Since Miami University formed the First in 2009 Academic Integrity Subcommittee last year, the university has held a stronger magnifying glass on cheating at the university level.
The subcommittee made several recommendations last April, including having faculty use new software and machines to help combat plagiarizing and cheating.
SafeAssignment and www.turnitin.com are two services Miami is considering using to detect plagiarism.
SafeAssignment is a program through Blackboard Learning System. Faculty can submit all their class papers through the system, where the papers are then submitted to a database of previously submitted papers and Internet sources.
"The program will tell professors where the content is from," said Ibrahima Poda, an instructional technologist specialist in Information Technology (IT) Services. "If you got a chunk of information from a Web site it will show up in red. If you change one word that word will be black and the rest red."
Turnitin.com is a Web site similar to SafeAssignment. It allows professors to compare their students' papers to those from other institutions. This site does not require that all papers from a class must be submitted.
According to Poda, many universities and elementary schools use programs like these. As of now, Miami is in the testing phase of these programs and will decide by the end of the year which one is the easiest and most effective.
Poda said 40 professors are testing the programs now and expect the majority of faculty involved with writing assignments to use the program once it is in place.
"From what I've heard from volunteers it seems to be working," Poda said.
But whether or not these technologies will truly prevent students from cheating is uncertain. Many students are still unsure exactly what constitutes cheating and where the lines are drawn.
Does having a friend help with a worksheet constitute as cheating?
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"I wouldn't call that cheating," first-year Ross Evans said.
What about looking at an old, previously issued test?
"Since the questions on the tests change each year, it doesn't really matter if I look at someone's test from the semester before," junior Brad Stoffers said. "Some teachers put past exams online. It's the same as that."
To students, the fear of punishment often outweighs moral obligations against cheating.
"That's why I never cheat," Evans said. "I'm afraid I'll get caught."
Yet regardless of where the lines are drawn, certain students think that these new technologies will help to prevent cheating.
"If students know they are going to be checked, I think they'll stop," first-year Sean Jacobson said. "I don't know how much though - fear only goes so far."
While tools such as these can be useful in combating cheating, some within Miami feeling this is not the right way toward a solution.
Cynthia Lewiecki-Wilson, director of composition for the department of English, is one of them.
"I don't think teachers should start off with the assumption that students are cheating and plagiarizing," Lewiecki-Wilson said.
Many in the English department share Lewiecki-Wilson's sentiments. The English Composition Committee created a statement that opposes the purchasing of plagiarism detection software. The committee believes that through purchasing such software, the university is outsourcing a vital component of quality teaching practices.
Jacobson agrees with the committee.
"I would like to feel a little more trusted and respected for my honesty from professors," Jacobson said.
Yet cheating and plagiarizing within the first-year English classes are low. Almost 3,000 first year students take the English composition courses, and from that typically only five to seven plagiarism cases are found.
Similar results were revealed after a survey on Miami was administered by the Center for Academic Integrity at Duke University in January to discover how prevalent cheating is on campus. Miami was one of 100 schools to be surveyed.
"A survey on academic integrity was conducted throughout the country," said Judith Sessions, professor and the library chair on the subcommittee. "Although the problem is present, it's not a huge problem at Miami, but rather a national problem."
The survey showed that of students participating in the survey, 57 percent said they had worked on an assignment with others when the instructor wanted individual work, like Evans.
Forty-one percent admitted to paraphrasing or copying a few sentences of material from the Internet without footnoting or referencing and 30 percent admitted to receiving answers at least once from someone who had already taken a test.
To prevent this, the subcommittee wants to be clearer on the issue.
"Miami needs to clearly and consistently communicate its expectations for academic integrity to all faculty and students," Sessions said.
To change students' views, the subcommittee created a 12-point recommendation where Miami will embrace academic integrity as a clear priority for the campus, according to Sessions.
The subcommittee, consisting of students, faculty, and administrators, came up with recommendations for a multitude of bodies at Miami, including university senate, the Council of Academic Deans, and department heads.
Some of the recommendations include expanding the time devoted to academic integrity in orientation for incoming students, developing mandatory instructions about academic integrity and developing a standardized honor statement consistent with academic integrity to be included on all assignments and tests.
As a profession where accuracy is a prime focus, the journalism program is considering these recommendations and may adopt an honor code in a few years.
"Miami students don't need to cheat; they are all smart and capable students," said Richard Campbell, director of the journalism program.
Campbell views cheating as a form of disrespect not only to the teacher, but also to the individual who decides to cheat.
According to Campbell, many teachers are instructed to plan assignments in which plagiarism and cheating would be hard for students. However, cheating and plagiarism is not just a national issue, but also a cultural problem, according to Campbell.
Yet with all the new plans, Sessions feels Miami is on its way out of this national issue.
"Creating a climate of academic integrity will be a gradual process," Sessions said. "I hope within five years to see that more students embody academic integrity and expect it of their fellow students."
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