Muhsin Michael Orsini, EdD Assistant Professor

Muhsin Michael Orsini, EdD Assistant Professor Meredith R. Gringle, BA MPH Student Department of Public Health Education

UNC Greensboro (2009, February) Lilly Conference on College and University Teaching

 Personal experiences of cheating

 Academic dishonesty  Modern technologies for cheating  Factors associated with academic dishonesty

 Recommendations  Institutional and classroom policy

 Faculty survey:  84% suspect academic dishonesty  65% were certain of academic dishonesty

 Share personal experiences of observing students

cheating on exams in your classroom.  Share personal experiences of cheating on exams during your educational history.

 Cheating on exam

 Plagiarizing  Falsifying bibliography  Turning in work done by someone else

 Receiving improper assistance on assignments  Intentionally facilitating cheating on the part of others

 Commonplace in American higher education:  66% students admit to dishonest academic behavior at highly

selective schools (n = 6,000)  70% of students admit to cheating on exams at state schools (n = 1,800)  Moderate increases over the last few decades (1963-1993):  63 to 70% rise in cheating on exams  11 to 49% rise in receiving improper assistance on assignments  No significant change in plagiarizing, falsifying bibliography,

turning in work done by someone else, intentionally facilitating cheating on the part of others

 Cheating on exams in classrooms  Accessing information during exam  Internet – Laptop or cell phone  Calculator and iPod  Coke Bottle Label  Plastic Cheat Sheet  Sharing information about the exam  Photograph – Laptop, cell phone, or iPod  Text – Laptop or cell phone

 Exchanging information about methods of cheating  Rubber Band  Notes in Pen  Notes in Skirt

 Individual:  Academic achievement – Lower GPA  Age – Traditional undergraduate  Social activities – Greek membership, partying, and greater

extracurricular involvement  Academic major – Business  Gender – Male  Environmental:    

Peer group approval Indifferent, permissive, or low vigilance of instructor Ineffective communication of school policy and penalties Lack of enforcement

 Communicate policies to students and faculty

 Encourage faculty to discuss academic dishonesty with

students  Establish non-permissive examination environments  Apply consequences in consistent, fair, and timely manner  Maintain environment of trust and honor

 Describe school policies

and procedures that are consistent with the recommendations?  Describe school policies

and procedures that are not consistent with the recommendations?

 Recommendations:  Communicate policies to 

 



students and faculty Encourage faculty to discuss academic dishonesty with students Establish non-permissive examination environments Apply consequences in consistent, fair, and timely manner Maintain environment of trust and honor

 Describe your classroom

policies and procedures that are consistent with the recommendations?  Develop a plan to decrease

cheating on exams with modern technologies in your classroom.

 Recommendations:  Communicate policies to 

 



students and faculty Encourage faculty to discuss academic dishonesty with students Establish non-permissive examination environments Apply consequences in consistent, fair, and timely manner Maintain environment of trust and honor