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Seniors help develop program to combat cheating
3:30 p.m., May 26, 2006--Four seniors majoring in psychology have designed an anti-academic cheating program from materials used by UD's Office of Judicial Affairs that is in the process of being incorporated into UD's LIFE program. LIFE is an acronym for Learning Integrated Freshman Experience, an academic program for first-year students. The students--Andrew Perry, of Rockaway, N.J.; Lisa Payne, of Denville, N.J.; David Signarovitz, of Bethlehem, Pa.; and Nicole Rizzo, of Cedarhurst, N.Y.--developed materials that warn students about cheating as part of a final project for PSYC-467, Professional Ethics in Applied and Experimental Psychology, taught by Gerard Hoefling, assistant director of the University Advisement Center. Once incorporated by LIFE, their program will warn students about different types of cheating, provide tips on how to avoid cheating, let them know how to obtain help when they are having problems with coursework, explain how to properly cite sources to avoid being accused of plagiarism, explain University academic policies and specify the consequences of violating those policies. The program includes handouts for students, as well as a list of videos about cheating. As part of their class project, students in his class had to choose an ethical issue at the community level to investigate and try to resolve, Hoefling said. Ultimately, these four students chose something close to home--cheating. “They were then able to develop a sound ethical argument about the University's responsibility in dealing with cheating and then create an administrative program to resolve it,” he said. Perry said they chose cheating as their ethical dilemma “because we recognized it as a problem that was present not only at the University of Delaware, but classrooms across the country. Cheating is not only ethically and morally wrong, but it undermines the value of the degree you earn from your university.” Payne said they designed the program as a method for making positive change at UD. “If freshman students know more about cheating--the consequences of cheating and how cheating undermines their degree--they will be less likely to engage in cheating. We also believe that informing incoming freshmen about the writing and math centers will give them a way to get help instead of turning to unethical means,” she said. Meghan Biery, LIFE coordinator, said they aren't sure when the materials will be ready, but that they are in the process of adapting it for their program. Article by Barbara Garrison |
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