Extra! Extra! Cheating Scandal at Harvard!

"Typo at Root of Cheating Scandal, Letter Reveals" Oh, you thought Harvard students didn't cheat? WRONG. A number of studies right now are dealing with the question of not whether people cheat, buthow they cheat. Everyone, given the opportunity, cheats. The difference lies in the skill with which a person cheats and the magnitude of the situation (ie: copying a multiple choice answer on a quiz from a classmate versus versus insider trading or embezzling money from a company). The question then becomes, how do we minimize cheating--or at the very least, discourage it? If the emphasis in a classroom is actually learning, and not passing or earning grades, the temptation to cheat is lower; however, the u1biquity and popularity of MOOC's have shown that people will cheat even when there is nothing (money, grades) at stake. Signing an honor code is minimally effective for a short time, but not long-term. Must we, as teachers, accept that if a student is going to cheat, plagiarize, or lie, he is going to do it regardless? Have we, as a society, also taught our students that it's okay to cheat--even if one gets caught--especially if one does not get caught? I'd err on the side of HELL YES WE DID! How many corrupt executives, politicians, or other public figures have been caught with their fingers in the proverbial cookie jar or with their metaphoric pants down in 2012 alone? Can we really blame our students for buying into the philosophy that society has taught them, that everyone cheats, so as long as we are smart about it, we can (and should?) cheat, too? Frightening. The last time I cheated was in second grade, when I copied off Alexis M.'s reading quiz. I felt so terrible about it that I admitted it to the teacher. I don't think she even punished me, she could tell my guilty conscience was doing a better job than she could anyway. I learned my lesson, though, and have not cheated on anything academic since. I am a fanatic about proper citations and giving credit every single time it is due. Undoubtedly, I have "cheated" in other ways since, but none that gave me pause like that one did. Am I as bad as my dirty little plagiarizing students? Perhaps I am; I'm sure I've kept my mouth shut as a cashier rang up an item at a sale price when it should have been full-price. Next question: What do we do about it? We are all cheaters! Thoughts?