Faculty Showcase
“I have reviewed other research on academic dishonesty as well. If you would like some input on your syllabus for a fall semester course, I can give you some suggestions about how to reduce the likelihood of cheating in your class.” – Jeff Stanton
How to stem plagiarism and cheating in the classroom
- Good course and assignment creation can help reduce the likelihood of cheating and academic integrity issues in the classroom.
- Start by setting out clear expectations for the course, and focus on the academic integrity section of the syllabus.
- Ask students to sign an academic integrity statement, and show them services you will be using such as TurnItIn.
- Faculty can influence the amount of cheating that can occur on college campuses. For example, giving students a chance to earn their grade in the course through class assessments reinforces student learning, reduces student anxiety, and reduces pressure students might feel on a single exam or assignment.
- Monitor in class assignments to gauge if progress is appropriate for student learning.
- Change assignments each semester to ensure your materials are up to date and students won’t recycle previous class’ materials.
- Avoid minimum page counts. This makes the assignment seem like busy work to the student. Instead, promote concepts to the student such as clarity, detail, and argumentation.
- Monitor student behavior during tests; notice their appearance and their interaction in the testing environment.
- Teach the students about proper citation methods and best referencing practices. Share with them resources such as Zotero or EndNote to ensure they are keeping track of their sources and citing them properly.
- Model proper citation practices in the classroom, and highlight your efforts of citing photos, statistics, or other information in front of the students. Showing them your commitment to academic integrity will help them to understand why they should also be committed to the cause as well.
Resources about Academic Integrity and Plagiarism
Syracuse University Academic Integrity Office – Faculty Resources
Cheating Culture – Academic Dishonesty