Why We Don’t Report All of the Cheating We Detect

Why We Don’t Report All of the Cheating We Detect

Why We Don’t Report All of the Cheating We Detect

By Terry McGlynn

December 10, 2019

Originally Published Here

Summary

The real question is: Why aren't we reporting more of the cases that we do detect? If you've taught in higher education, you no doubt have discovered plagiarism on a written assignment or cheating on an exam.

A centralized reporting system is a prerequisite for the development of a culture of honest academic work.

Among the disincentives that make it more difficult for instructors to report misconduct at the institutional level: We are anxious about the reporting process because it's often difficult and time-consuming to prepare the appropriate evidence and document the cheating.

The procedures for reporting a cheating incident are highly variable across academe.

Again, if every reported incident commits a faculty member to lots of paperwork and meetings, then clearly that will make it harder to ensure every incident gets reported.

So what are we to do? If faculty members are going to be expected to report every incident of misconduct, then we need a simple and easy mechanism of reporting, and access to clear procedures that are demonstrably fair to all parties involved.

Students are more likely to cheat when they feel cornered and don't have other options, and when an exam or a written assignment constitutes a large fraction of the total grade, then the perceived reward might trump the low risk of getting caught and reported.

Reference

McGlynn, T. (2019, December 10). Why We Don't Report All of the Cheating We Detect. Retrieved December 17, 2019, from https://www.chronicle.com/article/Why-We-Don-t-Report-All-of/247675/.