Is Cheating in College Worth the Risk?

The reasons college students cheat have been under academic vigilance for decades. So, why don’t they consider the implications and penalties for this behavior before it jeopardizes their future careers? And why isn’t higher education putting its foot down?

A 2002–05 study by Donald McCabe, at the time teaching at Rutgers Business School, surveyed 63,700 undergraduates throughout the United States. Thirty-six percent owned up to paraphrasing or copying material from online sources without acknowledging the sources. 

The survey also revealed that 7 percent of respondents had submitted work completed by someone else, and 3 percent had purchased papers from so-called “essay mills”.

Why Do College Students Engage in Cheating Behaviors?

Students might naively believe they’re “not really” cheating and can get away with it. Some (especially first-generation students who see themselves as “outsiders”) might panic due to imposter syndrome or the failure to recognize their unique abilities. So they make excuses and aimlessly follow their peers and the bad ideas they might have.

According to Write My Essays, a leading essay writing service, the causes of academic dishonesty usually include:

• Peer pressure.
• Performance anxiety.
• Excuses.
• Not being able to manage the demands of student life.
• Self-justification.
• Unfamiliarity with what constitutes academic dishonesty.
• Lack of understanding regarding consequences.

We must wonder, who on any given campus is responsible for helping students facing peer pressure and undergoing performance anxiety (both of which can be dealt with quickly and efficiently)? Who is there to help them develop time management skills? And why can’t (or won’t) teachers and administrators explain the meaning of academic dishonesty and the accompanying consequences?

Are Today’s Digital Trends Helping or Hurting Students?

Who doesn’t know about ChatGPT these days? This notable artificial intelligence (A.I.) tool enables users to refine and steer a conversation or problem toward the desired outcomes. And why not? 

Don’t many knowledgeable writers, computer programmers, and other legitimate users benefit from this intriguing new technology? But if one of the outcomes mentioned above is successful college cheating, why bother issuing the deceitful student a diploma they haven’t earned? 

After all, current programs like ChatGPT and whatever else is on the horizon provide easy answers. And since the answers come from an information amalgam that could only derive from modern-day technology, there is seldom a single source to locate, cite, and attribute.

So, where do creativity and human biology enter the picture? And how long will it be before we can no longer separate A.I. from creative thought? 

As The New York Times’s Kevin Roose points out:

Since ChatGPT’s splashy debut last year, tech leaders and A.I. experts have been warning that large language models — the A.I. systems that power chatbots like ChatGPT, Bard and Claude — are getting too powerful. Regulators are racing to clamp down on the industry, and hundreds of A.I. experts recently signed an open letter comparing A.I. to pandemics and nuclear weapons.

And with today’s college cheaters doubtless becoming tomorrow’s corporate liars, how will our society continue to embrace the role of logic and ethics?

Making Education Educational

There’s a strong possibility that many students are bored by the rote curricula their instructors provide. They despise their assignments, cheat, and expect life will get more effortless in the near future. But this is not the case.

With class sizes growing more expansive and less personal and assignment grading becoming more of a task than something college teachers value, both parties have disengaged to some extent. They need creative assignments with fewer number and letter grades and more personalized responses. Perhaps trained grading assistants could help?

Instead of fretting about developing a better version of Turnitin, we should care more about what we say to our students and how we convey our integrity. Our words and behavior matter—as do the assignments we create to engage students in creative, critical, and ethical thinking. 

The AAC&U (American Association of Colleges & Universities), a faculty development organization, hits the nail on the head when they say that:

Instead of worrying about developing a better version of Turnitin, we should be giving more care to what we say to our students and how we convey our own ethos of integrity. Our words and behavior matter—so do the assignments we create to engage students to think creatively, critically, and ethically. 

Some students feel that college is just a rehearsal for “real life,” with jobs, families, bills, etc. But why don’t colleges have mandatory internships or community-based learning projects if this is the case? It’s pretty hard to cheat when doing meaningful work in the community.

The Consequences of Cheating: What Students Should Know 

The only sanctions you’ll find on college transcripts are suspensions and dismissal. Disciplinary probation, educational sanctions, and other outcomes are not included. But although these sanctions won’t show up on your transcript, they will be recorded in your educational record. 

Moreover, anyone to whom you give the Office of Academic Integrity & Student Conduct permission to disclose information regarding your academic records can be notified that you have a conduct or academic integrity record.

Probably the most substantive impacts of plagiarism on students are the consequences that come with violating school policies. These consequences range from failing an assignment or project to failing a class or being suspended or expelled. Some colleges note on your transcript something like “Convicted of Plagiarism,” which stays in place for a specific period, such as 7 to 10 years after the incident. 

In extreme cases, students may face criminal and civil penalties for plagiarism if they copy extensive portions of a public work. These penalties can get into the legal territory of copyright infringement, with the possibility of fines and even imprisonment.

Don’t Cheat in College and Fake Your Way Through Life

The title of this piece asks, “Is cheating in college worth the risk?” But this only begs another question, “Who’s cheating, and who’s taking the risk?” Cheating penalties may not seem serious for first-time offenses, especially for students coddled or neglected by parents or guardians. 

But students don’t always realize that colleges keep careful records of academic dishonesty. Did you know that cheating has become a multibillion-dollar business, with tech companies making money from students wanting to break or “bend” academic integrity rules? 

Let’s end this and make college the wholesome learning experience it should be!