Cases from Common Academic Misconduct Scenarios faced by Students

Most Cases from Common Academic Misconduct Scenarios faced by Students. A few study findings:

What Happens If Students Do Group Assignments to Share Answers and Ideas?

Case Study

A teacher decided to get help from online mediums to manage students’ work. He made WhatsApp and Facebook groups for his students where all the students were advised to share their group assignments. The primary purpose for making these groups was to provide ease to the students and smooth sharing of the data.

The instructor thought that all the assignments would be collected on a single platform. Also, he would be able to share any further details regarding the group assignments (if required) with the students. The scores or suggestions about these submitted assignments were also decided to share in the same group. 

Results

A massive irregularity and act of copying others’ ideas and text were reported. It was also observed that students were involved in asking for the solutions to the problems from other mates. They were also found discussing the methodologies used for completing the assigned task from other group students.

Moreover, sharing the information was seen in the group. On the basis of mentioned inappropriate acts, the instructor awarded zero marks to the students who copied the information of other mates. Students who were found sharing the data in the group were given a penalty of 50% marks.  

Suggestion

If a student asks you for some assistance in the answers to the assessment, then you should avoid it. Otherwise, you may get into trouble and face a severe penalty. It is also important not to share any information regarding the assignment or your work in the group. Checking your work with an online plagiarism checker will help you ensure the uniqueness of the information. Lastly, if you find any irregular and unethical activity in the group, contact your instructor immediately. 

What Happens If Students Copy Material from Lecture Slides, Notes, Readings, And Other Sources?

Case Study 

A college student who was working on his final thesis decided to take help from online lectures to get some ideas and relevant information. He copied some of the phrases, paragraphs, and statistical information from different mediums and used them in his work without adequate citation. The student also presented himself as the creator of all the information stated in the content. However, no reference or acknowledgement was included about the author or source of information. 

Result 

The supervisor of the student took assistance from an online plagiarism checker. The duplication of the content was found in his thesis. The instructor had some words with the students and forwarded the case to the academic misconduct committee of the college. The student failed to give any gratifying answers. The committee decided to give an F grade to the student in that particular subject for committing plagiarism.

Suggestions

 A student must be aware of the importance of appropriate citation methods. It is essential for a student to give proper credit to the author of the content. Adding quotation marks around the sentence you have copied will give a clear idea that the text is not your own creation and is taken from some other source.

In the thesis, a student is expected to use his own words, ideas, research, and answers. Restating others’ ideas or paraphrasing a text can also lead you to face penalties for plagiarism. Therefore, it is advised to write all the information yourself to avoid any unpleasant situation. 

What Happens If Students Sell or Purchase Assignments On “Tutoring” Websites? 

Case Study

Shaw wrote an assignment on the “principles of digital marketing” and sold it to a famous tutoring website. Another student approached him to share his assignment as he was facing problems in writing it himself because of less knowledge about the topic. He asked the student to purchase it from the tutoring website. Later, this student purchased the assignment from the online Tutoring website and submitted it to his supervisor as his own creation for the final assessment. 

 

Result 

The instructor came to know about this unethical and illegal act. He discussed the matter with his colleagues and decided to bring this matter in front of the college academic misconduct committee. The committee called the student and listened to their views on this matter. The students were found guilty. The student who sold his assignment to a tutoring website was expelled from college. The other student who purchased the assignment had to face an F grade in that subject. 

Suggestion 

The internet has tons of websites that offer plagiarism free and unique paid assignments to students. However, it is important for students to know that this breach in academic integrity can be detected easily. Later, students may have to bear severe consequences that can stick to their academic career like a dark spot for the rest of their lives.

Plagiarism is always unacceptable. No matter how secure or reliable a tutoring website seems to you, the advent of highly advanced plagiarism checkers makes it easy to detect duplication in their text. Furthermore, it has also been seen that these websites later blackmailed the students who purchased assignments through the threat of revealing their activities to the college administration. 

Students are advised not to rely on any such website and prepare their assignments themselves. Working on your assignments will improve students’ understanding of the topic and help them avoid any penalty for committing plagiarism.