To Prevent Cheating - Technologies in Schools

To prevent cheating, most schools have a set honor code that is based around the thought that most students are matured adults and will act like such. But these same students don’t always show the best behavior when it comes to technology. Rules and codes are put in place to try and prevent this type of plagiarism. As a fellow student I am aware of a lot of what happens in the student body. So cheating, as you could guess, is a topic that I will occasionally hear about.

It is certain that cheating is definitely peaking. With our ever advancing computers and smartphones combined with the ever changing brain of a teenager this outcome should not be that much of a surprise. Phones and other tablet use during tests and quizzes was not of any concern in the past because nothing was smart enough to do that. But nowadays we live in a world where internet is in an abundant supply and using it is almost involuntary at this point. Slowly the limitations and rules of plagiarism begin to fade out.

At our school, I can remember being scared of the student code. Now having yet to receive punishment for this behavior, I am not exactly sure of what it is. If I had to guess I would say that the consequence would be lose your computer for a long point of time. The type of cheating that you could get accused of, ranged from simply working with others on the same paper to straight up online plagiarism.

Professor Donald McCabe of Rutgers University has discovered that school honor codes/ rules are at their most effectiveness when the students follow these rules. It is important that the staff and students both work towards enforcing these code standards. Peer-pressure is a very influential force in not only a student’s life, but everyone’s in general. These high school or college code’s intended purpose is to try and teach young adults responsibility and respect. An effective honor code creates an environment where normal circumstances serve as deterrents from cheating. Strict consequences are also put in place to try and outweigh any benefits. To go against plagiarism and cheating, the school provides students with tools to deal with any kind of tempting situations. This helps to build pride towards ownership in one’s own work.

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