Academic Dishonesty Is One That Term Paper

(U of D. Office of Judicial Affairs Website " a Quick Reference Guide to Academic Integrity")

On the issue of flexibility the policies and procedures of U. Of D. are also much more reasonable, allowing for proper investigation and variable sanctions, depending upon the severity of the infraction. Instructors and the administration are members of the team to assist with investigation and implementation of policies.

While West Virginia University clearly exemplifies the demonstration of a zero tolerance policy on the subject, regarding all infractions, within the defined terms as equally bad and therefore equally punishable. This puts instructors and students in peril of increased infractions due to the instructors' reluctance to report lesser incidences of the problem. Though the West Virginia University policy does have a clear outline of the handling procedures for the implementation of policy during cases of dishonesty or suspected dishonesty, the terms clearly remove the instructor's ability to limit sanctions to those which fit the crime. While the U. Of D. policies begin with ways to encourage academic honesty and also include a comprehensive way in which the punishment might be variable for the severity of the infractions.

Discussion

An appropriate and effective academic reaction to the present educational culture, which includes the pervasive inclusion of academic dishonesty, is absolutely imperative for the continued integrity of the academic environment. The problem seems to only be getting worse as more and more students are pressed for time and convinced of their own inability to reach their academic goals in a stressful environment. Opportunities to commit acts of academic dishonesty increase daily as the Internet becomes a more and more utilized and complicated source for academic research. Limiting student's use of Internet research cannot be the only answer as it also clearly exponentially adds to the availability of information for research. Ensuring that definitions of academic dishonesty are clear consistent and user friendly is imperative and additionally the variability of sanctions to match the infraction is also a key component to the implementation of policies and procedures.

Works Cited

Academic Integrity/Dishonesty Policy, West Virginia University, Admission

Services www.arc.wvu.edu/admissions/integrity.html

Quick Reference Guide to Academic Integrity: Office of Judicial Affairs,

University of Delaware. www.udel.edu/judicialaffairs/ai.html

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