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Should SCU Have an Honor Code?

Should SCU Have an Honor Code?. Reinvigorating our Campus Commitment to Ethics. Aven Satre-Meloy Chief Justice, Associated Student Government Hackworth Fellow, Markkula Ethics Center. The issue of cheating at SCU. SCU may indeed have a cheating problem

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Should SCU Have an Honor Code?

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  1. Should SCU Have an Honor Code? Reinvigorating our Campus Commitment to Ethics Aven Satre-Meloy Chief Justice, Associated Student Government Hackworth Fellow, Markkula Ethics Center

  2. The issue of cheating at SCU • SCU may indeed have a cheating problem • 55% of students surveyed last Spring said they had witnessed another student cheat • 550+ respondents • Only 10% of these same students admitted to cheating • Recent increase in cheating on college campuses • Cheating on college campuses has increased significantly in the past three decades1 • New technologies raise difficult questions about what is appropriate 1McCabe, Donald, and Linda K. Treviño. "Honesty And Honor Codes.” Academe Jan-Feb. 2002. American Academy of University Professors. <http://www.aaup.org/AAUP/pubsres/academe/2002/JF/Feat/mcca.htm>.

  3. Honor codes reduce cheating • If done correctly, honor codes reduce cheating on college campuses • Donald McCabe, Rutgers University (2002)1 • “The research results are clear. The level of self-reported cheating by students on honor-code campuses, even those with unproctored exams, is significantly lower than that on campuses without codes, where exams are often carefully monitored.” • Serious test cheating on campuses with honor codes is typically 33% to 50% lower2 • Serious cheating on written assignments is 25% to 33% lower at honor code schools • Honor codes also cause an increase in student reporting 1McCabe, Donald, and Linda K. Treviño. "Honesty And Honor Codes.” Academe Jan-Feb. 2002. American Academy of University Professors. <http://www.aaup.org/AAUP/pubsres/academe/2002/JF/Feat/mcca.htm>. 2Dodd, Timothy M. “Honor Code 101: An Introduction to the Elements of Traditional Honor Codes, Modified Honor Codes and Academic Integrity Policies.” International Center for Academic Integrity. <http://www.academicintegrity.org/educaitonal_resources/honor_code_101.php>

  4. Reviewing our current policy • Some concerns regarding our current policy • It does not appear that all faculty report consistently • From OSL: 20 allegations of student academic dishonesty reported in 2011-2012 academic year • 2010-11: 45 cases • 2009-10: 33 cases • 2008-09: 30 cases • Repeat offenders may slip through • Faculty reporting is an enforcement issue, not necessarily a policy issue • Lack of student involvement

  5. Where have we been? • Spring 2012: ASG takes on project • Spring survey: only 14% of students do not support a student initiated and student operated academic honor system • Honor Code draft and some thought regarding implementation • Presentation to Faculty Senate • General support • Questions regarding implementation • Fall 2012: Alerting campus to project and soliciting feedback • ASG Honor Code Committee • Fall survey • Ethics Center programming

  6. Preliminary Survey Results • 1413 Respondents • Respondents expressed range of attitudes • General support for modified over traditional honor code • 350+ comments—substantial

  7. Traditional honor codes

  8. Modified honor codes

  9. The students do care! • “The issue is the school expects students to abide by an honor code they have no control over or say in. If the school gives students a voice in continuing to develop and enforce the honor code it will instill a sense of pride and ownership in the student body. This will surely lead to more academic integrity and stronger student enforcement of the honor code.”

  10. Comments, continued • “I am all for a student led academic integrity board or law. I think we need to get at the root of the issue of students cheating, that it hurts other students. Therefore I think fellow students (the ones who are hurt the most by cheating) standing up for what is right and fair is a great step forward. Just increasing penalties is not going to stop cheating from happening, though it might deter it. To stop the cheating we have to get at the hearts of those who are cheating, and I think a fellow student (and even friend) is the most effective way to that, therefore I approve this initiative.”

  11. Some conclusions • SCU students support an honor code • Only 14% of respondents from Spring 2012 survey did not favor a student initiated and student operated academic honor system • Students generally support a modified over a traditional honor code • An honor code cannot be something a small group of students commit to • Students and faculty must be willing to compromise on a system that best meets the needs of both parties • Student ownership is a necessity • Students adhere to their rules and, eventually, their way of life • The success of honor codes depends on a “culture of academic integrity” that leads students to take enforcement of the rules seriously • Creating a culture does not happen overnight

  12. Questions and discussion Contact Information • Email: ASatreMeloy@scu.edu • Judicial Branch: ASGJudicial@gmail.com

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