Plagiarism: A Classy Form of Cheating

Should I Join the Bandwagon?

I’d like to talk about the perception of plagiarism, which I find to be a fancier form of cheating―despite the fact that each has its place in the Oxford dictionary. As a matter of fact, I see a deep connection between plagiarism and cheating. To succinctly clarify my correlation, Kurt Bouman briefly enlightens readers that there isn’t any solid definition for the word plagiarism. Rather, its practices includes: the intent or unintentional submission of anyone’s work or idea and using technological devices to obtain information seeking to claim as your own without giving credited to the rightful owner are deceptive acts of plagiarizers (Rafoth, 2005). In regards to academic dishonesty, cheating is obtaining copies of quizzes, exams, and tests from friends to use as your own or distribute to other. With these in mind, I find plagiarism and cheating to be synonymous… for me they are equally same.

Bouman explains that culture is important as it leads to a collective group of various wisdom, still Western academic rules expect students to develop their unique voices. Another key point he highlights is teachers’ expectations, in how they prefer writers to produce original pieces rather than “parrot ideas” to then regurgitate those ideas on scantrons or terms papers. Accepting Bouman’s take in “Raising Questions about Plagiarism” to be reasonable, I begin to evaluate my own experience. I witness that professors do not respond as they should to cheating on two separate occasions: while completing my education hours at a local high schools and currently when testing in certain classes. During both occasions, I discover students using their phones. Obviously, they are fishing through cyberspace for answers during these exams and quizzes. At the high school I thought, a disciplinary referral was going to be issued and parents were going to be notified.

On the contrary, the teacher walked to the student and quietly asked that she put phone away. That day I said to myself, a great teaching moment was gone and it cannot be replaced. In the same way, it seems like some college professors just need to know that students are familiar with the materials they are teaching because when they spot cheaters they tend to look away and still have the heart to GIVE a grade that is not EARNED. I know somewhere down the line, cheaters and plagiarizers alike will reap the consequences of their own labor. But in the mean time I question, do my professors expect me to assess, think, and reason? Howard Gardner, a professor Harvard once spoke on this issue and he quoted a group who said, “We [the students] want to be famous and successful, we think our colleagues are cutting corners, we’ll be damned if we’ll lose out to them.” So in other words, am I missing the mark?