Addressing Dishonest Behavior

Brent Allison, Ph.D., Assistant Professor of Education
Chris Bell, Ph.D., Assistant Professor English
Michelle Brown, Ed.D., Assistant VP, Student Development & Enrollment Management
Dan Cabaniss, Associate Professor of English and Journalism
Terry Easton, Ph. D, Assistant Professor of English
Matthew Horton, Ph. D., Assistant Professor of English

What IS plagiarism? Is it always born of a dishonest motive? That is, do our students know the differences, if any, between plagiarism and academic dishonesty?
What are the standards for academic honesty here at GSC?
In the event that an instructor suspects a student of cheating, are there official procedures in place that the instructor must follow?
Is it better for an instructor to handle cases of academic honesty on his or her own? What if the instructor would rather not have to deal with the student at all?
What are some productive ways to respond to student violations of our academic honesty policy?
To what extent are we, as instructors, responsible for preventing acts of academic dishonesty, or, more positively, for promoting an ethic of academic honor?
What steps can an instructor take to control / prevent / discourage academic dishonesty or plagiarism, in its various forms (paper mills, copy-paste, parental proofreading)?
Is there any value in a hands-off approach to preventing academic dishonesty?
What attitude or approach toward the reality of academic dishonesty do our students prefer to see, or need to see, in us? Does the concept of academic dishonesty have pedagogical value?
What is the practical value of tools such as Turn-It-In that are designed to detect signs of plagiaristic behavior?
How does use of a tool such as Turn-It-In affect student-teacher relationships?

I am curious about the connection between my students' decision to cheat and my pedagogy
I have had to deal with various instances of academic dishonesty, with and without administrative intervention
My teaching style places emphasis on student learning AND responsibility
I am fascinated by the ethics of student-teacher relationships
I believe that acts of academic dishonesty present occasions for teaching
I hope open discussion of this sensitive issue can settle some fears about it