Introduction
The education system is faced with a lot of challenges one of them being cheating on assignments and exams. The main reason behind cheating in colleges is usually to pass in examination and reach the expected grades.
Many students suffer from transition from high school to colleges and the believe that college education is tougher than that in high school makes them panic hence the temptation to cheat in exams. The learning atmosphere in colleges for instance lack of strict rules and much freedom also may make the students relax and forget their studies hence cheating due to lack of adequate time to revise for exams.
All in all the factors that lead to cheating do not in any way justify the wrong act and the students usually face a lot of consequences (Hinrichsen par 6). This paper gives an insight into some of the consequences faced by university students because of cheating in exams with much emphasis on the cheating/ plagiarism policy in the University of Nevada, Las Vegas (UNLV).
Should UNLV maintain and apply strict cheating/plagiarism policies?
Most universities and colleges apply very strict cheating policies upon those who are caught cheating in either their assignments or examinations in an effort to correct this bad behavior and uphold integrity of their students and the school organization as a whole. UNLV is not an exception and cheating students have to face numerous consequences for instance lower grades, suspension/probation, and worst still expulsion from the learning institution.
The academic sanction dependent on the seriousness of the cheating, the university’s stipulated rules and regulations in regard to cheating, among other considerations. The internet has contributed to plagiarism to a great extent. “The internet has made it easier for university students to access other people’s work which can then be cut and pasted into their own essays” (Anonymous par 4).
Cheating in schools is an aspect that has been viewed with a lot of controversy with some individuals and groups advocating for strict policies while others stating that ethical measures would work better. I propose that ethics be advocated for in UNLV since even with the application of the strict plagiarism policies, there are still cases of cheating as some students are very good at breaking rules as long as there are some benefits accrued to it.
Some of them also cheat because they are not aware of the long term consequences they may suffer for instance lack of creativity and innovation as well as being irresponsible and unaccountable in their general undertakings.
The students should be made to understand the benefits of originality and hard work as well as the drawbacks associated with plagiarism so that they may make inner decisions to uphold integrity in their academic work as opposed to where they do it under the influence of the strict policies. This could be achieved through the integration of integrity in the university’s values and culture (Smith par 3).
Conclusion
Cheating in exams and assignments (essays) among college and university students is in the rise due to the access of the internet and poor culture where integrity is not a key aspect. Students usually find themselves taking advantage of cheating at the expense of working hard.
It is thereby advisable that the education systems in universities be revised where the importance of ethics should be impacted to the students to ensure that the students are able to be resourceful and responsible even in their professional careers and other general life matters.
Works Cited
Anonymous. Conference to Tackle University Plagiarism Problem. Guardian. 2006. Web.
Hinrichsen, Erik. “Consequences of Cheating on Exams in College’. Bright Hub, 2010. Web.
Smith, Andrew. “Consequences for Cheating in School”. Ehow. 2011. Web.