-
Essay / The Effectiveness of Honor Codes in Universities
Honor codes have been implemented in many schools to combat a variety of phenomena. Although there is statistical evidence that implementing an honor code can reduce cheating, there is other evidence indicating the opposite; Other evidence shows that honor codes are less effective than believed, and for this reason should be diminished. Say no to plagiarism. Get a custom essay on “Why Violent Video Games Should Not Be Banned”? Get an original essay A study at a public university showed that 88% of students thought failing an assignment was a reasonable mandate to a violation of the honor code. Added to this is 40 percent of students who violated the honor code and were not arrested. This shows that even with an honor code system implemented in the university system, it does not help reduce cheating and should for this reason be dismembered. The availability and willingness to do so is always there, leading students to neglect the honor code system and act in an “immoral” manner. At the University of Virginia, where the honor code "is so well defined and monitored by an elite student committee" (Source D), plagiarism has become a major problem within the school. This shows once again that even when the honor code is strictly enforced, it does little to enforce its written code of conduct, since the honor code system makes little difference to integrity students, it should not be implemented in any setting. school system. This also touches on the overall honesty of students. Source A shows a satirical article that addresses this topic. The scene depicts a staff development meeting in which they are briefed on the use of honor codes to prevent cheating; placed as a quote below the drawing, it states: “Recent research has shown that a spy camera can greatly improve the honor code. » This statement touches on the lack of honesty among students, implying that the effective way to have a functioning honor code system is to use spy cameras. Keep in mind: this is just a sample. Get a personalized article from our expert writers now. Get Custom Essay Another factor that plays into the functionality of the Honor Code is weather or not, other students who observe these actions are willing to abide by the rules laid down in the Honor Code. According to Mr. McCabe, a professor of management at Rutgers University who specializes in student integrity, said: "Their success depends on a 'culture of academic integrity' that gets students to take enforcement seriously." rules. (Source C) Referring to the success of the honor code system, he makes a point of saying that the system is partly determined by the whims of the students who choose to implement it. This means that if few students choose to apply this system, it will fail to maintain the honor code system. This poses problems, with many students fearing that "a mandate for peer confrontation would create friction" (Source B) and that these reports "could not easily remain confidential." (Source B) Students fear the social ridicule that would come from so-called “reporting” on a fellow student, and so they do not take advantage of the opportunity to ditch their cheating peers. With the lack of enforcement of the honor code system by students, it will fail to persist and do its job, so it should instead be strengthened to provide its resources elsewhere..