to get into, students may feel pressure and low self-esteem when it comes to their own academics.
ReplyDeleteI think you give a really great perspective on the subject of cheating. Everyone has their own definition of cheating and mine is much like yours. Working together equally on homework unless specifically told not to is I think a better learning environment than working alone. Like you said ideas are shared and material is sometimes easier to understand. At the college level it is hard for professors to monitor close to 200 students and like you said most of the time the cheating is going on unnoticed. Your post gave a lot of great examples and really illustrated you view.
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