Faculty Perceptions, Attitudes, and Experiences with Academic Integrity at a Small, Private, Technological University PDF Download

Author: Dennis James Lang
Publisher:
ISBN:
Category : Cheating (Education)
Languages : en
Pages : 842

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Book Description
A review of the literature relating to academic integrity shows that unacceptable levels of academic dishonesty exist within our colleges and universities and that the problem is not being adequately addressed by many institutions. The majority of studies on academic integrity are from the perspective of the student. This study adds to the sparse body of research on faculty views, attitudes, and experiences with academic integrity. This study, containing both qualitative and quantitative components, was completed at a single, small, private, technological university located in the Midwest. At this university, the responsibility of promoting, implementing, and enforcing the Academic Integrity Policy falls solely upon the shoulders of the faculty. This study specifically investigates faculty members' interpretations of the policy, uncovers their attitudes toward the policy, and attempts to determine the level in which faculty are promoting and enforcing the policy. In addition, the qualitative components of this study allow the researcher to investigate why some faculty members consistently promote, implement, and enforce official policy and procedures relating to academic integrity while others do not. Data producion involved the use of data triangulation and methods triangulation. By gathering and analyzing data from multiple sources, using both qualitative and quantitative methods, data are enriched and a higher degree of validity is achieved. This study includes a detailed faculty survey, in-depth faculty interviews, and the analysis of faculty syllabi. Major findings include: (1) Faculty prefer to handle incidents of cheating and sanctions privately, bypassing official university policy; (2) Faculty recognize the problems in handling incidents individually, including liability issues, a lack of consistency in sanctions, and a lack of official record of the incident; (3) Faculty with negative experiences in implementing official policy are less likely to currently report incidents than those with positive experiences; and (4) Reasons for not reporting incidents of academic dishonesty include: overly burdensome and time-consuming procedures; sanctions viewed as inflexible, overly lenient, or excessively severe; a perceived lack of administrative support; and to avoid possible personal litigation or personal retaliation.