Credit: Wesley Bedrosian

Academic dishonesty isn’t something new, and it’s not discussed regularly unless a scandal breaks. Instructors regularly proof for plagiarism by using tools like Turnitin, and by experience. In an online environment it may seem harder to monitor the cheaters, but the more savvy professors take to social media to look for those skirting around doing the work themselves.

The bottom line is you need to know your school’s policies on cheating. One of the worst things that can happen is expulsion. To avoid getting a bad grade, getting on the teacher’s bad side, or worse getting expelled, make sure you know the rules.

For starters, check your student handbook for writing standards at your school. Since online education is primarily writing, and is all virtual you should pay special attention to this section. Here are some examples of academic dishonesty as explained by the student handbook at American Public University:

• Submitting another person’s work
• Letting another student use your work for a gradable class exercise
• Working in a group effort without your professor’s consent
• Submitting the same assignment twice for different courses
• Getting outside help without the teacher’s permission

It’s kind of like clothing you wear to the office, if you question whether you should wear it to work then you shouldn’t be wearing it. If you’re questioning whether the professor would be OK with how you’re getting answers or not, then it’s better to play it safe and confer with the professor before handing in your “assisted” work.

Keep your education standards high and your work honest. Your professors will appreciate the extra effort you took to create an original answer for their assignment(s).

By: J. Mason