Preventing Academic Fraud

Preventing Academic Fraud

It seems to me that USC's approach to preventing academic fraud is fairly effective. The reason is because this school has an honor code for all of the students and faculty to abide by. There are still a lot of schools that do not have an honor code set in place for their students. According to the Center for Academic Integrity, serious test cheating at schools without an academic honor code is typically one-third to one-half higher than schools that have one. Also, the level of serious cheating on written assignments is one-quarter to one-third higher.

This fact alone shows that having an academic honor code helps to reduce cheating significantly. Just by having one shows that USC is at least putting forth an effort to reduce cheating among its students. This method must be effective because many schools are beginning to put honor codes in place after seeing its results at other schools.

USC's academic honor code works pretty well overall. The only problem with it is that the consequences for cheating are not strict enough. If it were more strict then the students would think twice before cheating, in fear that they would get into real trouble instead of just a pop on the wrist. A better way to fight cheating would be to make a rigid set of rules, that if any student broke they would suffer a harsh punishment, but not be expelled. Then after that, any more cheating would lead to expulsion from school. That would reduce cheating greatly at USC, and give students a chance to reform their ways before being kicked out. Not only would the strict rules prevent students from doing it, but it would also get rid of all the bad students that would keep doing it anyway after being caught the first time.