A cheating scandal involving several School of Business Student Council members and at least 20 other School of Business students has finally come to a close – with many of the suspected cheaters receiving less than the usual penalty of suspension.
The incident began in late December when Charles M. Ermer, Ph.D., associate professor in the Information Systems and Decision Sciences Department, received a report from Course Technology, also known as Cengage Learning, a company that provides IT learning solutions to universities. The report indicated that several students enrolled in the Quantitative Business Analysis (QBA) course had either not done their own work or had provided unauthorized assistance to other students.
In QBA, students are required to perform various assignments using Microsoft Excel. Yet Casegrader, a part of Cengage Learning, monitored their work through a separate system.
“Casegrader has software aimed at detecting abuse of the system,” Ermer said. “At the end of the semester, it submits a report to the faculty indicating students who had signs of not having done their own work or supplying for other people.“
Ermer said he gave the document to the School of Business’ Dean Barron H. Harvey, Ph.D., who told The Hilltop that he takes cheating very seriously. “[Cheating] is just not really worth it,” Harvey said. “We’ve got to keep hammering that message and making sure that students understand that the right way is hard work, perseverance and diligence.”
During winter break, students in the School of Business (SOB) were notified of the cheating allegations. Since then, there have been various hearings, appeals and decisions made, but the cases are now closed.
The level of importance with the cheating allegations was evident as high-ranking university officials became involved in the decision process. Several attempts to obtain comments from the provost went unanswered.
Typically, School of Business students found guilty of cheating can have a punishment ranging from a semester of suspension to expulsion. In this case, however, most of those found to have cheated were given an “F” in the course.
The SOB is not the only school dealing with cheating. Rochelle Larkin Ford, Ph.D., associate dean of research and academic affairs in the School of Communications (SOC), said all universities deal with cheating.
“Plagiarism is a bigger problem in the (SOC) – people copying peoples’ work. The professors need to be on top of it,” Ford said.
During her three years as associate dean, Ford said she has never suspended, nor expelled anyone in the SOC for cheating or plagiarism. Ford said teachers are often given the responsibility of handling the situation.
Because of its apparent taboo, the perception of cheating is oftentimes considered to be a means of diminishing the value of a degree – hence why schools rarely publicize it.
According to EducationPortal.com, a scholastic and career research site supported by the American Library Association, between 75 and 98 percent of college students admit to cheating during their academic careers. The organization says that business and engineering majors are the most likely to cheat.
“It’s because of the rigorous coursework and it’s harder for us to matriculate,” said Jennee Simmons, a junior actuarial science major. “All of our classes depend on another class – it’s the same in engineering. It’s more pressure. More colleges are trying to hide that fact.”
Even top schools such as New York University and Morehouse College have their share of cheating. Morehouse College’s Academic Oversight Committee is currently reviewing their own policies and procedures regarding academic integrity.
“There’s been some concern about plagiarism on campus, which prompted the faculty to develop this integrity policy,” said Ronald Sheehy, assistant vice president of Academic Affairs at Morehouse College, in an interview with The Hilltop. “The faculty was concerned enough about it that this matter was discussed in the faculty meeting.”
Ermer said he is unsure whether the punishment handed down to the SOB students found guilty of cheating will deter future outbreaks of academic misbehavior.
“I would assume that students will be more cautious about what they do,” Ermer said. “Whether it changes attitudes overall, I have no idea.”
21 comments
You need to transfer back to elementary school. You are ignorant.
-It is not that deep. Unfortunate? Yes. Howard should take this experience and learn from it. As stated in the article, every university deals with cheating in some way shape or form. Do not forget that. The difference between one university and Howard University is that Howard is not afraid to bring the issues to light. If confused...re-read the article for clarification. It's very informative.