“The State of Student Academic Conduct at Missouri S&T”

How can faculty recognize types of cheating and what actions they can take?

What are the university regulations regarding academic misconduct?

What the University is doing to promote academic integrity?

Diane Hagni, CERTI coordinator Cheryl Downey-Eber, manager, Testing CenterBarb Prewett, Student AffairsHarvest Collier, VP-UGS

Major Issues Shaping our Future – Globalization

– Demand for Higher Education

– Gaps in Educational Attainment & Achievement

– Expanding Technologies

– Economic Fluctuations & Higher Education

Now more than ever we must commit our efforts to addressing issues of quality assurance, student learning and professional integrity.

Integrity in Higher EducationThe rapidly changing world is influenced by shifting social, economic, and political trends that are transforming the way we conduct business, demands we face, and how we respond.

Changing Dynamics

• Student Population– Increased Enrollment

– Greater Diversification – Increased Special Needs

(DSS, Counseling, Behavioral)

– Instantaneous Nature

– Technologically Advanced

– Decreased Faculty/Staff to Student Ratio

– Increased Student Conduct issues & changing trends

• 38% general student conduct increase (AY09-10)

• Increase in reported academic misconduct

• Expectations– Consumer Mentality

– Accountability Requirements

– Greater Scrutiny • We have to change our process to

meet the demands

– Industry Demands• 97% of S&T recruiters report

personal attributes and cultural fit being very important in the decision to hire, followed by work experience (co-op/intern) and analytical skills.

• Other personal attributes: – Interpersonal skills - 89%

– Understanding professional and ethical responsibilities - 84%

Trends in higher education and industry impacting integrity

Data: COC Corporate Services Survey AY09-10

• According to surveys in U.S. News and World Report– 80% of "high-achieving" high school students admit to cheating– 51% of high school students did not believe cheating was wrong– 75% of college students admitted cheating– 90% of college students didn't believe cheaters would be caught– Almost 85% of college students said cheating was necessary to get ahead

• Professor Donald McCabe May 2001 study of 4500 high school students:– 72% of students reported one or more instances of serious cheating– 52% had copied a few sentences from a website w/o citing the source– over 45% admitted to collaborating inappropriately with others on work

• In a sample of 1,800 students at nine state universities:– 70% of the students admitted to cheating on exams– 84% admitted to cheating on written assignments– 52% had copied a few sentences from a website w/o citing the source

Kerkvliet, J., & Sigmund, C. L. (1999). Can we control cheating in the classroom? Journal of Economic Education, 30(4), 331-351. Ashworth, P., Bannister, P., & Thorne, P. (1997). "Guilty in whose eyes." Studies in Higher Education, 22(2), 187-203. (EJ 549 250) November 22, 1999 issue of U.S. News and World Report The Center for Academic Integrity (http://www.academicintegrity.org/)McCabe, D. L., & Trevino, L. K. (1996). "What we know about cheating in college: Longitudinal trends and recent developments."

Statistical Findings

What is Cheating?

Missouri S&T Academic Dishonesty Policy

• The Missouri S&T "Student Academic Regulations" handbook is available online at http://registrar.mst.edu/academicregs/index.html

 • Page 30 describes the student standard of

conduct relative to the system's Collected Rules and Regulations section 200.010. It offers the following descriptions of academic dishonesty including cheating, plagiarism and sabotage.

Missouri S&T Academic Dishonesty Policy

• In cases of academic dishonesty, the following procedure is carried out. This procedure follows the collected rules and regulations referenced below.

• Student Conduct (Collected Rules and Regulations:

200.010)http://www.umsystem.edu/ums/departments/gc/rules/programs/200/010.shtml

• Rules of Procedures and Student Conduct Matters (Collected Rules and Regulations: 200.020)http://www.umsystem.edu/ums/departments/gc/rules/programs/200/020.shtml

Likelihood of Classroom Cheating Presented at the 2008 Association of Test Publishers (ATP) Conference

Fremer, John & Mulkey, Jamie. (2008). 10 Test Security Lessons from the 2008 ATP Conference. Retrieved August 21,2008, from http://www.caveon.com

Ethical - this group does not consider cheating an option

Incorrigible no matter what this group will cheat

Malleable-depending upon circumstances can join Ethical or Incorrigible – spontaneous cheating

Academic Cheating ExamplesPhone and MP3 cheating

Braindumps

Organized group cheating

The use of Bluetooth technology

Traditional methods, from cheat sheets to body writing

Online “how to cheat” tutorials(file:///Users/hcollier/Desktop/Academic%20Issues/Academic%20Dishonesty/Articles%20Faculty%20Focus/how

%20to%20cheat%20tutorials%20-%20Google%20Search.webarchive)

Examples of What Faculty Can DoIf space permits, arrange students so that there are empty chairs in between each

student.

Have assigned seating during tests, making sure to separate friends.

Display signs at the test center entrance regarding use of cell phones.

Have a policy that no personal belongings are permitted in the testing area and all such belongings will be confiscated.

Ask students to keep hands in plain sight above the table top.

Instruct students to keep their test papers close to their body and on the surface of the table during the test.

Don’t sit in the front of the room. Walk around and monitor students frequently.

Don’t allow more than one student to go to the restroom at a time.

When a student leaves for the restroom, collect his test and hold it until he returns.

Mary Bart in Trends in Higher Education, Faculty Focus, November 1, 2010

Examples of What Faculty Can Do

The honor system

Banning electronic devicesBe aware what calculators can do –

download from Internet

Requiring ID

Fingerprinting and scanning

Commercial security systems

Cheat-resistant laptops

Randomized testing

Statistical analysis

Mary Bart in Trends in Higher Education, Faculty Focus, November 1, 2010

Examples of What Faculty Can Do When Cheating is Observed in the Classroom

Ask the student to move to a different location

Use your cell phone to take a photo/video

Immediately collect the student’s exam/evidence

Invite the student to have a discussion

Report the incident to the VP Undergraduate Studies as well as inform the student and your department chair.

Mary Bart in Trends in Higher Education, Faculty Focus, November 1, 2010

Concerning FactorsS&T Student Academic Misconduct Reported

Cases Between 12/2007 and 12/2010

Dec. 2007 16 cases2008 31 cases2009 36 cases2010 47 cases

Concerning FactorsS&T Student Academic Misconduct Reported Cases Between

12/2007 and 12/2010

37% involved cheating on an exam or quiz25% involved plagiarism32% involved cheating on homework or lab reports3% involved clickers3% other, including 1 incident of a teaching assistant

cheating 8 repeat offenders

Concerning FactorsS&T Student Academic Misconduct Reported Cases Between

12/2007 and 12/2010

The sanctions from the Vice Provost for Undergraduate Studies for first offenses generally include a warning and a mandatory paper about academic integrity. Students with a second offense receive these sanctions and are also placed on probation.

Concerning FactorsS&T Student Academic Misconduct Reported Cases Between

12/2007 and 12/2010

Academic Level of Students Reported39 freshman30 sophomores28 juniors33 seniors

Missouri S&T Web Pagehttp://ugs.mst.edu/academicintegrity.html.

Providing the campus with information and resources relative to academic integrity

Pursuing a Culture of Integrity

Recommended Actions to PromoteAppropriate Academic Ethics

Strategies Students Say Would Work- Stronger Penalties

- Parental Notification

- An Anonymous Tip Line

- Administering A Uniform Policy

- An Academic Honor Code*

- No Strategy At All

- Required Ethics Course for All

- Student Action Strategies (more reactionary/less punitive)

*Missouri S&T Student Council has adopted an Honor Code

Pursuing a Culture of IntegrityRecommended Actions to Promote

Appropriate Academic Ethics

Strategies Faculty/Staff Say Would Work• Establish the current comprehensive status of awareness/state of ethics and

practice at Missouri S&T

• Establish an institutionalized Missouri S&T strategy in response to NSF’s call for Responsible Conduct of Research training resources for researchers

• Establish a campus wide strategy for general “Ethics Education” and recognition for “Ethics Professional Development”

• Establish a definitive strategy for student ethical practice engagement

• Establish a Strategic Plan priority action item for ethics education toward institutionalization of a Missouri S&T leadership culture for academic ethics.

 

QUESTIONS AND DISCUSSIONS

S&T Student Honor Code

• We the students of the Missouri University of Science and Technology support this honor code to represent our ideals and values as individual students as well as a unified student body. We shall hold ourselves to a high standard of integrity both on campus and off, seeking to uphold this high standard of conduct and encourage such attitudes and actions in others.

• We believe that the most important aspects of a strong moral code are based in Honesty and Respect. These values are defined as follows:

S&T Student Honor Code

Honesty: In the ideal student, honesty is represented by the attitude of individuality. This is represented by a student constantly striving to perform all work themselves and to credit all statements, ideas, references, and etc. where it is due. A student also has the responsibility to ensure prevention of any academic dishonesty (ie: cheating, copying homework, etc.). A student must also refrain from using any sources or methods of completion that are unadvised and/or forbidden by individual instructors or campus standards. Lastly, Honesty is intrinsically based on Respect which is our next core belief in this honor code.

S&T Student Honor CodeRespect: Respect is important in every aspect of life. On this

Campus it is vital for every student to respect themselves, other students, and all university employees. This entails accepting and obeying requests by campus officials and instructors so long as said request is within the proper bounds of their position. This also involves respecting the opinions and differences of other students as well as seeking to understand their differences rather than cause conflict. Students must also respect the educational processes of this campus. This includes instructor’s lessons, other student’s study habits or performance, as well as any other act that could have a negative impact on some form of intellectual development. Students should show humility in regards to any successes achieved, as well as maintain professionalism when dealing with disagreements.

S&T Student Honor Code

Conclusion: We, as students, recognize that by following this honor code, we are representing the ideals of the Missouri University of Science and Technology. Through these ideals, we strive for self-improvement in both our character and intellect. We look to better our lives and the lives of those around us, and realize that with these simple values, there is no limit to what we can achieve.