Show Academic dishonesty is it a sign of the times F CPS FIERCE competition for 1 jobs and higher gra grades es and poor leadership models have created a fe fertile tile climate for cheating say college and university university university uni uni- officials who are grap grap- grappling grappling pling with new ways to deal F wit with an old problem Worried educators say some som of today's college students students students stu stu- dents exposed to a painful recession recession recession re re- re- re cession in a rich quick society society society so- so and numbed by scandals such as congressional congressional congressional check bouncing are asking themselves What's wrong with cheating One of the reasons that cheating is increasing is the perception that the students' students future job opportunities are closely linked to how well they perform in terms of grades said Robert Dorff faculty senate senate senate sen sen- ate chairman at North Carolina Carolina Carolina Caro Caro- lina State University When pressure mounts some feel that pressure and respond by cheating he said adding that today's faculty faculty faculty fac fac- fac- fac members are being urged to be more creative with testing testing testing test test- ing procedures to make cheating cheating cheating cheat cheat- ing less enticing Not only is academic dishonesty dishonesty dishonesty dis dis- dis- dis honesty growing but there is ismore ismore ismore more discussion about it than ever before Both of these forces are coming together and making it a more apparent apparent apparent ent problem Dorff said One New Jersey student doesn't see cheating as a problem In fact hes he's making a tidy profit from the current paranoia Michael Moore a Rutgers University journalism student recently raised eyebrows with his page 86 book titled I Cheating The Benefits and Fundamentals of Earning the Easy A that details methods of cheating including including including ing hiding notes in the holes of torn jeans and using foot signals to convey answers on multiple choice questions Moore reported in an article article article arti arti- cle in Campus Crime a January 1992 that he has sold 1750 copies of his book 6 each to students at Rutgers the University of Maryland and Ohio State University Some professors say Moores Moore's blatant effort to promote promote promote pro pro- mote deceit has brought cheating often an unspoken seldom-addressed seldom problem into the light Educators often refuse to admit the amount of cheating that may be going on in their classes said one so source and may not want to know the hard facts In 1987 and 1988 the American n Council on Education Education Education tion in conjunction with the University of California at Los Angeles asked students about their cheating habits in a comprehensive survey The American Freshman About 37 percent of the students surveyed in the fall of 1988 said they had cheated on a test in high school an increase from about 30 percent percent percent per per- cent the year before About 57 percent said they had copied another students student's work about 52 percent admitted admitted admitted admit admit- ted doing so the year before That was the last year any reference to cheating was included included included in in- in the survey We We dont don't plan on bringing bringing bringing bring bring- ing it up p in the questions again said Ellen Riggs a res researcher researcher re re- re- re s searcher archer with the Higher Education Education Education Edu Edu- cation Research Center at UCLA The liThe general reactions from the schools were not the most positive Some advised ed students not to answer the questions Michael Moffatt associate professor of anthropology at Rutgers University said his intensive study of cheating left him shocked and in a funk He said he received only a lukewarm response from hi his colleagues I found that 33 percent of the students had been in in- in considerable cheat cheat- ing That means cheating in three to 25 courses with an average of eight courses and 22 percent had never cheated in college The in cheated once or twice said Moffatt Moffatt's investigation included included included in in- Rutgers students who turned in anonymous self reports on subjects such as sexuality and cheat cheat- ing The results of the cheating cheating cheating cheat cheat- ing question spurred him to write a page 22 r report port I received a great number of graphic papers that were in inmany inmany inmany many ways more shocking than the sexual self self reports It threw me into a funk he said Students confessed to Moffatt that they cheated to get minimal grades to survive to get revenge on a disliked professor because they were angry or because others performed perform per per- formed form ed better academically without much effort Moffatt said cheating often takes such an emotional and mental toll toU that it would be easier to study They are in terror of being caught he said of cheaters They liTher will fight against the accusation The professor said he has identified five commonly used cheating techniques from the where answers are borrowed from a neighbor to ripple cheating cheating cheating cheat cheat- ing which can consist of elaborate premeditated schemes with many involved Cheat sheets are so common common common com com- mon that Moffatt actually legalized le legalized legalized le- le them in his class St Stu Students Students Stu- Stu dents are allowed to bring in one inch by piece of pf paper with as much written on it as the space can contain ask It lilt encourages me to not stupid questions he said Cheating also takes other forms such as plagiarism paying someone to take a test or write a paper or buying an already completed term paper I M. 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