Contents

• Introduction
• Academic Cheating
• Academic Integrity
• Impact of Academic Cheating in Profession
• Conclusion
• References

Description

Question - Preserving academic integrity has long been a mantra for higher education institutions. Students who choose to cheat may have a short term gain, but ultimately their behaviour lowers the value of their academic qualification. In addition, students who act unethically during their student career may act unethically in business too, and with far reaching consequences. Examine these issues in order to assess the importance of preserving academic integrity.
Ethical practices in academic learning are crucial if one has to achieve the purpose of learning. Cheating in academic learning might help the students to pass their course or even achieve higher grades but they eventually become incompetent in their chosen careers. There can be no substitute for true knowledge. Borrowed knowledge can help the students achieve their academic goals although unethically. But borrowed knowledge cannot help in their professional careers where skills, knowledge and other competencies play major roles in helping them perform their roles effectively. The students that cheat during their time in colleges and universalities essentially become handicapped in their professional lives without the required knowledge, information, skills and expertise. The students would then have to revert to unethical behavior in their professions too in order to sustain their positions in the organizations and even to grow in their career. This leads to a vicious circle of unethical practices the future corporate executives would find difficult to come out of. This paper discusses the short term benefits and long term ill effects if of academic cheating with the reference to scholarly journal articles.