The battle over cheating and plagiarism is most certainly not a new one. Technology, however, and the increasing pressure placed on students to succeed, seems to have put the spotlight directly on plagiarism and how to combat it. An article published last spring by Time Magazine discusses the sometimes controversial use of plagiarism detection sites such as Turnitin.com. Many teachers use this site as a way to determine whether or not a student has plagiarized a paper. According to the article, some students feel that this indicates a lack of trust between teacher and student. Is an "honor code" or a school wide directive against cheating enough to keep students honest?
In an article published in USA Today, Michael Josephson, of the Josephson Institute who recently conducted a survey on cheating and stealing, feels that society and schools are not doing enough to combat dishonest behavior. He feels that "most Americans are too blase about ethical shortcomings among young people and in society at large."
In a world where corporate corruption is pervasive, are our students being taught how to make the right decisions even when it is so easy to make the wrong ones? Does technology make it easier to cheat? Are students more likely to cheat because technology provides them with so many ways to do so? Should schools be doing more to educate students about plagiarism and ethics in technology? Do students have a different idea of what constitutes cheating?
Thursday, December 11, 2008
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