By Gregory Micek
Cheating in college is an issue of great concern. According to the Washington Post, “[r]ecent studies have shown that a steadily growing number of students cheat or plagiarize in college” and that number “will continue to rise.” The same source also mentioned that a study by “Don McCabe of Rutgers University showed that 74 percent of high school students admitted to” cheating one or more times on tests.
As technology improves, it becomes easier for students to cheat in college courses. Whereas students years ago had to search through the saved papers at greek houses, or contact a firm to fax a paper to them, in today’s society it is easy for a student to find a paper online the night before s/he must turn it in. After paying a fee, the student instantly has a paper that someone else wrote (Washington Post).
Similarly, the advent of cell phones has made it easier for students to cheat during exams. With a large number of students in an exam room, students may be able to text their friends for help during the exam. As more technologically advanced cell phones come into consumers’ hands, students may even be able to search the web or Wikipedia for answers during a test.
According to the New York Times, Duke University punished 34 MBA students for cheating on a take-home, open-book final exam in March of 2007. Similarities in the students’ answers alerted the professor of the cheating that had taken place. Fifteen of the students “were suspended for a year” and received a failing grade in the course, nine students received a failing grade in the course, and one received a failing grade on the exam.
Overall, cheating is an issue of great importance that continues to grow in the college environment. As technology improves, students find cheating easier, and the repercussions of cheating can vary from a zero received on the exam to expulsion from the university.
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