Student Plagiarism Analysis

We’ve all sat in a class room and been lectured about cheating and plagiarism and how it is wrong. We are told that there will be serious consequences upon our reputation with the school, instructors and among other peers. Susan Blum presents knowledge about plagiarism among institutions and the increasing problem, in her article “Academic Integrity and Student Plagiarism: a Question of Education, Not Ethics”. While Richard Perez- Pena discusses his view and his thought of the reason behind cheating, in the article “Studies Find More Students Cheating, With High Achievers No Exception”. As evidence above, these two authors share similar views and opinions. Upon further reading of the articles, one should be better able to realize the dilemma

Initially, Blum discusses how the traditional methods that institutions employ for dealing with plagiarism are not effective. Many colleges and universities treat plagiarism in one of two ways- either as a crime of as unethical behavior (Blum 1). This means that the result of administrations’ mistreatment of plagiarism will cause this issue to continue to grow. Next, Blum asserts that students worry more about grades than the learning process. She states “If students pursued education for its own sake… they would try to produce academic work that increases learning… But many students don’t especially value the process of classroom learning” (Blum 1,2). Therefore, instructors will struggle to teach the value in learning, and Students will continue to plagiarize because there is more concern about the product (the grade) than the process. Over all, students don’t grasp the gravity of plagiarism and need to be taught the correct ways to avoid it. Professors should not assume that students simply understand how to cite and know when and where to give credit too other writers work (Blum 3). This translates that students and professors need more encouragement and organization to decrease the thought of plagiarism and create better self- confidence for students to import their own work into

To begin with Perez-Pena starts with the thought that technology and electronics have made cheating easier for students within the colleges and institutions. Today’s generation of students have begun to cheat more do to the access of answers provided by the Internet (Perez-Pena). This indicates the problems among schools and their cheating students are pursuing a much bigger and increasing problem because of technology and the access to internet world wide. Secondly, at this present time students culture of “sharing” has blurred lines of academic integrity. The article states “An increased emphasis on having students work in teams may also have played a role” (Perez-Pena). To summarize, throughout most of middle school and high school you worked with another person, and now colleges are demanding students to think for their own, so students are finding it complicated to require information without using another source. Third of all, the parenting of students has caused a decline in the current generation’s ethics. Experts are saying parents are also to blame… that in today’s culture they have trouble accepting that children make mistakes and fail (Perez-Pena & Tricia Bertram Gallant). Over all perspective, neither parents nor institutions