An exploration of the academic honesty culture at the University of Delaware
Date
2019
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Publisher
University of Delaware
Abstract
Academic honesty is the cornerstone of any academic institution. Most students coming to the University of Delaware likely know that copying from another student during an exam is wrong and that cutting and pasting words from a website and not including a reference is plagiarism. And most students would say that if they were caught doing the above actions, they would be punished. But the academic honesty policy at the University and the consequences of violating the policy are much more nuanced. Faculty are expected to be on the front line of not only enforcing the academic honesty policy, but also informing students of the policy itself. ☐ This Executive Position Paper examines both faculty members’ and students’ awareness of the academic honesty policy at the University of Delaware and how they learned of the expectations and consequences, and explores if an online education program for students increases this awareness. ☐ A brief summary of the history of dishonesty is followed by a discussion of some of the characteristics which indicate the propensity for dishonesty. A review of academic honesty activity (i.e., conduct cases adjudicated by the Office of Student Conduct) at the University of Delaware concludes the first section of the EPP. ☐ The second section describes the collection of qualitative data from both students and faculty, via interviews and focus groups. The data collection was focused on their understanding of the academic honesty expectations, how they came to know these expectations, and their thoughts on ways to increase knowledge of the same. After analyzing the data, it was determined that most students, and many faculty, do not have a comprehensive understanding of the academic honesty expectations at the University of Delaware. For example, while most interviewees could identify plagiarism and cheating as components of the academic honesty policy, few were able to provide details regarding other types of behaviors included in the policy (specifically fabrication and academic misconduct.) Some interviewees also erroneously described behaviors not included in the policy. Finally, both faculty and students had limited understanding of how alleged violations of the academic honesty expectations were resolved and the consequences when dishonesty was determined. ☐ The third section describes the creation of a website known as the Academic Honesty Awareness Program or (A.H.A. Program.) The website contains information on the University of Delaware academic honesty policies and consequences; discussions regarding factors contributing to academic dishonesty and who is impacted; real-life examples of academic dishonesty; and campus resources to help students avoid academic dishonesty. The process for collecting quantitative data, via a pre-test, review of the A.H.A. Program and a post-test is described. The quantitative data shows an increase in knowledge of the policies, thus demonstrating that some sort of computer-based education is worthwhile. ☐ Finally, recommendations based on the research are shared. Options for dissemination of the A.H.A. Program are presented, as are suggestions for raising awareness of academic honesty expectations for faculty and the larger University of Delaware community.