Cheating and Academic Dishonesty, Essay Example

The increase in cheating and academic dishonesty in nursing programs and academia in general is clearly a distressing phenomenon: to the extent that the very objective of education is to acquire knowledge of the subject matter being studied, to show some mastery of the theme in question, cheating represents a rejection of this fundamental aim. Arguably, the rise in cheating is related to a new consensus in what education means: the student who cheats feels that the aim of the process is to acquire qualifications or what is termed in the literature “extrinsic motivation”, that is “valuing the qualification over the learning for its own sake.” (Transparency International, 2006, p. 172) In cases of academic dishonesty, there is thus a type of reversal of values that occurs.

Certainly, there are other reasons cited in the literature for cheating, such as “negative attitude, lack of confidence, external pressures.” (Transparency International, 2006, p. 172) Nevertheless, reasons such as negative attitude or lack of confidence seem to be more subjective, depending on the character of the student who cheats. These reasons cannot be rectified on a larger level. Rather, systematic reasons for cheating have to be identified, such as the aforementioned reversal of values, where qualification takes rank over education. This means that it has to be clearly communicated to students what education itself means: it is not merely a means to an end, i.e., getting the right job, but an end in itself.

Punitive measures in institutions to curtail cheating, such as suspension or expulsion, are therefore only one small part of the solution. They only address individual cases. To address the systematic problem, systematic solutions need to be undertaken, such as an emphasis on the point of education. If institutions themselves continue to treat education as only a stepping stone to future employment, education will be perceived by the student as a hurdle, instead of a life-shaping and transforming experience. My view on the issue is thus to avoid the rampant academic dishonesty, a reevaluation of the role of education in our society becomes crucial to resolving the problem.

References

Transparency International. (2013). Global Corruption Report. London: Routledge.