Ethics Course Manual With Case Studies Old
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1 STEVENS HONOR BOARD ETHICS COURSE MANUAL THE TIME IS ALWAYS RIGHT TO DO WHAT IS RIGHT. ~MARTIN LUTHER KING, JR. LAST REVIS ED: 4/7/2010 2 TABLE OF CONTENTS INTRODUCTION ----------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------3 OBJ ECTIVES ---------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------3 REQUIREMENTS ---------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------3 COURS E COMPONENTS ----------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------5 MANDATO RY CO MPONENTS ------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------5 PROPOSAL --------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------5 ETHICS JOURNAL -----------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------5 ELECTIVE CO MPONENTS (MUST CO MPLETE AT LEAST 12 PO INTS ) --------------------------------------------------7 FORMAL APOLOGY TO THE PROFESSOR ------------------------------------------------------------------------------------7 FORMAL APOLOGY TO STUDENTS --------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------7 COMMUNITY SERVICE -----------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------8 REDO THE ASSIGNMENT --------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------8 ACADEMIC SEMINARS -----------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------8 “DEATH OF IVAN ILYICH ” (copy on reserve in the Samuel C. Williams Library) -----------------------------9 PRESENTATION ON THE HONOR SYSTEM-----------------------------------------------------------------------------------9 CASE STUDIES ------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------- 10 ONLINE TUTORIAL-------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------- 11 ESSAYS----------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------- 11 SELF-INITIATED TASK--------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------- 12 COMPLETION OF THE ET HICS COURS E ------------------------------------------------------------------------------ 12 APPENDICES ------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------- 13 APPENDIX A: EXAMPLE PROPOSAL -------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------- 14 APPENDIX B: COMMUNITY SERVICE PAPERWORK ------------------------------------------------------------------------- 15 APPENDIX C: ACADEMIC SEMINAR PAPERWORK--------------------------------------------------------------------------- 16 APPENDIX D: SPEECH PAPERWORK ------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------- 17 APPENDIX E: CASE STUDIES ---------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------- 18 APPENDIX F: ESSAY PROMPTS-------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------- 26 APPENDIX G: FINAL EVALUATION FORM------------------------------------------------------------------------------------ 28 3 INTRODUCTION This Ethics Course is designed for students convicted of an Honor System Violation. It is a learning experience which will provide the students with a chance for reflection and growth. The course consists of mandatory and elective tasks, and an Honor Board representative will be assigned to help guide the student through the process. OBJECTIVES The students will choose their own plan for self- improvement and reflect on their past actions. The students will gain a deeper understanding of the concept of ethics and how ethical behavior should and can be incorporated into both professional and academic life. The students will gain a deeper understanding and respect for the Stevens Honor System and learn how to support and uphold it. REQUIREMENTS Before beginning the course, the student must contact the Honor Board and announce his intent to fulfill the course requirements. An Honor Board member will be assigned to serve as the student’s Mentor and advocate. The student must meet with the Mentor to create a proposal detailing his plans for completion of the course; the proposal will include the elective components the student has chosen. The Mentor will serve as an Advisor, answer the student’s questions, and clarify any uncertainties. The Ethics Course consists of three components which are described in detail in the following sections. The components are: 4 1. An Ethics Journal kept throughout the progression of the course 2. A Reflection Paper following the completion of all other items in the course 3. Elective Tasks ** **Each Elective Task is weighted in accordance with its difficulty and opportunities for growth. The student’s proposal must include at least 12 points worth of elective tasks. The student must choose from the following list of elective tasks, but has the option to generate a self- initiated task subject to approval by the Honor Board Mentor. Min. Max. Points Points 2 2 2 2 ¼ 2 Redo the assignment 1 2 ASC seminars 1 2 Read "Death of Ivan Ilyich"** and complete established responses 2 2 Present a speech on the Honor System 3 3 Case Studies 1 2 Online Tutorial 1 1 Complete HB developed Essays 1 3 Self-Initiated Task 1 3 Elective Component Formal Apology to Professor Formal Apology to fellow students in class or the student from whom he cheated Community Service Hours (8 hrs) ** Copy on reserve in the Samuel C. Williams Library 5 COURSE COMPONENTS MANDATORY COMPONENTS PROPOSAL The student must complete his proposal before beginning the course. An example proposal can be found in Appendix A. The proposal must include three sections: intent, goals, and plan. Intent: Why the student is completing the course. Goals: What the student hopes to gain by completing the course, including his personal areas of improvement. Plan: The specific tasks that the student intends to complete and his reasons for choosing those tasks. After the student has completed writing his proposal, he must sign it and give it to his Honor Board Mentor. The proposal is subject to approval by the Honor Board Mentor and Advisor. If the Honor Board Advisor approves the proposal, the student will be notified and may begin completing his tasks. If the Honor Board Advisor does not approve the proposal, the student will have the opportunity to revise and resubmit it. ETHICS JOURNAL Throughout the Ethics Course, the student will be required to keep an Ethics Journal. The purpose of the Ethics Journal is to track the student’s progress in the course, provide an opportunity to reflect on each of the completed tasks, and provide an overall reflection of the learning experience. It is recommended that the student write in it at least once per week throughout the course. The journal may be in any format, but must include the following. 6 There must be an entry in this journal corresponding to each elective task completed during the course. The entry must address the following questions: 1. What task was completed? What was done to complete it? 2. What was learned from this task? Was it a good learning experience? How did it help the student grow as a person? 3. What is the student’s feedback about this task? (The student may choose to write negative things about the tasks in this journal. This is the Honor Board’s chance to get criticism or advice from the student about the course!) The student may include additional entries of his choosing. A suggestion for further reflection is to comment on an ethical dilemma or difficult decision faced during this period. Some questions that may be addressed are: 1. What was the situation? Was it a hard decision to make? 2. What were the pros and cons of each option? 3. What option was chosen and why? 4. What was the impact of this decision? R EFLECTION PAPER The Reflection Paper is the final requirement of the course. It is not to be written until all of the other tasks have been completed. It should be very pe rsonal and should talk about the student’s experience with the Ethics Course and how it has helped him grow as a person. The Reflection Paper must be 3-5 pages long and should address: 1. The factors that led to having to complete the Ethics Course 2. Each task that was completed and how it contributed to the student’s learning process 7 3. What was learned and gained from taking the course and whether the personal goals set in the proposal were met 4. How the student plans to implement what he has learned into the rest of his life at Stevens and beyond 5. If the student has answered all of the above and still has more to talk about, additional thoughts can be recorded in the journal ELECTIVE COMPONENTS (MUST COMPLETE AT LEAST 12 POINTS) FORMAL APOLOGY TO THE PROFESSOR This is a formal letter which must be written or typed using proper English and mailed or given (NOT emailed) to the professor. The Honor Board Mentor must approve the contents of the letter before it is sent or given to the professor. The letter should reflect a contrite and honest attitude towards the violation that was committed. This task is worth 2 points towards completion of the course. FORMAL APOLOGY TO STUDENTS If the violation involved treating another student or students without respect by “cheating” or “copying” off of them, or any other similar action, the student may choose to write a formal letter of apology. The letter must be written or typed using proper English and mailed (NOT emailed) or given directly to the student or students who were disrespected. If the violation did not hurt a specific student, a letter of apology may be sent to the entire class. If sending the letter to the entire class, it may be read aloud to the class. The letter should be at least two paragraphs in length and reflect a contrite and honest attitude towards the violation that was committed. The Honor Board Mentor must approve the contents of the letter before it is sent or given to the student(s) or the class. This task is worth 2 points towards completion of the course. 8 COMMUNITY S ERVICE The student may elect to do up to 8 hours of community service as a part of the Ethics Course. Each hour that is completed is worth ¼ point towards completion of the course. The organization that the student chooses to work with must be indicated in his proposal along with an explanation as to how doing this community service will contribute to the learning and recovery process. The student should not be receiving credit for this community service for any other club, team, or organization. The supervisor’s name and contact phone number must be indicated in the proposal. The student must complete the time sheet found in Appendix B. When the student has finished his community service hours, both he and the Honor Board Mentor will sign this sheet. R EDO THE ASSIGNMENT The student may retake the assignment on which his Honor System violation occurred. Retaking the assignment will NOT count for credit in the class. The student is expected to put his full effort into this assignment, as if it were to be graded. After completing the assignment, it is highly recommended that the student submit it to the professor as a way to show that he is serious about learning the material with integrity and honor. If the assignment is a quiz or homework assignment, the student will earn 1 point; if it is a test, exam, or paper, he will earn 2 points. ACADEMIC S EMINARS The student may choose to attend up to two seminars offered by the Academic Support Center. A list of the workshops being offered by the Academic Support Center can be found at www.stevens.edu/asc. Some of these workshops may require pre-registration, so the student must pay attention to all the details when viewing the available options. There may be other seminars offered throughout the campus, but not through the Academic Support Center. These seminars also may be acceptable if they relate to the personal 9 improvement goals outlined in the student’s proposal, and if they are approved by his Honor Board Mentor. When the student attends the seminar, he will need to complete the form located in Appendix C and have the presenter of the seminar sign to confirm his attendance. Each seminar that the student attends will be worth 1 point towards completion of the Ethics Course. “DEATH OF IVAN I LYICH” (copy on reserve in the Samuel C. Williams Library) For this task, the student must read the short novel by Leo Tolstoy and respond to the following questions 1 . There is no length requirement for the responses, although it is important that they be of a high quality. This is worth 2 points towards the total value of elective tasks. Why did Ivan conclude his life “was not the real thing?” (Consider his interests, values, aims, and his relationships with his family.) Why did Ivan stop screaming? (Provide a specific quotation.) What does Tolstoy have to say about the attractions of materialism? (Give an example from Ivan’s life.) PRES ENTATION ON THE HONOR S YSTEM For 3 points towards completion of the course, the student can choose to give a speech on the Honor System to a group of his peers. It must be delivered to at least 10 other students who may be members of a club, sports team, Greek house, class, or any other group selected by the student. The speech must be at least 15 minutes long and may utilize any 1 These questions were taken fro m a course designed by the University of Maryland, Office o f Judicial Programs & Student Ethical Develop ment. They are being used by the Stevens Honor Board with the permission of Gary Pavela, Esq., Director. 10 appropriate audio/ visual aid. The student must state in the proposal who will be the audience for the speech and why he chose that group of students. The student may choose to use some of the following talking points in his speech or come up with his own: A history of the Honor System at Stevens Duties of students and faculty as outlined in the Honor Board’s Constitution The importance of having an Honor System The student’s violation and his learning experiences as a result of the Ethics Course A draft of the student’s presentation must be approved by the Honor Board Mentor prior to its delivery. Also, the student must alert the Honor Board Mentor of the time and place for the speech. It is required that at least one Honor Board Representative be present when the speech is made. If no Honor Board members are able to attend, the audience members must complete the official signature form at the conclusion of the presentation. This form is available in Appendix D. CASE S TUDIES The student may analyze some of the following case studies on academic integrity 2 . He may do any three case studies for a total of 1 point OR any six case studies for a total of 2 points. The written analysis should include a brief summary of each study and address all questions asked. The student should make sure to draw connections between the case studies when applicable. The following Case Studies are hyperlinks or the full text for each can be found in Appendix E. Jack's Dilemma Jill the Collaborator 2 These case studies were submitted by CAI board members, James Lancaster, Mary Olsen, and Diane Waryold, and can be found on the Center for Academic Integrity website. 11 Ludwig's Composition The Plagiarized Paper The Case of the Cheating Hart The Grant The Pressure of Being Denise3 ONLINE TUTORIAL The student may choose to complete the Virtual Academic Integrity Laboratory (VAIL) Tutorial. This tutorial requires him to read through four learning modules and take a quiz on what was learned. The student must achieve a score of 65 to pass. He must print and turn in the certificate of completion to receive credit for the tutorial. The tutorial is worth 1 point towards completion of the Ethics Course. The tutorial is available at the following link: http://www-apps.umuc.edu/vailtutor/ ESSAYS A list of prompts is available in Appendix F. The student may choose to write an essay response to one or more of these prompts. The response must be 3 to 5 pages in length unless noted otherwise and must be well- written with proper English grammar and citations, if outside resources are used. Each essay that the student writes will be worth 1 point, and he may submit a maximum of three responses. 3 Courtesy of Dr. Frank A rdaiolo of Winthrop University 12 SELF-INITIATED TASK The student may choose to do any other sort of task or activity as part of his Ethics Course. The student must discuss these plans with his Honor Board Mentor and be able to justify how the task will contribute to the learning process. The task must be indicated in the proposal submitted by the student and subsequently be approved by both the Honor Board Mentor and Advisor. When the student proposes a self- initiated task, additional guidelines will be determined by the student, Honor Board Mentor, and Honor Board Advisor. COMPLETION OF THE E THICS COURSE It is the responsibility of both the student and the Honor Board Mentor to stay in regular contact with each other to ensure the student’s smooth progression in the co urse. Following the completion of each task, the student is required to submit all required materials to his Honor Board Mentor. The Honor Board Mentor shall be responsible for maintaining a folder of all material submitted. Once the student has completed and submitted paperwork for all mandatory and elective tasks in his proposal, he will sit down with his Honor Board Mentor for a final exit interview, at which time the Final Evaluation Form must be completed. This form is available in Appendix G. During the final exit interview, the student and Mentor will discuss the student’s accomplishments and evaluate his overall learning experience. The Final Evaluation Form and all other materials will be submitted to the Honor Board Advisor for her approval. The Honor Board Advisor will determine if the student has satisfactorily completed the Ethics Course. After reviewing the material the Honor Board Advisor may choose to meet with the student, or ask the student to redo or revise certain components of the course. When the Honor Board Advisor approves the student’s work and signs the Final Evaluation Form, the student is considered to have completed the Ethics Course. 13 APPENDICES Appendix A: Example Proposal Appendix B: Community Service Paperwork Appendix C: Academic Seminar Paperwork Appendix D: Speech Paperwork Appendix E: Case Studies Appendix F: Essay Prompts Appendix G: Final Evaluation Form 14 John Doe Ethics Course Proposal Honor Board Mentor: Bob Smith Submitted: January 1, 2010 Intent: I, John Doe, copied off a fellow student on a Final Exam in the course Ch115 in the Fall 2009 semester. I feel that this was a one time mistake that I can fix by exploring my personal ethics and learning more about time management and study skills. I did not feel prepared for that exam and made a mistake that I continue to regret. Goals: I feel that this Honor System violation occurred because I was very stressed during finals and felt that I had nowhere left to turn. I put off studying for my final exams until the last minute and then did not have time to properly prepare for my examinations. I should have accepted that my unpreparedness was the result of my own procrastination, but instead I chose to compromise my integrity by cheating. My goals through this course are to improve my time management and studying skills while enhancing my underlying sense of ethical behavior. By taking this course, the next time when I am faced with an ethical dilemma I will be armed with the tools and personal strength to do the right thing. Plan: Student: Date: In addition to the mandatory Reflection Paper and Ethics Journal, I plan to complete the following tasks: 1. Formal Apology to the professor - by not studying properly for this exam and cheating on it, I disrespected the professor and his course material and I intend to apologize to him. 2. Formal Apology to the student I cheated off - it wasn’t fair to this student that I took his answers and I plan to apologize to him for doing that and let him know that I will not be getting any credit for the work that wasn’t my own. 3. Attend ASC seminar - one seminar listed on the schedule, “Proper Time Management Skills,” seems especially catered to my needs. I intend to go to this seminar and learn to be a better student. 4. Talk to my sports team - this process has been very self-revealing for me and I would like to share with my team how I went wrong and when I could have prevented it. I also plan to talk a little about the Honor System and why it is important as well as share some of the tips I learn at the ASC seminar. 5. Complete 6 case studies - because ethics are so important in the real world as well as the academic world, I would like to explore some real life scenarios where the ethical choice isn’t the easy choice. 6. Perform 8 hours of Community Service - I would like to give back to the community by volunteering at the Hoboken Homeless Shelter. My supervisor there is Jane Ordinary. She can be reached at (123) 456-7890. Honor Board Mentor: Date: Appendix A: Example Proposal 15 Community Service Log Student’s Name ________________________ Mentor ___________________________ Service Organization ________________________________ Phone ________________ Why did you choose this organization? How will it help you meet your goals for the Ethics Course? Date # of Hours Supervisor’s Name Supervisor’s Signature Student’s Signature ____________________________ Date ____________ Mentor’s Signature ____________________________ Date ____________ Appendix B: Community Service Paperwork 16 Academic Seminar Response Form Student’s Name ________________________ Mentor __________________________ Title of Presentation _____________________________________ Date____________ Why did you choose to attend this presentation? What were the main points of the presentation. What did it help you to learn? How is it useful?(or how will it be useful?) How will you implement what you learned into your academic life? Student’s Signature ____________________________ Date ____________ Presenter’s Signature ___________________________ Date ____________ Mentor’s Signature ____________________________ Date ____________ Appendix C: Academic Seminar Paperwork 17 Honor System Presentation Form Student’s Name _________________________ Mentor __________________________ Date of Presentation _________________ Group Presented To ______________________ Please have at least 10 of the students in attendance and the HB Representative sign in below: 1. 11. 2. 12. 3. 13. 4. 14. 5. 15. 6. 16. 7. 17. 8. 18. 9. 19. 10. 20. HB Representative: Student’s Signature ____________________________ Date ____________ Mentor’s Signature ____________________________ Date ____________ Appendix D: Speech Paperwork 18 CASE STUDY 1: Jack’s Dilemma Jack is a last semester senior at Miller's college. His current academic record is right on the borderline with a cumulative GPA of 1.99. He realizes that he cannot afford to make any D's or F's if he is going to graduate at the end of the semester. In fact, if he doesn't make a B somewhere, he will be in serous trouble. Unfortunately, Jack is enrolled in a course taught by Professor Smith. Normally, this required course covers some difficult material; but because the course is poorly organized and poorly taught, Professor Smith makes a difficult situation even worse. In addition, student feedback reports that Professor Smith's exams are not fair since the tests often covered material that was never stressed in class. Professor Smith is known as a tough grader who gives many C's, D's and F's and very few A's and B's. The final exam in the course is given in a room in which the students are seated very close to one another. Professor Smith sits at the front of the room reading a magazine while the students take the exam. Although there is a good deal of whispering among the students, Professor Smith does nothing to stop it. In addition, Professor Smith never uses proctors to monitor the students while the test is in progress. Jack, as usual deliberately seats himself as close as possible to one particular person who happens to be one of the best students in the class. He knows that this student has the habit of hold ing up his answer sheet every once in a while. Jack can see many of the other student's answers and takes this opportunity to copy many of them onto his own answer sheet. Discussion: Has Jack done anything wrong? Has Prof. Smith done anything wrong? Should Jack be punished? How? Should Prof. Smith be punished? How? What are the implications for Jack/Prof. Smith? o Personally o Professionally CASE STUDY 2: Jill the Collaborator Jill is a rising senior planning to enter a professional program in the fall. S he has a “B”/”C” average. During the summer term she was enrolled in a lab section of a science course. A Teaching Assistant who was a graduate student in the science area taught the section. Following a number of lab assignments that were completed by Jill, the instructor has called her and her lab partner in for a conference. The instructor asked Jill and her partner to go to separate rooms and write down how they completed their last lab Appendix E: Case Studies 19 assignment. Both students indicated they had worked in collaboration to complete this assignment. Receiving this information, the instructor indicated to both students that they had cheated on this assignment. The instructor indicated that the penalty for this offense was a “zero” on the assignment and a recording of the offense as a violation of the institutional honor policy. The instructor further indicated that failure to accept responsibility for this offense would lead to a hearing and more severe actions including suspension or expulsion. Both students agreed to accept the penalty and signed an admission of the violation. Jill, upon reflection and after reading the Policy on Academic Integrity, has made an appointment with the Coordinator of Academic Integrity to discuss this matter. Dur ing this appointment, Jill tells the coordinator that she did not know that collaboration on these assignments was “wrong”, that many of the students in the class collaborate on such assignments and that the only instructions received concerned a prohibition against plagiarism. Further, she feels she was not given any information about the honor policy, the procedures to be followed in making an allegation, and her rights as a student accused of a violation. Discussion: Has Jill done anything wrong? Has the instructor done anything wrong? Should Jill be punished? How? Should the instructor be punished? How? What are the implications for Jill and the instructor? o Personally o Professionally CASE STUDY 3: Ludwig’s Composition Ludwig is a student in piano at the University under the instruction of Dr. Steinway. As part of his composition class, he has been assigned the completion of a short piece for piano. The guidelines for this assignment indicate that he may consult with others but must complete the composition alone. In preparing this composition, Ludwig has spoken with his beloved high school band teacher, Mr. Dreyfus. Mr. Dreyfus has shared a number of examples and ideas concerning the assigned composition that Ludwig finds very interesting. Among the examples is a rough score for an incomplete opus that Mr. Dreyfus had been working on for some time. This composition is nearly complete and is an almost perfect match for the assignment. Following his meeting with Mr. Dreyfus, Ludwig returns to the music building to Appendix E: Case Studies 20 work on the assignment. There he encounters several fellow students. He discusses the assignment with them, mentioning his conversation with Mr. Dreyfus and its relationship to the assignment. One of the students, Franz, a senior, tells Ludwig that he had the same assignment from Dr. Steinway two years earlier and still has a copy of his own composition, which he would be happy to share. Dr. Steinway, he indicates, doesn’t seem to mind where the composition comes from so long as it reflects some work by the student. Following these experiences, Ludwig returns to his practice room where, in a brilliant creative moment, he merges Mr. Dreyfus’s opus with Franz’s prior assignment and creates Ludwig’s Composition for Piano, parts one and two. He hastens to class the next day and turns in the composition to Dr. Steinway. Discussion: Has Ludwig done anything wrong? Has Dr. Steinway done anything wrong? Franz done anything wrong? Should Ludwig be punished? How? Should Dr. Steinway be held responsible? How? What are the implications for John/Dr. Steinway/the institution? o Personally o Professionally CASE STUDY 4: The Plagiarized Paper You are a faculty member who had a student in a class last semester who was bright, delightful and diligent and who helped confirm your choice of becoming a college professor. He did very well in your class, while holding several part-time jobs trying to make ends meet. You got to know the student to some extent outside of class and think of him as a student who is a friend. Based on these experiences you even have hopes for him as a future professional in your field. This semester, the student is enrolled in another of your classes. He continues to work hard and is doing very well in the course. In addition, he stops by office frequently for friendly conversation and to discuss course related matters too. After the most recent class session, he mentioned in the passing that he earned some money writing a paper last semester for another student. He also mentioned the topic of the paper, which you immediately recognized (because it was a very unique and obscure topic in your discipline) as one submitted by another one of your students. You had awarded a grade of “B” to the person who submitted the paper that was turned in as a “re-write” of a paper that had initially received a grade of “D”. The final grade of the Appendix E: Case Studies 21 student who turned in the paper was not altered by the “B” grade. He would have received the same final course grade if he had let the original “D” grade for this paper stand. The student who wrote the paper and told you about it didn’t seem the least bit ashamed of having done so. You were so astonished to hear this that you didn’t say anything other than, “Why are you telling me about this?” The student’s response was “Why wouldn’t I tell you? I’d tell you anything.” Does the student think that writing a paper for another and for profit at that would be acceptable to you? Discussion: Now what do you do? What are the issues? Since you somewhat crossed the boundary from teacher to friend with this student, how does this affect or restrict the use you might make of this information that he voluntarily provided? Should you file an academic integrity complaint, knowing that if you do you will have to testify against him, and that if found responsible for a violation he will probably be suspended? Is this the best way for him to learn? What do you want him to learn anyway? What about the student who actually submitted the paper when someone else wrote it? CASE STUDY 5: The Case of the Cheating Hart Joshua Hart is a first semester sophomore at Woebegotten College in Lake Woebegone, Minnesota. He is the first member of his immediate family to attend college and as such carries a great burden of expectations for success from his family. He is currently enrolled in the Exercise and Sports Science (ESS) program of the College. Dr. Keeler has assigned a semester project in which students are to co mpile a model program for personal fitness training for themselves. Dr. Keeler has explained verbally and also included in his syllabus a good deal of information about the College Honor Policy and the importance of honesty in all assignments. He indicates that students are to complete this assignment on their own with no resort to third parties other than reference materials. Joshua is very interested in fitness training and hopes one day to become a personal trainer and open his own business. For now, he trains a few fellow students and one or two faculty members for a small charge. To enhance his own skills and to obtain needed skills in physical training, Joshua has purchased a CD-ROM program entitled “The Personal Trainer for You” by Arnold Atlas. The CD carries copyright information. In completing the assignment for Dr. Keeler, Joshua has used a variety of text sources, his own experience and information from the CD-ROM. He has printed off Appendix E: Case Studies 22 various tables and charts from the CD and made clean copies to include along with his narrative and other materials. As he turns in the paper, he feels sure he has completed not only a good paper but a useful “game plan” for his future as a physical trainer. He eagerly anticipates the return of the paper with a good grade and even hopes for an “A.” This is his first course in the program and he wants to make a very good impression. Dr. Keeler, too, has anticipated Joshua’s paper. In class Joshua has not spoken out as often as other students but seems a serious student and appears likely to become a very successful ESS major. As he begins to grade Joshua’s paper, he is at first highly impressed. As he reads on, however, he becomes aware that the language and concepts Joshua has used seem highly developed for a student of his experience. Several paragraphs, in particular, seem almost too good to be true but none of this material is cited in Joshua’s references, which include several books and periodical articles. With some concern, Dr. Keeler begins to consider the possibility that some of the work in this paper may not be Joshua’s own. He turns to the internet and a search engine often used by ESS majors. Almost immediately, Dr. Keeler turns up several sources that seem likely targets for a student completing the assignment. When he opens the first source, he immediately finds selections of research dealing with physical training that appear to be identical with Joshua’s. He also learns that this particular program is offered in a full version on a CDROM and includes model programs for physical training. Anger turns to frustration and then to sadness as Dr. Keeler recognizes he will have to request an Honor Policy conference with Joshua. He sends an e-mail to Joshua asking that he schedule an appointment the next day. When Joshua meets with Dr. Keeler the next day, he is immediately confronted with material from the web-site that appears similar to his paper. Dr. Keeler points out specific passages and paragraphs that are identical to Joshua’s paper. He then asks for an explanation. Joshua becomes defensive and indicates that the paper is entirely his own work. He acknowledges that he used material from the CD-ROM program but doesn’t view this as plagiarism. Dr. Keeler is baffled as Joshua continues to explain that he purchased the CD-ROM for his own use, is in fact using the physical training program in question himself and in working with several of his clients. It is his view that ownership of the CD-ROM constitutes possession of all the material included. He believes that the information is therefore his to use, especially in light of the fact that the disputed material portrays his own personal physical training program. Concluding this argument, he refuses to accept any responsibility for plagiarism. Following further futile arguments, Dr. Keeler tells Joshua he will be referred to the Honor Policy hearing process for this violation; the decision of that process will determine his responsibility. Angry, Joshua storms out of the office. The hearing has now been convened by the chair of the Honor Policy Hearing Panel. The information above and Joshua’s initial defense have been presented. As a member of the hearing panel, you are charged with determining Joshua’s responsibility or non-responsibility for the offense of plagiarism. Appendix E: Case Studies 23 Discussion: What questions concerning this allegation and Joshua’s defense do you have? What decision should the panel, in your opinion, reach? If Joshua is found “responsible,” what, if any, sanctions should be imposed? If Joshua is found “not responsible,” what arguments do you find most compelling? CASE STUDY 6: The Grant John is a senior student in psychology at a major public university. He serves as a research assistant to Dr. Stallings. John has an excellent academic record and is currently under consideration for admission to the institution’s Ph.D. program with a full scholarship. Dr. Stallings is his principal reference for the scholarship. Currently John has been assisting Dr. Stallings in the preparation of final reports related to a major federal grant. The deadline for completion of the reports and final accounting of funds for the grant is tomorrow. In reviewing the section of the report assigned to him, John notes a minor discrepancy between the observed results and those reflected in the final report as written by Dr. Stallings. Knowing that the report and the results it contains are crucial to Dr. Stallings, John changes the report to reflect the observed results of the project. He returns the report to Dr. Stallings without comment about this change. Two days later, John receives a copy of the final report as submitted to the grant agency. In the report, the change which John made has been changed again to the original, inaccurate reflection of the observed result. As written, the report changes the observed results and modestly improves the apparent findings of the project. Attached to the report is a handwritten note from Dr. Stallings, thanking John for his work and indicating that John’s recommendation is on his desk and will be forwarded to the graduate program shortly. John takes the report and leaves the office. Discussion: Has John done anything wrong? Has Dr. Stallings done anything wrong? Should John be punished? How? Should Dr. Stallings be punished? How? What are the implications for John/Dr. Stallings/the institution? o Personally o Professionally Appendix E: Case Studies 24 CASE STUDY 7: The Pressure of Being Denise Denise came from a small, rural town in central SC where her widowed father was an evangelical Christian minister. He raised her very strictly, and it was only with great reluctance that he allowed her to come to Winthrop for college. He feared the big and diverse university would corrupt her morals. As he left her on campus the day the residence halls opened, he warned her, "If I ever find out that you've been cheating or using alcohol or drugs. I'll cut you off from all financial support and never let you enter our home again." Denise had always obeyed her father and intended to do so while at college. Her career ambition was to become a medical doctor and help people. Her first two years of classes went OK and she was making progress towards obtaining her degree in Biology and had a 3.3 cumulative GPA. While good, she realized she probably needed higher grades to get into medical school. She did stay away from drugs and alcohol, and in September of her junior year she began dating Larry, a fellow student in her organic chemistry class. By late November they were intimate. Denise had never experienced such a demanding class as organic chemistry and was barely making a C as finals approached. She had even quit her off campus job in September to devote more time to studying. However, she took advantage of a credit card solicitation and before she knew it she had over $900 in debt and no way to pay it. She had to get a job on campus and easily found one working as a security assistant at nights in Wofford Hall. All her earnings were devoted to just paying the minimum demanded each month from her credit card bank. The anxiety caused by her academic course demands, her increasing debt level from the bank’s mounting interest, and her lack of sleep from her night job began to push her towards depression as final exams approached. As the semester was winding down, her organic chemistry professor offered all students in the class an opportunity for extra credit by writing a short research paper on “foreseeable breakthroughs in chemistry the next decade.” Denise thought this would be the opportunity she needed to get a B in the class. However, she found out as the semester began to wind down, there was just too much going on and she couldn’t find the time to devote to the research paper. Two nights be fore the paper was due while Denise was working as a Security Assistant, Susan, a co-worker at the security desk, suggested she check out right there and then a great web site called FREE-ESSAY.COM. Denise did so and found a paper with the same title in little more than five minutes. Pressed for time and wanting to avoid plagiarizing she cut the essay from the internet and pasted it into her word processor to use it only as a guideline for the format of her essay. She then went on-line to the three sources referenced in the FREE-ESSAY.COM paper and fortunately was able to read all the sources within a matter of hours directly on her desktop computer. While reading she tried to paraphrase the wording from the original essay. She also cited the original sources in her paper, but she never cited FREEESSAY.COM After work that night, Denise went to bed with Larry and mentioned to Appendix E: Case Studies 25 him how she was able to get the paper done on-line and asked him if it seemed like plagiarism. Larry replied, “I don’t think so; besides you’ve worked so hard you deserve this one break.” On her way to class the next day to submit the paper, Denise was chatting with Mary, the student who sits next to her in class, and Denise casually mentioned how she was finally able to get the extra credit paper done. After class that day, Mary slipped an anonymous note under the professor’s office door telling her to check Denise’s paper closely. Thus alerted, the professor noticed a particularly well expressed paragraph and placed it in the GOOGLE internet search engine. In .02 seconds, GOOGLE returned 5 hits including FREE-ESSAY.COM and the original source which Denise had found and referenced in her submitted paper. The professor decided this was a case of academic plagiarism where a student presented, as one’s own, the ideas or words of another for academic evaluation without proper acknowledgment. The professor gave Denise an F in the course as an academic consequence. Denise maintained she thought she had properly refere nced the original sources and requested a hearing before the University’s Judicial Council comprised of three faculty members and two students. The Judicial Council heard the case a few days before Denise’s remaining finals began and decided that Denise had committed academic misconduct by plagiarizing for failing to cite the FREE- ESSAY.COM assistance. The F grade for the entire organic chemistry course was therefore posted on her transcript and she was also placed on disciplinary probation for the next semester. Denise knew the F in organic chemistry probably doomed her chances for getting into medical school. She got so upset about this and her new disciplinary record she started to get very depressed as she tried to concentrate on her finals. She turned to Larry for comfort and he shrugged it off. She was afraid to call her father fearful she couldn’t keep the truth from him and she was petrified of his reaction. And she couldn’t sleep even though she felt exhausted. Denise did very poorly on all her finals and subsequently did not return to Winthrop the next semester. She never completed her undergraduate degree and she never became an MD. Discussion: Rate each of the characters according to their responsibility for Denise’s departure from Winthrop. Identify the least responsible as #7 to most responsible being #1. Please provide justification for your responses. o The Professor o Her father o Susan, her coworker o The Judicial Council o Larry, her boyfriend o Mary, her classmate o Denise Appendix E: Case Studies 26 Essays 1. If you were in charge of Stevens, what five things would you do to promote and secure academic integrity on campus? Clearly justify each response. 2. Choose a topic that is “hot” in the media and discuss its ethical ramifications. 3. Who is your role model? Discuss, citing specific instances, how they lived an ethical life and what traits of theirs you most admire. 4. The five core values of Stevens Institute of Technology are: honesty, trust, fairness, respect, and responsibility. For each core value provide one example of how you have shown that value in the past and generate a plan to better incorporate each value into your future life. 5. Expand on the following statement and apply it to yourself: “A student’s adherence to academic integrity is a reflection o n their personal values.” 6. Write a 5-page carefully researched essay on any ethics philosopher or philosophy (e.g., Socrates or Meta-Ethics) properly citing and footnoting at least 4 sources. 7. Why is citing sources an important part of research? Discuss some real- world implications of not properly citing sources. 8. Why is it important to ensure that all students uphold the Honor System? Consider this on several levels, including the perception of Stevens in the business community, life on campus, and in the classroom. 9. How does not reporting an Honor Board violation reflect on one’s academic integrity? Proved some scenarios when it is tempting to not report a violation and why it is better in the long run to use integrity and responsibility in such situations. 10. When does collaborating become cheating? Suggest several ways for professors to make this distinction clearer and prevent this violation in the future. Also provide examples of when collaborating is beneficial to students and when it is detrimental. Appendix F: Essay Prompts 27 11. Develop at least three well-thought-out scenarios where a student is affected in the future by not properly studying and learning the materials in a class. 12. Explore the pros and cons of having someone help you on an assignment or test. How does it help you or them and how does it hurt you or them? Develop a final statement and plan of what you will do in the future if you are not properly prepared for a test. 13. Explore the pros and cons of helping someone on an assignment or test. How does it help you or them and how does it hurt you or them? Develop a final statement and plan of what you will do in the future if someone asks you for aid. 14. Explain what you perceive to be wrong with the Honor System and how we could better publicize its stipulations to keep students from accumulating multiple offenses. Suggest and fully develop several ideas for how the system can be improved. 15. This essay will only be read by the Advisor to the Honor Board. Write about something that you would never want your fellow students to find out and the effects of what would happen if it were found out. Appendix F: Essay Prompts 28 Stevens Honor Board Ethics Course Final Evaluation Form Student Portion I, ______________________, am submitting my Ethics Course materials to the Honor Board Advisor for review. I attest that I completed this course to the best of my abilities to amend for my Honor System Violation and work towards self- improvement. Student’s Signature ____________________________ Date ____________ Honor Board Mentor I, ______________________, have been working with this student on the Ethics Course and will confirm that they have worked attentively and carefully to complete the course materials. I will fully endorse this request to have the course requirements satisfied. Honor Board Mentor ___________________________ Date ____________ Honor Board Advisor I, ______________________, have reviewed the student’s Ethics Course materials and have determined that he / she has fulfilled their course requirements. Comments: Honor Board Advisor ___________________________ Date ____________ Appendix G: Final Evaluation Form
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