Essay on "Academic Integrity Exercise"

Essay 15 pages (4300 words) Sources: 1+

[EXCERPT] . . . .

Academic Integrity

Exercise 1- Academic integrity

Academic integrity implies being open and honest in the fulfilment of the academic responsibilities therefore, establishing mutual trust. Honesty and fairness us fundamental in relationships and interactions of the academic community and is attained through respect for the ideas and opinions of others.

Academic honesty means intellectual honesty: fairness and honesty in the formulating argument, using information, and other tasks related to understanding and knowledge pursuit. It is the main principle that determines how students live and learn in a society of inquiry. As the academic community members, students and their instructors are entitled to an intensive degree freedom in their pursuit of scholarly interests (Bertram, 213). Also, with this freedom, however, comes the task to maintain the academic conduct ethical standards required. University academic integrity code of conduct highlights academic violation and defines the process of adjudication for academic crimes.

Academic integrity is a commitment to five essential values such as trust, fairness, respect, responsibility and fairness. Academic excellence significantly depends upon such values. Each member in the academic community has the obligation to adhere to the practice that enhance academic integrity, punish offense when they happen and prevent academic dishonesty.

Significance of academic integrity

Academic integrity is embedded in the university's mission. Educational objectives of the university cannot be fulfilled without strict adherence to the academic integrity standards. Act of dishonesty in academic work undermines the process of learning and disadvantage students who acquire credit honestly and subvert primary responsibilities of the fair academic enterprise including the evaluation and certification of the scholastic progress of students and claimed educational success. It is highly expensive to ignore.

Academic integrity ensures better performance and accomplishment id impressive academic results. Therefore, all participants involving students must consistently and rigorously observe an exemplary academic integrity standard in their contribution to the complex, interdependent academic process that cannot work effectively without academic honesty.

Academic integrity is crucial to any academic community to enable students receive credit and certification for doing assignments and homework as they are supposed to acquire additional knowledge from class work assignments and a large number of them do so honestly. Academic honesty reinforces the student's integrity and the integrity of the entire university.

As noted by Bertram (92), academic honesty, integrity and a respect for truth, ethical practices and knowledge are essential to the operations of the university. Experts agree that all these principles are at the centre of all academic practices in learning, teaching and research. Also, dishonesty practices compromise academic research integrity, contravenes academic values and devalue the learning quality.

Responsibility of the student and instructor in reinforcing academic integrity

The students and their instructors as well as the entire academic community have the role to play in maintaining academic integrity in the university. For instance, instructors should introduce students to the chain of Knowledge idea. The idea that all students will use in writing their academic papers and proposals to prevent any act of academic dishonesty.

Suggesting the idea and backing it up with strict rules to reinforce it ensures strict adherence to academic code of conduct at all time. The chain of Knowledge significantly saves students time in that during their educational activities there is no time to rethink about thoughts that they have ever had. They always base their learning practices on established knowledge so as to acquire their education, progress and research into new fields.

Students at each university are expected to observe and maintain high integrity and a high standard of personal honour in scholastic assignments undertaken in college. This is a fundamental expectation that strengthens academic code in universities. As a minimum, all students are required to complete their exams, assignments and any other scholastic endeavour with the utmost fairness and honesty, which requires them to observe some rules.

For instance, acknowledge other sources contribution to their scholastic efforts, and complete their exams and assignments independently unless the instructor authorizes them to obtain or seek help in preparing the assignment is illegal. Similarly, students are expected to follow instructions for examinations and assignments, and observe the standard of their academic discipline, and avoid participating in any acts that may lead to academic dishonesty.

Instructors should formulate academic policies intended to reinforce the significance of honesty and integrity in an academic environment. Such policies apply to all learners in all modes of learning and in all areas, including postgraduate and undergraduate coursework students and research higher degree students at the university.

All the university staff members are responsible for maintaining high honesty and integrity standards in academic work, and for reporting any suspected violation of academic policy to respective authorities. Academic instructors have a responsibility to implement the student academic misconduct strategies and University academic integrity.

Instructors should ensure that all possible mechanisms are available to provide learners with education regarding academic integrity. Instructors are responsible for examining the cases of suspected academic dishonesty, for reinforcing right action based on the Student Rule of Academic misconduct.

Similarly, instructors should give strict penalties and stun warnings to any form of student dishonesty in exams, research misconduct, assignments and other scholastic assignments. Students, on the other hand should avoid any form of intentional cheating and plagiarism in their course work and exams. Plagiarism involves using or copying illegal materials, study guideline or information in all academic procedures.

Cheating entails having illegal notes during a quiz or exam, communication of information through any means concerning the examination content during and after the examination period, to any student who has not yet sat for the test is illegal and should be avoided. Copying other students work, providing or obtaining illegal prior knowledge for the quiz or exam content and presenting another students work should be highly discouraged because it breaches academic integrity.

Students are advised to seek clarification and guidelines from their lectures regarding the appropriate parameters for collaboration if they have doubts concerning assignments that require team work. Also, acknowledgement of collaborative efforts is needed when presenting student authorship work.

Academic dishonesty

Academic dishonesty involves any intentional attempt to fabricate, falsify or tamper with information, records, data or any other information or material that is essential to student's participation in an academic course, academic exercise or function, or laboratory. Most of these practices fall to either of the following categories.

First, cheating, plagiarism and academic dishonesty that is intended to acquire unfair academic benefit. Second, receiving or disseminating data, answers and other information through any other means rather than those permitted by the instructor as part of academic exercise whereby a student is not allowed to work collaboratively with colleagues. Third, assuming another student's identity or allowing another student to assume ones identity for the purpose of achieving any academic requirement or enhancing the academic standing or student's grade is illegal. Forth, using any implement, device or other study aids during quiz, laboratory experiment, examination or other academic tasks without the permission of the faculty member is illegal.

Plagiarism is deliberately presenting words; work, theories and ideas, derived in part or whole from an external source to the student's work as though the information is the student's own contribution. Examples of plagiarism involve failing to use right citations as acknowledged by ethical, academic standards in a paper, oral or written examination. Presenting works completed partly or wholly by group or individual other than the learner, as though the work or idea is the learner's own, in any course exercise. Buying, bartering, selling or in any other material distribution or fashion obtaining tom be employed fraudulently as an aspect of academic procedure.

Academic dishonesty involves other academic misconduct such as fabricating or falsifying records, data and any information crucial to the participation of the student in any academic procedure, or interfering with such data and information as gathered or distributed by the instructor. Also, inventing, falsifying or trying to falsify graded exercises, academic records or any document or information intended to excuse the learner from participation in academic procedure.

Factors that influence academic dishonesty among University students

Academic dishonesty or misconduct is an enormous challenge and concern for an academic institution. Studies have revealed that about 50% of learners admit cheating or plagiarising to at least one quiz, (Bertram, 124). Various factors have been found influencing academic dishonesty among students, for instance, a declining sense of academic honesty. In the modern world, education is no longer valued for excellence, but as a means to an end. Therefore, students cheat to achieve academic success and secure better job opportunities.

Social approval from faculty, friends and parents influence academic dishonesty. Researchers suggest that university students with increased need of approval cheat frequently in exams because they are mainly concerned about negative perceptions if they fail. Also, others cheat because of peer influence from friends and faculty members.

Similarly, feeling of pressure of attaining family and personal expectations, sometimes force students to succumb to temptations and cheat to get a go ahead. Lack of awareness and knowledge regarding proper citations and referencing within… READ MORE

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