The Issue Of Academic Dishonesty - 1416 Words

Technology is rapidly evolving and changing nowadays. As a result of the increasing availability and propagation of several forms of technology, academic dishonesty cases in every college and university have greatly multiplied and become a global issue. The issue on cheating behaviors in students is so pervasive and uncontrollable that it is almost considered as commonplace (Arhin Jones, 2009). One of the hardest challenges for educators is knowing how and when to discipline their students. In the given scenario, there are several issues to take into account; the first and foremost being the issue of academic dishonesty. â€Å"Academic dishonesty is defined by the Webster dictionary as the intentional participation in†¦show more content†¦Discussion of Legal Issues The first step in handling academic dishonesty issues is to determine if academic dishonesty really took place. Faucher Caves (2009) describe that academic dishonesty can be classified into three primary domains including: 1) taking, giving, or receiving information from others; 2) use of forbidden materials or information; 3) circumventing the process of assessment. In this circumstance, the student may have committed two of the three domains. If the student used her cellphone to text another person and asked him/her something about the exam, then she is receiving information from others, which falls under the first domain. If she used her cellphone to look up for answers on the internet or retrieve information she might have stored on her cellphone, then she is using forbidden materials or information, which falls under the second domain. If indeed it is found out that the student did use her cellphone to cheat on the exam, then disciplinary action must be imposed, but it must be taken the legal way in order to protect the educator from any legal retaliation. This brings up two secondary issues related to academic dishonesty which include students’ right to privacy and protecting the whistleblower. In the situation provided, the student was not directly caught cheating, rather, a second party reported the