Tips to Prevent Cheating - Case Study Example

Ethical Behavior of Business at Rocky Introduction Cheating within the college campus has been a huge concern for various collegeauthorities from numerous years. Based on the case scenario, the proportion of the students involved in cheating has been quite prevalent at Rocky University due to which a few of the faculties of the college strongly believe that the extent of cheating among students has become a popular trend. Thus in order to resolve the issues related to cheating, the dean of Rocky University has taken a step to assess the ethical behavior, which is presently persisting amid the students. This is because the business students within the university have been highly engaging in performing collaborative cheating. This, in turn has raised a critical concern, as the number of students graduating from the university will not acquire the required and appropriate expertise along with knowledge (Prenshaw & et al., 2001). With this concern, the prime intention of this essay is to present a report, which assesses the nature of cheating by business students at Rocky University. Data Interpretation Rocky University had been facing problems related to cheating activities due to which the Dean took the initiative of resolving this issue through conducting a survey. The Dean strongly believed that by conducting this survey, the existing ethical behavior of the business students belonging to the university could be evaluated. For this survey, 90 business students were selected from Rocky University so as to determine the proportion of students who were engaged in cheating while pursuing their degree course. From the survey conducted, it could be revealed that a total of 71 male students were engaged in cheating activity, while a total of 58 female students were involved in the same. The cheating activity mainly includes the practices of copying from internet photocopying others during exams and collaborating on the projects that had been already allocated to the students individually. This can be better understood with the help of the following tabular representation. Table 1: Illustration of Confidence Intervals for the Proportion of All the Students, Male and Female Students Involved In Some Type of Cheating From the above table, it can be identified that out of 90 business students surveyed in the university, 34 students have been engaged in practices of copying from the internet. Amongst these 34 students, it could be revealed that 18 male students were engaged in the practices of copying from internet and the remaining 16 female students had undertaken the similar practice. This provides an idea that the proportion of male students copying from the internet is more as compared to female students. As per the above depicted table, it can also be apparently observed that out of 90 students, a total of 46 students had copied in their exam, out of which 26 and 20 students were male and female. Likewise, out of 90 students surveyed, it could be revealed that a total of 49 students had been engaged in collaborative approach towards their individual projects, out of which 27 students were male and the remaining 22 students were female. Thus, after analysing these facts, it could be derived that the confidence level is 2.47 wherein the minimum range is 87.53 and the maximum range is 92.47. Table 2: Illustration Of Confidence Intervals for the Proportion of All the Students, Male and Female Students Involved in Copying off Another’s Exam From the above provided table, it is quite apparent that out of 90 students, 34 of them were engaged in copying from the internet while the remaining 56 students had not copied form the internet while pursuing their degree. Amongst the 34 students, 18 male students agreed about copying form the internet, while the remaining 16 female students had also been engaged in copying from the internet. This provides an idea that the proportion of students copying from the internet is relatively lesser as compared to other cheating practices. Thus, the confidence interval of students copying from the internet results to be 5.04 keeping the minimum range 84.96 and maximum 95.04. Table 3: Illustration Of Confidence Intervals for the Proportion of All the Students, Male and Female Students Involved in Copying off Another’s Exam According to the above designed table, it can be revealed that out of 90 students, 46 students have copied of another’s exam and the remaining i.e. 44 of them had not undertaken this practice. Thus, it can be commented that the proportion of students copying in the exam is relatively more as compared to other students who were not engaged in copying in their exam. Specially mentioning, amongst the 46 students were are engaged in copying, 26 students belong to the male category while the remaining students belong to the female category. Accordingly, the confidence interval derived from the given data was 2.44, keeping 87.56 in the minimum range and 92.44 is at maximum. Table 4: Illustration of Confidence Intervals for the Proportion of All the Students, Male and Female Students Involved In Collaborating On Individual Projects From the above portrayed table, it can be clearly understood that out of 90 students surveyed, 49 students have collaborated on individual projects assigned to them while the remaining 41 students had not undertaken any collaborative approach. This provides an idea that the proportion of students undertaking collaborative measures for individual projects were relatively more as compared to the students who do not collaborate in their projects. Likewise, among the above mentioned 49 students, 27 male students had collaborated on the individual projects assigned to them and the remaining 22 students belong to female category had collaborated in their projects. Therefore, the confidence interval had been derived as 2.51 keeping 87.49 as the minimum range and 92.51 as the maximum. Table 5: Illustration Of Hypothesis Test That Determines The Proportion Of Business Students Who Are Not Involved In Cheating Is Lesser Than The Business Students Elsewhere To accept the null hypothesis i.e. the proportion of all business students at Rocky University who were not involved in cheating is lesser than the business students conducting the same elsewhere, the notion of Z-score has been taken into concern. Based on the provided data and research findings, the results of the Z-score test stood as -10.28 and -11.31, which eventually depicts that the Z-test results are negative and thus remain below the mean. Specially mentioning, the critical or rejection line relating to null hypothesis in the context of Z-score usually ranges between -1.96 to 1.96. However, as earlier mentioned, in both the cases, the Z-score does not fall in the rejection line, which is between -1.96 to 1.96. Thus, the null hypothesis has been accepted and alternate hypothesis is rejected. Hence, it can be comprehended that the proportion of business students who have cheated in the Rocky University is comparatively lesser than the proportion of students who have engaged in cheating elsewhere. Based on the above discussion and analysis, it is advised to the Dean of Rocky university that integrity must be created within the university so as to ensure that the students maintain ethical attributes in their respective academic career. In addition, certain policies must be set that would eventually induce responsibility amid the students to stay focused in their learning process. Likewise, a clear standard for submitting the assignment must be formulated, which would certainly reduce the extent of internet copying. Specially mentioning, examination halls must be prudently monitored by the faculties, ensuring that the students in the hall did not undertake any sort of cheating activity. The Dean must take the initiative of encouraging the students to conceal the work performed by them in the examination hall, which in turn would stop the students to copy the materials that have been completed by other students. Strict rules must be framed within the university, which would ensure that the students do not undertake cheating practices. These rules must include altering the seat of the students for every exam and making an announcement before every exam that communication amid the students is strictly prohibited. Furthermore, if the faculties of the university view that the information is exchanged between the students, then the paper must be confiscated, which would induce a sense of fear amid the students. As a whole, it can be affirmed that new reforms must be made within the university, which would certainly create integrity amid the students, resulting in completely reducing cheating activities (Oklahoma State University, n.d.). Conclusion The students in Rocky University have been undertaking numerous cheating activities due to which there had been a rise in concern amid the faculties and Dean attached with the university. Thus, a survey was conducted with 90 students in order to assess the nature of cheating performed by the business students belonging to the university. After analysing the data, it could be identified that the students in the university had been involved in conducting cheating activity in the form of copying from the internet, copied on exam and collaborated with other students on the individual projects assigned to them. It could be revealed that almost 86% of the surveyed students in the university had undertaken cheating activity in their respective academic career, which eventually degraded their skills and most vitally knowledge level at large. Furthermore, it could be noted that among 90 students, 34 students have copied form the internet. Likewise, among 90 students, 46 students have copied the materials written by others in the exams and the others were engaged in collaboration on individual projects assigned to them. Thus, the null hypothesis has been accepted, which signified that the proportion of all the business students at Rocky University who were not engaged in certain sort of cheating is less than that of all the students elsewhere. References Oklahoma State University. (n.d.). Tips to prevent cheating. Retrieved from http://academicintegrity.okstate.edu/doc/aistopcheatingtips.pdf Prenshaw, P. J., Straughan, R. D., & Albers-Miller, N. D. (2001). University academic dishonesty policy and student perceptions of cheating: an exploratory content analysis across fourteen universities. University of Central Arkansas, 1-7. Read More