cheat on biology homework

cheat on biology homework

Ethical Implications of Cheating on Biology Homework

1. Introduction to Academic Integrity and Cheating

The purpose of homework is several-fold: (1) to provide students with an opportunity for continuous learning, retention, and inculcation of materials and illustrations not duplicated exactly in lecture and laboratory venues, and (2) to provide students with practice and indications of their degree of comprehension before tests. A recent poll among students in introductory college biology reported that the average percentage of at-home studying time devoted to cheating or failing to learn due to the irrelevancy of the biology course was about 44%. Documented reports from colleagues in other colleges are in the range of 40-50% of the a in general biology courses. Such self-dishonesty, as one researcher calls this mode of mutiny, is unworthy of biology and of education. Less than ethical cheating and dishonesty bespeaks a lack of respect for professionalism, for general biology, and its purveyors. Cheating and dishonest academic conduct are antitheses of the basic tenet of professional respect for self, for peers and colleagues, for professional mentors and specialists outside the college. Cheating in college is no less instrinsically deleterious to chain-evolutional biologiists than their suboptimal presumed behaviors are to inbred experimental populations in the laboratory, which survive by sheer chance, filch others’ resources, course for refuge under the protection of their exogamic professional mentors, and contrivances.

At the heart of any academic organization rests a code of honesty regarding the results of one’s work. Schools, colleges, and universities are especially important institutions of society and shortchanging them by cheating is to shortchange oneself. An impressive array of motivations for cheating is offered, and no two students or educators may be found to agree completely on right or wrong, proper or improper. But in the long run and in general, academic dishonesty can only be harmful to those involved. The effects upon the education process may be especially dramatic in science education, where broad perspectives and logic are so vital and fundamental to sound learning. It is important for students to learn that achievement is only partially related to course grades, and that importance lies further upstream. It rests in the learner’s classroom self-rationale. Moral rather than solely intellectual hegemony lies over the house of education.

2. The Consequences of Cheating on Biology Homework

Cheating results in many negative consequences, including but not limited to the three common types of cheating: cheating on tests, cheating on quizzes, and cheating on biology homework. The latter type of cheating is an issue that seems to have increased in the last few years of teaching high school students Biology and A.P. Biology. I personally caught and punished more students for cheating as my experience and responsibilities in the classroom increased. It also seems that students feel more at ease in continuing to cheat in this manner. There are many physical/medical reasons why cheating in Biology is not the most appropriate, but also there are ethical and academic ramifications. Cheating defines a broad range of actions designed to get dishonest academic or professional advantage, including inappropriate legal methods. It is considered bad because it gives some people an unfair advantage that can affect the course students in the future.

3. Strategies to Prevent Cheating and Promote Academic Honesty

Policies designed to limit deterrents to cheating may be restrictions for some teachers, as they may be mandated to consume various types of classroom time. They might ask community students to use a non-programmable calculator; another answer may involve openness. When cheating is an argument, and a group’s massive grading papers can generally be handled evidence and submitted for extra credit during the course of the semester. Additionally, homework could be acquired day by day or contain a letter of submission. Certain potential barring cheating materials include standardized testing environments, where, in large volume, they may make a sensible difference in student performance.

Stimulating academic honesty in students is an essential goal and desire of educators. To avoid students cheating on their homework, the biology faculty has recently established a program to teach study skills and research techniques. The strategy includes individualized teaching approaches with small specific tasks which vary for each class, group efforts, and professor guidance utilizing student progress, group reports, and student-directed question and answer sessions. Class discussion amongst students and class faculty to explain their task limitations and communicate expectations. Furthermore, comparisons of student academic honesty and their mastery of individual skills, as well as research and scientific programming, are addressed.

4. Case Studies and Real-Life Examples of Cheating in Biology Education

We found that students who wrote about their experiences in a collaborative context explicitly recognizing the potentially deviant behavior of their situation described increased positive growth effects, including improved moral reasoning, greater awareness of consequences for societal trust, enhanced empathy, acceptance of greater responsibility, and increased moral identity scores. However, to date, a well-rounded effort to fit new policies into existing policies, institutional culture, and pedagogy and measure their effectiveness has not been conducted. As part of biology education, role-modeling scientific behaviors is paramount. However, because there already exist powerful external motivators (i.e., grades) to push students toward dishonest behaviors, it is important to create internal motivators that desire all students to embrace academic integrity.

In all categories of cheating, students are more likely to cheat at the end of the school year compared to the beginning. This is crucial as it shows that our seniors – our future leaders in college and the world at large – are frequently engaging in dishonest behaviors. With one college course, caught plagiarizing students were given the option of either an F in the class or taking an academic integrity course. Students from distinct courses used the same papers with so little change that five pairs were caught, with five additional pairs escaping detection. The syllabus for the course in question prohibited not only using past papers, but also sharing papers with peers. In the corresponding academic integrity course, students who had previously been caught cheating were asked to write reflective essays centered on their ethical lapse.

5. Conclusion: Upholding Ethics in Academic Pursuits

Educating our students is of paramount importance. If they do not understand a topic at hand, we must do more than simply give students the answers. The educational experiences will be more meaningful as we have the opportunity to show these students what the scientific process entails. Fostering these traits early in the education process is critical in building an understanding of the complexities of living organisms. Data dodging merely cheats the students of this discovery.

In conclusion, it is imperative for us to act as dedicated teachers and relentless moral compasses for our students. Taking the easy way out merely cheats the students of their learning and their dignity. They miss the opportunity to make discoveries, take chances, fail, grow, and, hopefully, become successful future scientists. Fostering these goals is part of the science education mission. While educating our students is of paramount importance, we must also assist them in upholding high ethical standards in their academic pursuits. The impact of having such high standards, in addition to knowledge and understanding of the sciences, is paramount. As biologists and responsible human beings, the future must rest on teaching ethics as a necessity of academic excellence.