ERIC Number: EJ1173668
Record Type: Journal
Publication Date: 2014
Pages: 28
Abstractor: ERIC
ISBN: N/A
ISSN: ISSN-0896-5811
EISSN: N/A
A Jury of Their Peers: Turning Academic Dishonesty into Classroom Learning
Prescott, Peter; Buttrick, Hilary; Skinner, Deborah
Journal of Legal Studies Education, v31 n2 p179-206 Sum 2014
For most professors, dealing with academic integrity issues ranks alongside grading and committee work as one of the most unpopular faculty responsibilities. Confronting the perpetrator can be unpleasant. It can also create significant intangible costs for the accusing professor, not the least of which are stress-induced sleepless nights and a damaged reputation among the students when the ever-present social-media grapevine spreads the tale of how an "overzealous" professor penalized a "poor" student for a "minor" infraction. This article discusses how business law professors are uniquely positioned to transform a frustrating academic integrity issue into a positive learning experience that benefits those more deserving students. Business law professors are charged with developing future managers who are adept at making ethical decisions and complying with the laws that affect their businesses. That development process includes helping business students: (1) understand the importance of detecting ethical and legal problems; (2) recognize those problems as they arise; and (3) fashion situation-specific sanctions that are appropriately calibrated to protect the business from current and future unethical and/or illegal acts. To that end, this article discusses how one instance of real-life academic dishonesty can be turned into multiple student-centered exercises that encourage students to learn and apply core legal and ethical principles. The exercises also force students to confront squarely the issue of academic dishonesty and its sanctions, which may help students think twice before cheating in the future. Finally, the exercises present an excellent opportunity for students to practice empathy, a skill critical for success in any field.
Descriptors: Ethics, Peer Influence, College Faculty, Social Influences, College Students, Legal Education (Professions), Business, Legal Responsibility, Learning Activities, Teaching Methods, Relevance (Education), Discussion (Teaching Technique), Values, Sanctions
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Publication Type: Journal Articles; Reports - Descriptive
Education Level: Higher Education
Audience: N/A
Language: English
Sponsor: N/A
Authoring Institution: N/A
Grant or Contract Numbers: N/A