Cheating has become more pervasive

[Erin_s_Dad]

<p>^ Unfortunately there will always be that segment of students who use the web to find out What to write instead of How to write.</p>

[Whatdidyou]

<p>haha, that is very true</p>

[Wildwood11]

<p>

Simply put, there is not a strong incentive for teachers to try to catch & punish cheaters. Especially since cheaters often, but not always, have poor overall grades anyways. And even if they don’t, it’s easier to leave the work to someone else and/or figure that it’ll come back to bite them in the butt down the road

</p>

<p>This is exactly why I believe punishments should not be so severe for first-time offenders. If teachers are too indifferent, lazy or fearful to try an catch cheaters, or they pretend to trust students when all the evidence shows that a high proportion do not merit that trust, they are transmitting a terrible message to malleable youths and are responsible for propagating the problem. You can’t put all the blame on students for adopting “might as well” attitudes when teachers and administrators don’t care enough to crack down.</p>

[Whatdidyou]

<p>^ I couldn’t disagree more</p>

<p>These “malleable youths” are adults attending College. They are fully capable of making the right choices - most do. </p>

<p>Sure you can try to spread some of the blame around. But the very large majority of it belongs to those ADULTS who purposefully choose to cheat in order to get ahead in their college careers. </p>

<p>Not punishing them severely, but justly, only further “propogates the problem.”</p>

<p>I understand people being angry at teachers & administrators on behalf of those student who don’t cheat. But I don’t understand that anger on the behalf and defense of those that choose to cheat.</p>

[Hanna]

<p>The proofreading goes in both directions with me and my parents, and has for decades now. I proofread their articles and make suggestions, just as they do mine.</p>

[Wildwood11]

<p>

These “malleable youths” are adults attending College. They are fully capable of making the right choices - most do.

</p>

<p>Well, I was really referring to high schoolers with that description because that’s where it really sets in, but you are wrong about most making the right choices, both at the high school and college level. </p>

<p>From the article in the OP:</p>

<p>

In surveys of high school students, the Josephson Institute of Ethics, which advises schools on ethics education, has found that about three-fifths admit to having cheated in the previous year — and about four-fifths say their own ethics are above average.

</p>

<p>and from [College</a> students cheat](<a href=“http://uweekly.com/article/college-students-cheat-1318/]College”>http://uweekly.com/article/college-students-cheat-1318/) :</p>

<p>

A study administered by Duke University said 70 percent of college students admitted to some form of serious cheating, and 40 percent reported to have stolen work from the Internet.</p>

<p>…</p>

<p>A Rutgers study showed that 74 percent of business students reported cheating, the highest percentage of any academic discipline.

</p>

<p>And for a lot of good general facts about cheating:</p>

<p>[Cheating</a> Fact Sheet - RESEARCH CENTER - Cheating Is A Personal Foul](<a href=“http://www.glass-castle.com/clients/www-nocheating-org/adcouncil/research/cheatingfactsheet.html]Cheating”>Cheating Fact Sheet - RESEARCH CENTER - Cheating Is A Personal Foul)</p>

<p>All indications are that the problem has increased significantly in the last two decades and it is not skewed toward those with “poor overall grades”, but rather affects all levels of students more or less equally. Clearly there is a failure at many levels, but older adults have to take responsibility for creating environments both in high schools and colleges that makes taking shortcuts difficult and unappealing.</p>