Honor Code Argument Essay

Susan Greenberg, author of “Why Colleges Should Ditch Honor Codes”, discusses the issues behind having an honor-code and why colleges should no longer have this practice. She addresses the conflict at a Stanford University computer science class that brings attention on whether the code is still in appropriate use today. These students enrolled in the course were under questioning about their academic dishonesty and received harsh discipline from their instructor and school. It was a class that related to their future occupational field that involves collaboration with others daily. For some students, the honor-code fails to stop them from cheating and collaborating again outside the classroom.

It is proven that the honor code doesn't always work in full effect.Things Don't usually work in full effect at Rockville High school unless there are follow up consequences. Dirmeyer and Cartwright take their position on the topic stating , “our honor code is strictly enforced,and the enforcement is handled by an all-student court.Students convicted of lying or cheating can expect to receive punishment ranging from suspension to exclusion.”(Source C).Rockville high school administration can always revise this rule.Instead of students being suspended for cheating and lying there could be a different punishment. Let's face it,nobody likes to feel like a complete prisoner.It wouldn't hurt for the administers to take action by grabbing ideas

Honor codes and systems are proudly displayed by high schools and colleges alike. These collections of rules are proposed with the hope of achieving the ideal of education: producing productive citizens with integrity. While these systems do provide incentive to follow the clearly stated rules and assist in lessening the effects of favoritism on student punishment for violating rules, they are also open to interpretation as they do not qualify situations based on the severity of the infringement or take into consideration the he-said-she-said aspect of reporting cheating. At my school, Union High School, we do not have an official honor code which leads to extreme crackdowns of authority at the first glimpse of a broken rule in some classrooms and a near absence of rules in others. Because of these disparities in punishment by teachers, a system of increased punishment severity should be created by each teacher and approved by the principle to help promote equitable treatment and provide incentives to follow school guidelines.

The increasing prevalence of honor codes in schools has changed the way students approach academic integrity. Honor codes are sets of regulations that require students to refrain from any sort of cheating and hold their peers accountable. Schools should continue to uphold their current system of honor codes in order to ensure academic integrity within the school while still respecting student privacy. The key to maintaining school honor codes is to involve the students in participating in the decision making aspect of honor codes, as well as enforcing them.

The honor code is a system that many schools use to establish trust with teachers and students by having students report each other for cheating, plagiarizing, stealing, and getting consequences for violating those codes. I argue that it could be improved. I believe that giving students that much power to control each other isn’t a great idea. It may work in some schools but it could easily be corrupted. If you think about it, many students are broke, a student could easily pay the other student to allow them to cheat or copy. It’s an easy bribe and I'm sure it’s been done. I know people would attempt to counter my argument with “that’s why the honor code is there for,” but not everyone goes by their word, there’s always someone to

This outcome of the honor codes serve the best of both worlds. Honor codes are good for a student body because students begin to follow what is right based on influence. Following what’s right is an essential skill to learn for the running of a good society. In addition, it is also stated that honor codes can be used to end/lower

In recent years, many schools and institutions have introduced an “honor code”. The idea behind an honor code is that, if a student is caught cheating or in violation of the honor code, then there are serious consequences. Also, in some institutions, if a student catches another student violating the honor code, then the students must turn in the violator. While in theory this sounds like a good plan, many cases have shown that this code does not work in a practical application. Even with the introduction of the honor code, many schools have found that students continue to cheat, and students refuse to turn in their peers.

Honor codes are the embodiment of two things – trust and integrity. When schools maintain these honor codes, it gives off many advantages. “Unlike the majority of colleges where proctoring of tests and exams is the responsibility of the faculty and/or administration, many schools with academic honor codes allow students to take their exams without proctors present, relying on peer monitoring to control cheating.” (Source F) By allowing non-monitored tests, the honor code instills a better relationship between staff and students. When a student is having a problem with the class, they will more likely talk to the teacher rather than resort to copying. The code makes staff more trust worthy.

Additionally, late into this year the teacher of AP physics 1 caught a large group cheating on a quiz, yet did not catch them when they were cheating throughout the earlier part of the year. Because the teacher was not able to catch them earlier in the year, the honor code was proven ineffective to many students who observed that group cheating. So many students have observed that you can get away with cheating which will make them more likely to engage in cheating because there are very low consequences. The honor system needs to be revised so that teachers are able to catch cheaters when they start cheating because that will raise the expectations of getting caught if a student tries to

As a student develops the question of a honor system within themselves is based on his or he own integrity. The problem regarding that is it honor codes can range from elementary schools to college. Several may argue honor codes unsuccessful in decreasing cheating or lying in schools. While others may argue that honor codes should be enforced because they promote an honest academic environment within any school. In my opinion, I do agree the honor system should be enforced at my school because it’s only fair to students who do their own work and is also punishing those who cheat while also cheating themselves.

In Source E, Sally Sledge and Pam Pringle both illustrate their fellow peers’ negligence to their own honor code system at the small public university they attend when their chart’s data shows that, “42% of students do not know the range of sanctions that can occur” (Source E). On the one hand, some people would argue that the students’ lack of awareness is attributed to the lack of effectiveness of the honor codes and that the honor codes in place should be eliminated because of their lack of effectiveness. However, the people that would make haste to strike the honor code system down due to the lack of awareness of the honor code would ultimately prove that this black and white solution would not work due to Donald McCabe and Gary Pavela who state that, “The key to their success seems to be encouraging student involvement in developing community standards on academic dishonesty and ensuring their subsequent acceptance by the larger student community” (Source F). According to this view, Donald McCabe and Gary Pavela believe that the success of of honor codes truly relies on the involvement of the student body in the creation of the honor codes because this not only decreases cheating and dishonesty through student awareness of the honor code but also as moral standards rather than a new sets of rules. Although some might

Honor codes have been in place since the mid-1800’s in some schools, creating an environment and culture of integrity. Many students believe that an honor code won't be effective on cheating, stealing and plagiarizing, but recent research suggests otherwise. Honor codes should be established in schools because they produce a culture of integrity and discourage cheating. Schools that have an Honor code also have students that are less likely to cheat because they determine the “costs and benefits” (Source C) of cheating. At a school where the honor code has been strictly enforced, students will most likely not take the risk of being caught cheating because of the consequences that come with it.

The conflict of whether or not honor codes should be established has been brought up again due to an increase in cheating and collaborating on tests and school work. Recently, a surplus of students have been caught cheating in unexpected places, like Harvard and the University of Virginia. Those colleges are considering using honor codes to counteract the surge of cheating that has arisen. Although there is currently a cheating problem that needs to be dealt with, incorporating honor codes into high schools and colleges is not the most effective way to solve the cheating problem, and will not solve the cheating problem indefinitely. It is very difficult to change a person’s personality and their morals, no matter what paper they sign, but there are ways to make people’s convictions stronger. One of which is student interaction. Like many people, students have a “follow the herd” nature and want to fit in with the crowd. If many students discourage cheating, the “crowd” may choose to not cheat in fear of being shunned. Student interaction is much more effective than honor codes, and is a much less drastic change.

Many schools tend to have problems with cheating and trust between students and teachers. Many schools have introduced honor codes which have either significantly improve these issues or have had no effect. Honor codes, if effectively integrated and properly interpreted, can help my high school minimize serious cheating, increase student morality, and improve trust. Honor codes can help students become more honest and make the classroom less vulnerable to dishonesty. An online article from the perspective of Alyssa Vangelli, a senator, establishes the way she perceived honor codes by illustrating the idea that “reminders of these moral values [give the student] a responsibility to perform honestly in the school environment” (Source B).

Xavier’s Honor System will give me an opportunity to endure in many experiences. Even if the experiences are good or bad it will give me a chance to learn from my mistakes. By experiencing things I can learn more about myself. In college I have the freedom to do anything I want, but I shouldn’t take it lightly. The honor code will teach me not to have too much freedom and how to manage my time.