Lessons in Citizenship:Collaborative Writing to Foster Academic Integrity and Civic Responsibility

Ann E. BiswasUniversity of Dayton

Lilly Conference on College TeachingNovember 18, 2012

• Mission statements• Honor codes• Academic integrity policies• Ethics courses/content• Plagiarism & cheating policies on syllabi• Classroom instruction on source use

Creating a Campus Culture of Integrity

• U of Arizona study of 2,000 students (2012)o 2 out of 3 students admit cheatingo The higher the year in school the greater the

likelihood of cheating

Evidence of Academic Integrity Violations

Baldasare, A. & Washington White, K. (2012) “Dirty Rotten Scoundrels: Academic Integrity in the 21st Century.” 2012 NASPA Annual Conference, Phoenix. 14 March 2012.

• McCabe study of 4,000 undergrads over 2 years (2005)o 21% admitted to serious cheatingo 51% admitted to cheating on written worko 4 of 5 admitted to plagiarizing from the

Internet or purchasing a paper

Evidence of Academic Integrity Violations

McCabe, D.L. (Summer/Fall 2005). It takes a village: academic dishonesty and educational opportunity. Liberal Education.

• Lovett-Hooper, et al (2007)o A significant correlation between dishonesty

in college and dishonest behavior later in life

Cheating in College & After Graduation

Lovett-Hooper, G., Komarraju, M, Weston, R., & Dollinger, S.J. (2007). Is plagiarism a forerunner of other deviance? Imagined futures of academically dishonest students. Ethics & Behavior, 17(3), 323-336.

Academic Community Student Life Community

Students’ Relationship to their Communities

AdminAdministrationRules Students

teachersScholars

Faculty

• More policies, warnings, codes?• Address the source of the problem:

o Find ways to more effectively teach and model responsible, engaged citizenship inside the classroom

What More Can Be Done?

Thornton, C.H., & Jaeger, A.J. (2006). Institutional culture and civic responsibility: an ethnographic study. Journal of College Student Development, 47(1), 55-68.Thornton, C.H., & Jaeger, A.J. (April 2007). The ceremonies and symbols of citizenship. About Campus, 15-20.

Dimensions of Responsible Citizenship

Students begin to understand democracy and its values

1

2

3

4

5

Students begin acting for the benefit of a community

Students develop an appreciation for diversity

Students realize their knowledge can be used to benefit a community

Students develop a sense of personal accountability to the community

• Teams of 3-4 students• Writing with peers to peers• Creating variety of “texts”• Students become “source experts”

and independent scholars• Students share the product of their work

Using Collaborative Writing to Model Citizenship

• From a Technical Communication course for Juniors and Seniors

Sample Assignment

Thornton, C.H., & Jaeger, A.J. (2006). Institutional culture and civic responsibility: an ethnographic study. Journal of College Student Development, 47(1), 55-68.Thornton, C.H., & Jaeger, A.J. (April 2007). The ceremonies and symbols of citizenship. About Campus, 15-20.

Dimensions of Responsible Citizenship

Students begin to understand democracy and its values

1

2

3

4

5

Students begin acting for the benefit of a community

Students develop an appreciation for diversity

Students realize their knowledge can be used to benefit a community

Students develop a sense of personal accountability to the community

Codes

Codes of Conduct

Students’ Relationship to their Communities

teachersAdmin

Faculty/ScholarsAdministration

teachers

Students/Scholars

Scholarly Community

Questions?

References

Baldasare, A. & Washington White, K. (2012) “Dirty Rotten Scoundrels: Academic Integrity in the 21st Century.” 2012 NASPA Annual Conference. Phoenix. 14 March 2012.

Lovett-Hooper, G., Komarraju, M, Weston, R., & Dollinger, S.J. (2007). Is plagiarism a forerunner of other deviance? Imagined futures of academically dishonest students. Ethics & Behavior, 17(3), 323-336.

McCabe, D.L. (Summer/Fall 2005). It takes a village: academic dishonesty and educational opportunity. Liberal Education.

Thornton, C.H., & Jaeger, A.J. (2006). Institutional culture and civic responsibility: an ethnographic study. Journal of College Student Development, 47(1), 55-68.

Thornton, C.H., & Jaeger, A.J. (April 2007). The ceremonies and symbols of citizenship. About Campus, 15-20.