Academic Integrity: Comparing Faculty and Student Attitudes.

Abstract

Cheating and competition are not new issues for hi her educati n. For at least the past 50 years these topics have appeared in the literature. In 1941, Drake (8) concluded that the crux of the academic dishonesty problem stemmed from competition for grades. The problem has continued to persist. Today's college students appear to value achievement and the ability to compete successfully more than they value academic integrity. Academic dishonesty has been allowed to persist largely because the academic com munity has not been successful in communicating the value of independent scholarship to its students. As a result, the picture of academic life as portrayed by the Carnegie Council and others (5, 14) has not been par ticularly encouraging. Academicians and student development theorists agree that the purpose of higher education is more than just the acquisition of information or the developing of intellectual competence. The collegiate experience should enable students to mature and grow along several dimensions. These dimensions include: develop ing intellectual competence; learning to manage emo tions; developing autonomy; establishing identity; developing positive interpersonal relationships; developing a sense of purpose; and developing integrity (7, 10). The issue of academic integrity is relevant to several of the essential elements of college life, specifically, the acquisition of knowledge, the development of intellec tual competence, and the moral development of students. Institutions interested in confronting academic dishonesty must begin to understand their role in promoting academic integrity as part of the total col legiate experience.