In my search for some scary news to match today’s date I was reviewing a recent survey of over 36,000 students by the Josephson Institute. The survey illustrates the problem of cheating among students as a majority (60%) cheated on a test during the past year (35% did so two or more times) and one in three (33%) said they used the Internet to plagiarize an assignment.
In addition to test cheating statistics the survey, to my amazement, reported that 27% of the respondents admitted to lying on at least one or two questions on the very survey they had just taken. In reality, the incidents of cheating may actually be much higher.
According to Michael Josephson, president and founder of the Institute, “The good news is that things aren’t getting any worse -- the 2006 results are almost identical to those reported in 2004. The bad news is that unacceptably high rates of dishonesty have become the norm. It doesn’t bode well for the future that so many kids are entering the workforce to become the next generation of corporate executives and cops, politicians and parents, journalists, teachers, and coaches with the dispositions and skills of liars, cheaters and thieves.”
You can view the report here.
Best regards,
Don Sorensen
Vice President, Marketing
Caveon Test Security
801.592.3396
1 > Leaders aim to curb cheating on tests
Philadelphia Inquirer - Philadelphia,PA,USA
...Five years after high-stakes school testing swept the nation, some key lawmakers now say they want to make sure results remain credible....
2 > Cheating is up — among teachers
Columbus Dispatch - Columbus,OH,USA
...But in some districts, teachers got access last school year. Some made copies. Others shared the questions with students ahead of time, or gave answers during the test. And a few devised nonverbal signals to cue children that their answers were incomplete....
3 > Authority warns off fraud as 2.8 mln Chinese sit for college enrollment exam
People's Daily Online - Beijing,China
..."To ensure a fair, satisfactory exam, education officials at all levels should strengthen surveillance against exam fraud, with a focus on cracking down on group cheating and cheating with modern communication devices," said a notice released by the Ministry of Education....
4 > Academic honesty policy to take effect in 2007
Crimson Chronicle - Wichita,KS,USA
...if a student is caught cheating on a test or plagiarizing for a paper, the student will receive a zero for the assignment. Additionally, a list of such incidents will be kept in the registrar’s office. If a second offense comes about, students will be required to meet with the Academic Integrity Board, where their academic future will be decided....
5 > Deans address plagiarism
Yale Daily News - New Haven,CT,USA
...Yale College General Conduct and Discipline guidelines define academic dishonesty as "Cheating on examinations, plagiarism, improper acknowledgment of sources in essays, and the use of a single essay in more than one course except in academically appropriate circumstances with the prior permission of the instructors."...
6 > Cost-benefit analysis
Lehigh University The Brown and White - Bethlehem,PA,USA
...We can lecture all we want about personal integrity and tell students the embarrassment of entering the real world and not really knowing your stuff, but the most effective thing is to instill fear of immediate, tangible consequences. Tell us is if we are found responsible, it will go on our transcript, that all our teachers will be notified and that we face suspension....
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