"Unethical behavior seems to be increasing exponentially in every facet of today’s business environment. Property and production deviance are just two of the unethical behaviors exhibited by employees. According to a study conducted by S. Nonis and C. Swift (2001), students who engage in dishonest acts in college classes are more likely to engage in dishonest acts in the workplace."
from Graves, Sharron M. "Student Cheating Habits: A Predictor of Workplace Deviance." Journal of Diversity Management 3.1 (2008): 15-22.
Cheating - purposely taking actions that deceive - is a behavior that seems to be increasing in higher education. According to Don McCabe, "..research demonstrates that cheating is prevalent and that some forms of cheating have increased dramatically in the last 30 years."
Oswego participated in McCabe's long-running survey of college students back in the Fall, 2006 semester. Nearly 1000 students and 135 faculty participated. The results? Oswego differed little from other schools nationally. Some results:
- 98% of students believe cheating during tests or exams takes place at Oswego
- 29% report it takes place Often or Very Often
- 28% report working with others when asked for individual work
- 36% report copying another’s homework
- 22% report using a false excuse to obtain an extension
One particularly interesting result is that student's and faculty's perception of what actually constitutes cheating differs quite a bit. They all agree that the following constitute "serious cheating"
- Copying during a test without another’s knowledge
- Turning in a free or purchased “paper mill” paper
- Copying material word for word from a written source
But there are differences in opinions concerning cheating exist. For example, students believe that the following is not "serious cheating" while their faculty believe these are indeed instances of "serious cheating"
- Working with others when asked for individual work
- Fabricating or falsifying a bibliography
- Using a false excuse to obtain an extension
One interesting result from McCabe's research is that while it is true that students cheat because of individual reasons, other factors - incuding a student's perception of the behaviors of their peers - are more powerful influences. Thus, students can greatly decrease the degree of cheating on campus by acting honestly and being seen as acting honestly.
What to do if you are tempted to cheat? Some very good advice is contained in an article by Erin Miller, which you can read here. She interviews Alex Gillis, a journalism professor at Ryerson University. Among the points made in the interview:
- if you make a mistake, go to the prof and talk about it
- many students don’t know exactly what plagiarism is (see later pages in this primer!)
- study for the exams!
- get some balance in your life - master time management skills
- If all else fails, go to the prof!
Here are some resources to help you study, prepare for tests, and to stay organized:
- Study Skills
Study Skill Checklist - Virginia Tech
http://www.ucc.vt.edu/stdysk/checklis.html - Improve Your Studying Skills University of Connecticut
http://www.sp.uconn.edu/~ph101vc/study/Improve.html - Study Tips - Ohio University
http://studytips.admsrv.ohio.edu/studytips/ - Effective Study Skills Dr. Robert Kizlik
http://www.adprima.com/studyout.htm - Hints on How to Study - University of Illinois-Chicago
http://www.uic.edu/classes/phar/phar332/how%20to%20study.htm - Study Habits & Test Anxiety - University of Buffalo
http://ub-counseling.buffalo.edu/stressstudy.shtml - Basic Study Techniques - Texas A&M
http://www.scs.tamu.edu/selfhelp/elibrary/basic_study_techniques.asp - Preparing to Study - P.A. Canavan
http://www.how-to-study.com/preparing-to-study.htm
- Note Taking Skills - Sweet Briar College
http://www.arc.sbc.edu/notes.html - Note-Taking and In-Class Skills - Virginia Tech
http://www.ucc.vt.edu/stdysk/notetake.html - Note Making - University of Victoria
http://www.coun.uvic.ca/learning/note-taking/ - Taking notes – Mantex
http://www.mantex.co.uk/samples/note.htm - No Nonsense Notetaking - Keene State College
http://www.keene.edu/aspire/nonsense.cfm
- Listening Skills - University of Minnesota-Duluth
http://www.d.umn.edu/kmc/student/loon/acad/strat/ss_listening.html - Listening Skills - Texas A&M
http://www.scs.tamu.edu/selfhelp/elibrary/listening_skills.asp - A System For Effective Listening And Notetaking - University of Dayton Law
http://academic.udayton.edu/legaled/online/class/note03.htm
- How to Be Prepared for Tests: 15 Steps to Success - Sweet Briar College
http://www.arc.sbc.edu/testpreparation.html
- Test Taking Strategies - University of Minnesota, Duluth
http://www.d.umn.edu/kmc/student/loon/acad/strat/test_take.html - Taking Tests- General Tips - Cape Breton-Victoria Regional School Board
http://www.cbv.ns.ca/sstudies/links/learn/1445.html - Test Taking Tips - Penn State
http://www.ulc.psu.edu/studyskills/test_taking.html - Tips on Test Taking – Professor Felder, NC State University , Professor Stice, University of Texas at Austin
http://www4.ncsu.edu/unity/lockers/users/f/felder/public/Papers/testtaking.htm - Doctor Ah-Clem's Site Reviews Exam Skills
http://thetwocrows.com/ahclem/examskills.html - Conquering Your Finals - Texas A&M
http://www.scs.tamu.edu/selfhelp/elibrary/conquering_finals.asp - What examiners want - Mantex
http://www.mantex.co.uk/ou/a319/a319-11.htm
- Test Anxiety - State University of New York at Buffalo
http://ub-counseling.buffalo.edu/stresstestanxiety.shtml - Managing Your Test Anxiety - University of Western Ontario
http://www.sdc.uwo.ca/learning/mcanx.html
- Getting Organized - College of the Alameda
http://www.nlight.com/Success/Study/3organize.html
- Time Management - SUNY Buffalo
http://ub-counseling.buffalo.edu/studytime.shtml - Time Management - University of Illinois-Urbana Champaign
http://www.counselingcenter.illinois.edu/?page_id=194 - Time Management Tips - Washington State University
http://www.vancouver.wsu.edu/ss/handbook/time.html - Time Audit - Minnesota-Duluth
http://www.d.umn.edu/kmc/student/loon/acad/strat/time_audit.html
McCabe, Donald L., Trevino, Linda K., and Butterfield, Kenneth D. "Cheating in Academic Institutions: A Decade of Research." 11.3 (2001): 219-232.