Cheating in College: Understanding the Risks and Repercussions
Cheating in college is a pervasive issue with significant ramifications, ranging from immediate academic penalties to long-term professional consequences. While the allure of shortcuts and the pressure to succeed can be tempting, understanding the potential repercussions is crucial for making informed decisions about academic integrity. Despite the risks - failing grades, suspension, even expulsion - cheating remains commonplace, perhaps made even more accessible by technological advancements. David Pritchard, a physics professor emeritus at MIT who has studied academic dishonesty in online courses, notes, "A lot of people cheat a little. There's also a few people who cheat a lot." Experts strongly advise college students to carefully consider the potential consequences before engaging in any form of academic dishonesty, no matter how harmless it may seem.
The Landscape of Cheating in Higher Education
Cheating has become a multibillion-dollar industry. Some educational technology companies profit from students who exploit their products to circumvent academic integrity rules, while others generate revenue from colleges seeking to prevent academic dishonesty. Students employ both traditional methods, such as concealing notes or utilizing technology like smartwatches, and modern approaches, such as using AI tools. Copying assignments from classmates and plagiarizing content from published works for papers remain prevalent tactics.
The rise of artificial intelligence and generative language models like ChatGPT and Google Bard has introduced new avenues for cheating. These tools offer services such as writing, editing, and idea generation, often for free. Pritchard points out that ChatGPT has performed well on exams in certain subjects, and the American Bar Association reported in March 2023 that it passed the Uniform Bar Exam by a "significant margin." While some professors remain open-minded about these tools, others acknowledge the reality that students are using them to cheat.
Pritchard calls ChatGPT "the future of cheating." Rebecca Hamlin, a professor of legal studies and political science at the University of Massachusetts-Amherst, serves on the university's academic honesty board and has encountered cases of students cheating with ChatGPT, catching 12 in her own classes during the spring 2023 semester. She expresses skepticism about ChatGPT's ability to genuinely help students become better writers: "If students are genuinely interested in learning how to become writers, I’m very resistant to the idea that ChatGPT can help them. It’s really risky because it’s actually way more obvious to someone who reads really good writing all day long. I can immediately tell."
However, many students evade detection or cheat in less conspicuous ways. Eric Anderman, a professor at The Ohio State University and interim dean at its Mansfield campus, believes that most instructors underestimate the prevalence of cheating: "We think we're underestimating it because people don't want to admit to it."
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Immediate Consequences of Cheating
Academic integrity experts emphasize that cheating ultimately harms the students themselves and their learning process. Hamlin argues, “I know that sounds really cheesy, but I kind of don’t really understand why someone is going to waste their time and money going to college if they don’t want to learn how to write. That’s probably one of the top two to three skills that you gain when you go to college."
Russell Monroe, director of academic integrity at Liberty University in Virginia, adds that students who cheat deprive themselves of a genuine sense of accomplishment: "There’s a sense of dignity in knowing that I got a grade that I earned, whether that’s for an assignment or a class. You can look at your degree with pride knowing this is something I achieved on my own merit and didn’t have to outsource anything to anyone else or steal or plagiarize."
Penalties for cheating can have lasting effects and financial repercussions. While consequences are often less severe for first-time offenders, colleges maintain records of such behavior. Students who repeatedly cheat risk failing a class, academic suspension, or expulsion, which may be noted on their transcript, making it difficult to enroll at another college.
Students who fail a class due to academic dishonesty are typically allowed to retake it. If the course is required for graduation, they have no choice but to retake it, incurring additional expenses, potentially through student loans. Failing a course also negatively impacts a student's GPA, particularly if they don't retake it and earn a higher grade, jeopardizing eligibility for financial aid or scholarships and leading to academic probation.
Each school has its own policies and disciplinary measures, and professors may handle academic dishonesty differently. Some may address it independently, while others may refer it to a disciplinary committee, depending on the severity of the offense, according to Monroe. For instance, cheating on a discussion board assignment is considered less serious than plagiarizing a dissertation, final exam paper, or cheating on a credential or certification exam. Plagiarizing on capstone course papers or other assignments tied to graduation is a particularly serious offense that could prevent a student from graduating.
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Monroe emphasizes the significance of academic integrity in the graduation process: “We are putting our stamp of approval on you to move on to the next step. That next step might be graduation, but if we’re doing that based upon bad information or false information, that’s a serious problem.”
Long-Term Repercussions of Academic Dishonesty
Even students who believe they have gotten away with cheating may face long-term consequences, such as lacking foundational knowledge needed for higher-level courses. Graduates who cheated and obtained good grades may find themselves unprepared in their careers, lacking essential knowledge and skills. In safety-sensitive jobs, this lack of preparation could endanger themselves and others.
In some cases, academic dishonesty is revealed later in life, derailing careers in a public and humiliating manner.
Understanding What Constitutes Cheating
While some students knowingly cheat, viewing it as a means to an end, not all forms of academic dishonesty are intentional. Mistakes can occur due to stress or procrastination.
Sometimes, students lack proper preparation for college-level work. For example, incorrect source citations in a term paper can lead to plagiarism charges. Anderman explains, "I think part of what happens is students aren't always taught in high school how to cite and evaluate information from the internet. And I think a lot of them, when they get to college - and this is not an excuse - truly don't realize that you can't just look something up on the internet and put it in their paper, that they still have to cite it, and they get caught."
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Colleges commonly use plagiarism-checking software like Turnitin to flag uncited or improperly cited work, helping to maintain academic honesty and reduce plagiarism.
Intentional plagiarism, buying papers online, or paying someone to complete coursework are clear forms of cheating, often referred to as "contract cheating," which can lead to expulsion, according to Monroe. "It’s very difficult for us to know when that’s happening, but when we do find out, we view that very seriously because there are significant portions of your entire degree that may not have been done by the student at all," he says.
Other areas are less clear, particularly regarding collaboration with classmates, information sharing, and the use of AI products. Monroe states that Liberty University does not ban AI tools like ChatGPT but sets boundaries for their ethical use. Students can use these tools for editing and inspiration, but the submitted work must be the student's original creation.
Experts also warn against using online companies that present themselves as tutoring organizations but primarily assist students in cheating. Colleges offer numerous academic resources at no extra cost. Monroe advises students facing difficulties to contact their professor to explore alternative arrangements. Many professors are willing to accept late work. Liberty’s policy is to deduct 10% from an assignment's grade for late submissions. “We definitely prefer a timely submission of work," Monroe says, "but contact your professor. They are definitely willing to work with students within the scope that they’re allowed to."
The Moral and Ethical Dimensions of Cheating
The most obvious consequences of academic dishonesty are the penalties imposed by the university. Cizek (2003) discusses the moral consequences of cheating, including its "habit-forming" nature and its devaluation of hard work, integrity, and fairness. The habitual nature of cheating suggests that those who cheat in academic settings and believe they can get away with it may continue to cheat in their careers, family life, and other areas, which can be detrimental to both the cheater and those affected by their actions.
Academic dishonesty, such as plagiarism, is akin to stealing another person's property. When students cheat or plagiarize, instructors cannot accurately assess their performance or evaluate their mastery of the knowledge, skills, and applications needed in their field. Granting credentials to students who have not successfully completed a course or program due to academic dishonesty can have serious consequences in the workplace. The practical concerns that impact employers ultimately affect alumni as well.
Faculty may involve students in projects granted to the university by external sponsors (businesses, government agencies, or professional organizations) to provide real-world problem-solving opportunities. If students cheat, plagiarize, or falsify data in these projects, sponsors can take formal action against the university, including fines, loss of future projects, or lawsuits.
If students continue to engage in academic dishonesty, educators must spend time policing students instead of educating them, stifling their enthusiasm and sapping their energy for productive student/teacher interaction, ultimately declining morale, along with the quality of education. Students who cheat and initially succeed may experience guilt and low self-esteem in the long run.
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