Background
An ethical dilemma arises from the question of whether it is the right thing to do to report the student who wrote his classmates’ names on the attendance sheet for a class he did not attend. On the one hand, it could be argued that the student has committed an act of cheating and should therefore be reported to sustain the standards of the class and the school. However, it is also worth noting that the student had a valid reason for his actions and that reporting him could lead to unfair consequences.
The dilemma is further complicated because the student who committed the act is unknown to the person considering whether or not to report it. As an alternative, students may choose not to report because they prioritize other problems, lack familiarity with school rules, or believe there are better options than reporting. Ultimately, whether or not to report the student will depend on weighing the potential benefits and risks of doing so.
If the benefits of reporting the student, such as upholding the standards of the class and the school, outweigh the risks, such as unfairly punishing an innocent student, it may be the right thing to do. If the risks outweigh the benefits, it may be better to refrain from reporting the student. However, there may be circumstances involving the administration or education of regulations, as well as exhibiting or not displaying compassion towards parents, students, and coworkers, that lead to ethical dilemmas.
Fiduciary Duty
Fiduciary duty requires those in positions of trust to act in the best interests of the people they serve. This is an example of motivated reasoning, a process that uses reasoning or evidence to support a point of view based on emotion or intuition rather than facts. Therefore, in the case above, the students with their names written on the attendance sheet would also be affected if the dilemma were to be reported. These students would likely face disciplinary action from the University as well, as they would be considered complicit in the cheating.
Such students will probably be expelled or put on suspension. That makes it more difficult for them to get employment or enroll in graduate school (“Motivated reasoning: The use of reasoning to justify self-serving decisions,” n.d.). It can also result in total reputation harm, making it difficult for people to trust such individuals, including even their friends. This could also hurt their academic careers. The students whose names were written on the attendance sheet would also likely face social repercussions from their peers, as they would be considered someone who allowed their name to be used for cheating.
Ethical and Consequential Impact
The witness would also be affected if the dilemma were to be reported. The witness would likely have to testify against the student who committed the fraud, which could be a difficult and stressful experience, as they could be termed as someone who snitched on a fellow student. Furthermore, the professor would also be affected if the dilemma were to be reported. The professor would likely have to deal with the disciplinary process for the student who committed the fraudulent activity, which could be time-consuming and frustrating.
Finally, the University would also be affected if the dilemma were to be reported. That is because it may have to deal with the disciplinary process for the student who made a mistake, which can be time-consuming and expensive (“Motivated reasoning: The use of reasoning to justify self-serving decisions,” n.d.). Therefore, the University would likely face societal consequences, as it would be seen as a school that tolerates cheating.
Several different ethical perspectives can be applied to this dilemma. One is the utilitarian perspective, which focuses on the consequences of the student’s actions. A moral theory known as utilitarianism favors activities that increase happiness or pleasure and disapproves of those that increase sadness or harm. A utilitarian ideology seeks to improve society when used to guide social, economic, or political decisions.
According to utilitarianism, a determination is morally correct if it makes the most people happy within a community or a group (“Motivated reasoning: The use of reasoning to justify self-serving decisions,” n.d.). Therefore, the utilitarian perspective would argue that the student’s actions were wrong because they resulted in the classmates getting credit for a class they did not attend. Another perspective is the deontological; it focuses on the student’s intentions and actions and would contend that the student’s actions were wrong because he was trying to cheat the system.
Legal and Psychological Perspectives on Academic Fraud
From a legal perspective, the student’s actions could be considered fraudulent. Fraud is the deliberate use of untrue or deceptive information to gain an advantage. Criminal law permanently outlines fraud as an intentional deception committed by a person for their benefit or to accuse another person (“Motivated reasoning: The use of reasoning to justify self-serving decisions,” n.d.).
An investigator must prove that fraud was undertaken for their inquiry to be used as evidence in court. Furthermore, fraud is always regarded as both a criminal offense and a civil infringement, even though it is not violent in nature. That is not to argue, however, that the negative effects of fraud cannot be just as crippling as those of violent crimes. Therefore, in this case, the student used false information to gain an advantage, specifically by obtaining credit for the class.
From a psychological perspective, the student’s actions could be seen as a form of social anxiety. Social anxiety is a fear of social situations that causes people to avoid them. People with social anxiety disorder experience such overwhelming fear in social settings that they believe they are powerless to control it. Some people may find that this dread prevents them from going to work, school, or performing daily tasks (Reid et al., 2018).
Other people might be able to carry out these tasks, but they do it with great worry or anxiety. People who suffer from social anxiety disorder may stress about participating in social situations weeks in advance. They occasionally avoid problems or locations that make them feel uncomfortable or embarrassed. Therefore, in this case, the student may have been trying to avoid the social situation of attending the class.
Reporting Misconduct
Organizational Culture
In this situation, the right thing to do would be to report the ethical behavior to the professor. This way, the student can be held accountable for their actions, and the professor can take appropriate disciplinary action. By reporting the incident, one is helping to create a fair and honest learning environment for all students. However, one is concerned that it would be immoral to bring the misconduct of the classmate to the attention of upper management.
In that case, one can think about the repercussions of remaining silent. Most people who engage in ethical behavior eventually get caught. Being on the correct side of the argument is, therefore, preferable. The best course of action is to inform your supervisor of what you saw if you cannot step in or talk your colleague out of engaging in the activity. If their peers are involved, it is worth considering filing an anonymous report.
Leadership and Accountability
Furthermore, the next consideration is whether reporting the issue will do more harm than good. In this case, reporting the problem could lead to the student who committed the unethical act being punished. Punishment makes students fearful, especially when learning and teaching occur (“Motivated reasoning: The use of reasoning to justify self-serving decisions,” n.d.).
Instead of learning for their development, children learn merely to please their teachers. The desire of a learner to learn is distorted by physical punishment motivated by fear. Physically and emotionally abused students experience anxiety, which impairs their ability to focus and learn. Academic performance may suffer if a student’s school experience becomes a source of concern.
Similarly, a student who receives the punishment associates the terror with the bad behavior and the person administering it or the circumstances in which it occurs. When a teacher uses corporal punishment, the student loses interest in the subject and develops a negative attitude toward the professor and the classes they teach, which results in the student receiving poor grades. The student may try to avoid the instructor who uses corporal punishment, which could impede the child’s academic growth.
Sometimes, a student may cease attending class to escape the teacher. According to studies, corporal punishment plays a direct and significant role in children dropping out of school. Furthermore, it is also possible that the student could be embarrassed or ostracized by their classmates (“Motivated reasoning: The use of reasoning to justify self-serving decisions,” n.d.). Hence, considering all that, it is possible that the best course of action would be not to report the issue.
Resolution and Conclusion
The student who listed his classmates on the attendance sheet for a class from which he was absent himself was reported to the professor. The professor then spoke to the student about the issue, and the student admitted to doing it. The professor warned the student that if he did it again, he would be expelled from the class and would not be allowed to do it again. However, the students who did not attend the class were not penalized.
This dilemma was significant for me as a student because it taught me the importance of ethics in school. Educational ethics contribute to the efficiency of the system. It establishes practical norms and safeguards the interests of both learners and teachers. Teachers must guide students’ growth and act as mentors to them, having a positive impact on their behavioral development. However, pupils should recognize the value of responsibility and gradually implement ethical actions. The ability to uphold moral principles and acknowledge that every pupil is unique requires a great deal of patience and understanding.
Each student has various needs in terms of attention and rules. By doing so, they learn the importance of ethics and how to behave ethically, exercising self-control. Since this process occurs subconsciously, people often preserve the illusion that they reasoned objectively and arrived at a conclusion logically and honestly. Nevertheless, in reality, they used reason to create justifications that pleased themselves and others.
The dilemma also helped me understand that reactions based on feelings and intuitions are almost automatic, whereas those based on intellect take much longer. People’s emotional or intuitive response creates a preference before they can use reasoning to make a choice. For instance, people frequently doubt intelligence tests that indicate individuals are not as competent as imagined, but they tend to believe them when they confirm their brilliance.
People tend to dismiss evidence that contradicts already-favored conclusions and work harder to arrive at them. Teachers may benefit from professional ethics, but they also differ depending on the degree of responsibility and the nature of the decisions. It is sometimes right or wrong, but it begins with the gray zones in the numerous exchanges that occur during teachers’ daily jobs.
It is always preferable to maintain equilibrium and consider the effects of our activities to ensure stability, discussing issues in a non-judgmental manner while informing the authorities and maintaining professionalism. The benefits to students, teachers, institutions, and communities of embracing these gray zones through ethical decision-making are immeasurable.
References
Reid, A. M., Brown, J. M., Smith, J. M., Cope, A. C., & Jamieson, S. (2018). Ethical dilemmas and reflexivity in qualitative research. Perspectives on Medical Education, 7(2), 69-75. Web.
Motivated reasoning: The use of reasoning to justify self-serving decisions. (n.d.). Web.