STRATEGIES FOR REDUCING ACADEMIC DISHONESTY

On the first day of class, and then, on a regular basis: o Distribute and review the course syllabus (you may also want to include a statement about academic honesty. A sample statement is available here: o Talk about your expectations for their academic behavior. o Clarify what constitutes a violation of the academic dishonesty policy. o Explain the serious sanctions imposed upon a student who is found responsible for violating the academic dishonesty policy. Give examples of sanctions and how they have an effect on the student’s judicial record. o Incorporate this topic into class sessions before test, homework, labs, etc. o Clearly articulate when group work is allowed, and clarify what ‘collaboration’ means. Give examples of acceptable and unacceptable collaboration. o Emphasize proper citation as an important part of the class. Give examples of how to cite sources, and encourage students to use the Writing Center. Use multiple exams for different sections of classes. Use different exams or homework sets each year. Exclude the availability and use of electronic devices (phones, computers, pads, etc.) during testing. If possible, stagger seating by both seat and row. Play an active role in proctoring/monitoring your class. Reduce the number of take-home exams. Incorporate group presentations into your classes and grade based upon student assessment of each other’s contributions. Emphasize to students the importance of including quotation marks for direct quotes and noting paraphrased and summarized passages (and their source) if they will be submitting their research notes to another student who will be writing the final paper. Ask the student to incorporate personal experience and reflection in writing assignments. Ask at departmental meetings for strategies your faculty colleagues use to lessen the likelihood of cheating, plagiarism, facilitation and/or fabrication.