Abstract
Academic dishonesty, specifically cheating and plagiarism, recently has increased in popularity. Students often justify unethical academic behavior. Technological innovations, like the cellular telephone, have provided students with new methods of cheating. Plagiarism has also been influenced through technologies, specifically internet companies have emerged that provide unethical solutions to academic assignments.
Academic Dishonesty: Applying Technology to Cheat
Defined as any “theft of ideas and other forms of intellectual property— whether they are published or not” (Jones, et al, 2001), academic dishonesty occurs often, usually in the form of cheating or plagiarizing. Students face temptations to cheat and plagiarize throughout their academic career. Unlike past generations, the majority of modern students are taking advantage of unethical, academically dishonest opportunities. Since technology is evolving continually, students are engineering methods to apply technological innovations to cheat or plagiarize – academically cheating themselves from the education provided by the academic community.
Cheating
Cheating is defined as to “deceive by trickery” or “to act dishonestly, practicing fraud.” (Merriam-Webster's Collegiate Dictionary, 1993). A recent survey has shown an overwhelming majority of students have cheated. They, however, have justified their actions and do not believe that is a “big deal” (Cheating is a Personal Foul, 1999).
The justifications behind cheating range from laziness to an unwillingness to put forth the effort to learn the expected material. Some students blame a lack of self-confidence in one’s ability to learn or lack of interest in the subject. Many modern students lack time to ...