21st century disco

post A, Phillipa
Introduction

According to Macfarlane, Zhang, & Pun, 2014, academic integrity encompasses values, behaviour and conduct of academics in all aspects of their practice. The topic is reported to be gaining attention of researchers due to the increasing number of reported cases about academic fraud worldwide (Macfarlane, Zhang, & Pun, 2014). As such, it is a concern to higher education leaders, to understand this phenomena and work on how to prevent its spread.

The quality of education at the University of Zimbabwe (UZ) has been consistently portrayed as deteriorating (Sarua, 2012). Reports of leaked examination papers (Mashanyare & Chinamasa, 2014) students accessing them before the examination date, the buying of degrees, and a general lack of concern for education on the part of the administration have been filed (Shizha & Kariwo, 2011). In this discussion, a case where the first lady, Grace Mugabe, is alleged to have been awarded a PhD in 2014 (Mbiba, 2014) which she did not study for is assessed.

Does the situation violates HLC’s Criterion 2?

The situation violates HLC’s Criterion 2 on several levels. The institution did not uphold integrity and acted without ethics. Awarding a degree to one work has not worked for it violated Article 2A (Higher Learning Commission, 2015), in that there is no academic integrity. By awarding such a degree, the university did not present itself to its students as an institution to be trusted. It presents the university as not caring, as working on favoritism, and removes the value that the institution’s certificates should be accorded, at home and abroad. It violates article 2C, in showing that the governing body, the administration, and the whole educational team are acting without integrity. It is evidence that they were unable to act without external influence, presenting the whole institution as week and controlled.

Recommendation to avoid the situation in the future

To avoid such situations, the university needs to reclaim its power, educate the politicians, and the country (McWilliams & Nahavandi, 2006) about the importance of integrity, and do away with all external influence. To do this, it may need a re-staffing, and to embark on an education campaign of the role of a university. This on its own may not be enough if the presidential influence is the cause of this act. To change the whole politics of Zimbabwe may be the necessary solution. Apparently, making integrity statements and publicizing them (Purdue, 2016) is not enough.

By publicizing this article the student body made a good move, because it informs the world not to accept that degree. Their anger in their comments to the article is justified, as they feel like they are being abused, paying and laboring for a piece of paper that can just be given. But, that is not enough to stem this action. Not only is this the fault of the university, but, a symptom of the whole country’s political stance, which implies that morals, ethics, and integrity have been reduced to the minimum, if the president himself, who for a long time was the patron of the university, can be the one to not only condone this, but perpetuate it. What example does this give to the university?

References

Higher Learning Commission (2015). Policy title: Criteria for accreditation. Retrieved fromhttp://policy.hlcommission.org/Policies/criteria-for-accreditation.html

Macfarlane, B., Zhang, J., & Pun, A. (2014). Academic integrity: A review of the literature. Studies in Higher Education, 39:2. (Pp 339-358). doi:10.1080/03075079.2012.709495

Mashanyare, I. &Chinamasa, E (2014). School examinations leakage: Case of Zimbabwe Schools Examinations Council. IOSR Journal of Humanities And Social Science (IOSR-JHSS) 19:4: I. Retrieved from: http://www.iosrjournals.org/iosr-jhss/papers/Vol19-issue4/Version-1/I019414754.pdf

Mbiba, L. (2014). Grace’s degree: Students cry foul. Retrieved from: https://www.dailynews.co.zw/articles/2014/09/22/grace-s-degree-students-cry-foul

McWilliams, V. & Nahavandi, A. (2006). Using live cases to teach ethics. Journal of Business Ethics, 67: 4. Pp 421-433. doi:10.1007/s10551-006-9035-3

Purdue University (2016). Statement of Integrity and Code of Conduct. Retrieved from: http://www.purdue.edu/purdue/about/integrity_statement.html

SARUA (2012). A profile of higher education in Southern Africa. Retrieved from: http://www.sarua.org/files/publications/SARUA%20leadership%20Dialogue%20Series/SARUA%20Profiles%20of%20HE%20Vol%201.pdf

Shizha, E. & Kariwo, M. T. (2011). Education and Development in Zimbabwe: A Social, Political and Economic Analysis, Retrieved from: http://download.springer.com/static/pdf/348/bfm%253A978-94-6091-606-9%252F1.pdf?originUrl=http%3A%2F%2Flink.springer.com%2Fbook%2Fbfm%3A978-94-6091-606-9%2F1&token2=exp=1458468875~acl=%2Fstatic%2Fpdf%2F348%2Fbfm%25253A978-94-6091-606-9%25252F1.pdf%3ForiginUrl%3Dhttp%253A%252F%252Flink.springer.com%252Fbook%252Fbfm%253A978-94-6091-606-9%252F1*~hmac=0acdee9d0aa20b76144e974519cf146e31ddbee150e60d0b27831ebf8cdd985a

Post B: darly
Integrity: Ethical and Responsible Conduct

To most educators, the essential element to the success of their mission is academic integrity. It can be said that higher education as well as society will benefit from standards of integrity that pave the way for vibrant academic life, promote scientific progress, and prepare students for responsible citizenship. Despite efforts to uphold such principles, academic dishonesty is a growing concern for most educational institutions. Academic dishonesty has been a problem in schools as long as schools have existed, but over the past decade researchers and teachers have reported a dramatic climb in the occurrence of academic dishonesty especially among students in higher education, seemingly sparked by the rise of the Internet (Heneghan 2012).

Violation of the Higher Learning Commission Criteria

Harvard University quickly condemned the behavior of the 125 students suspected of collaborating inappropriately on a take-home exam. “These allegations, if proven, represent totally unacceptable behavior that betrays the trust upon which intellectual inquiry at Harvard depends,” Harvard President Drew Faust said in a statement (Grasgreen 2016). It is quite clear that the actions of the students violate criterion two of the Higher Learning Commission’s accreditation criteria.

Future Recommendation

Harvard’s official handbook says students should “assume that collaboration in the completion of assignments is prohibited unless explicitly permitted by the instructor.” One idea to help rectify this situation would be an academic integrity pledge students could sign. If Harvard does go the academic integrity pledge route, it could help create a culture where students and professors are more trusting of one another and cheating is less likely to occur (Grasgreen 2016).

Another idea would be to simplify and clarify the course requirements on the syllabus. In the days after news of the scandal broke, students in the class started speaking out, saying the course and instructors were so confusing and inconsistent that students had no choice but to collaborate, and in some cases did so in the presence of teaching assistants (Grasgreen, 2016). Ideally, discussions about integrity to should occur in a number of different settings and become part of the culture on campus.

References

Grasgreen, Allie (2016). Honor code may not be enough to solve academic integrity issues at Harvard. Insidehighered.com. Retrieved 11 April 2016, from https://www.insidehighered.com/news/2012/09/06/honor-code-may-not-be- enough-solve-academic-integrity-issues-harvard
Heneghan, Emily, (2012) Academic Dishonesty and the Internet in Higher Education – Educ 300: Education Reform, Past and Present. Commons.trincoll.edu. Retrieved 11 April 2016, from http://commons.trincoll.edu/edreform/2012/05/academic-dishonesty-and-the-internet-in-higher-education/

my post:
Ethical and Responsible Conduct

Institutions of higher learning in the north central section of the United States are required by The Higher Learning Commission (HLC) to operate ethically and responsibly for them to be fully accredited. Despite the presence of regulations laid down, stories about ethical and integrity issues still rock the headlines daily. Higher Learning Commission requires that all institutions meet all its criterion of accreditation. Criterion two stipulates ethics and responsible conduct required. Numerous ethical aspects have been violated both by the university management and the students knowingly and unknowingly (Strain, Barnett & Jarvis, 2009).

Passing exams and term papers are the happiness of every student. Driven by the spirit of passing, students have found themselves on the wrong side of college rules and regulations and had their results cancelled. The vice of cheating in an exam according to Michael Josephson is inherited and led by adults (Josephson, 2002).

In 2007, in the Duke University of Business found 16 students cheating on a take-home test. The students were found guilty of the offence, and most of them were suspended while others were discontinued. Although most the guilty students were foreign students, the vice was found to have established roots among the students. Some students copied from each other while others presented plagiarized assignments (True champions practice points, 2009). The university at this point fails to meet criterion two of Higher Learning Commission since it fails to prevent students from cheating.

Advances in technology have aided students to cheat in exams. Students use mobile phones either in examination rooms or to search, copy and paste information from the internet. Also, students have been found using campus free wireless internet to access online resources using mini-computers during exams. Most critical of all is that some lecturers and tutors have been found liaising with students such that no penalty is imposed on them even after being found cheating.

To curb fraud and irregularities in exams, institutions should include a curriculum where students are taught the importance and the risks of engaging examination malpractices. Universities should come up with strategies of administering term papers and exams which will not allow students to cheat. Also, lecturers and university examination bodies should set up stringent rules which will discourage students from engaging in exam cheating (Josephson, 2002).

References

Strain, J., Barnett, R., & Jarvis, P. (2009). Universities, ethics, and professions. New York: Routledge.

True champions practice points. (2009). Los Angeles, CA.

Josephson, M. (2002). Making ethical decisions. Marina del Rey, CA: Josephson Institute of Ethics.