INCORPORATING TECHNOLOGY INTO THE 21ST CENTUREY CLASSROOM: ARE WE FACILITATING ACADEMIC DISHONESTY? Developments in Business Simulation and Experiential Learning, Volume 30, 2003 INCORPORATING TECHNOLOGY INTO THE 21ST CENTURY CLASSROOM: ARE WE FACILITATING ACADEMIC DISHONESTY? Monique Forte Stetson University mforte@stetson.edu Carolyn B. Mueller Stetson University cmueller@stetson.edu Carolyn Y. Nicholson Stetson University cynichol@stetson.edu ABSTRACT The reality of academic dishonesty is not a new topic in the academic literature, and the advantages and disadvantages of using multimedia technology in the classroom to enhance teaching and learning processes have been fairly well explored. However, the effects of more recent advances in technology, such as classroom management software, e-mail technology, and the widespread use of Instant Messaging, have not been investigated to date. Spurred by recent evidence of a relationship between cheating in college and acts of dishonesty in the workplace and the fact that academic cheating appears to be more common among business school students, this Interactive Session was developed. The session will focus on two primary goals: first, to identify how new advances in technology are creating opportunities for cheating and, second, to develop an action plan to encourage academic honesty among students in schools of business. Background In August of 2002, the Chronicle of Higher Education reported what many educators have experienced for some time, that colleges seem to be engaged in a losing battle to prevent students from buying term papers online (Corruption Plagues Academe Around the World, August 2, 2002). A quick Internet search using the Yahoo! search engine reveals numerous “sponsor matches” for custom term papers and pre-written term papers, including www.fastpapers.com, www.thepaperexperts.com, www.papermasters.com, and almost 200 other individual site matches. Purchasing term papers from online paper mills and engaging in other forms of academic dishonesty have been discussed in the academic literature over the last decade (e.g., Campbell, Swift, & Denton, 2000; McCabe & Trevino, 1995) and numerous studies have investigated the antecedents and subsequent outcomes of cheating behavior (e.g., Jackson, Levine, Furnham, & Burr, 2002; McCabe & Trevino, 1996). Key among the findings is that the “opportunity to cheat” is the largest single determinant of students’ ethical attitudes and actions (Rawwas & Isakson, 2000). As multimedia technology affords the opportunity to transform teaching and learning processes (Mueller, Jones, Ricks, Schlegelmilch, & Van Deusen, 2001; Ramarapu, Cites, & Overby, 1996) and student expectations of multimedia use in the classroom grow (Snyder & Vaughan, 1998), business educators have increasingly sought new applications of technology to enhance the learning environment. It is the premise of this Interactive Session that as we incorporate more technology into the classroom delivery and evaluation process, we open ourselves to an even stronger threat of rampant cheating. Overt acknowledgement of widespread academic dishonesty within the ABSEL community came early in ABSEL’s history, when J. Scott Armstrong of the University of Pennsylvania cautioned that cheating had become the norm in undergraduate business programs (1980). Designers of simulations and testing programs have long acknowledged the possibility of cheating and have worked to build into their programs mechanisms to impede or discourage such actions (e.g., Koziara, Anderson, & 106 mailto:mforte@stetson.edu mailto:cmueller@stetson.edu mailto:cynichol@stetson.edu http://www.fastpapers.com/ http://www.thepaperexperts.com/ http://www.papermasters.com/ Developments in Business Simulation and Experiential Learning, Volume 30, 2003 REFERENCES Burton, 1986; Seyedian & Aghazadeh, 1987; Thavikulwat, 1986; Varble & Smiley, 1988). Yet, the effects of more recent advances in classroom management software (i.e., BlackBoard, WebCT), the widespread use of e-mail technology, and the popularity of Instant Messaging capability have not been investigated to date. Armstrong, J. S. (1980). The use of time contracts in formal education. Experiential Learning Enters the Eighties (Proceedings of ABSEL), 7, 8-13. Campbell, C. R., Swift, C. O., & Denton, L. (2000). Cheating goes hi-tech: Online term paper mills. Journal of Management Education, 25, 726-740. The session facilitators see these issues as particularly salient to experiential educators as we seek to create learning environments that empower our students (Leonard, Leonard, McKeag, & Mullins, 1997), yet encourage standards of academic honesty (Schibrowsky & Peltier, 1992). Evidence that cheating is more common among students interested in pursuing business careers (McCabe & Trevino, 1995) would seem to make this topic of particular interest to ABSEL members. Further, the recent evidence of a relationship between cheating in college and acts of dishonesty in the workplace (Nonis, & Swift, 2001) would seem to make this discussion both timely and appropriate in these days of corporate scandal. Chronicle of Higher Education. (2002). Corruption plagues academe around the world, 48, A32. Jackson, C. J., Levine, S. Z., Furnham, A., & Burr, N. (2002). Predictors of cheating behavior at a university: A lesson from the psychology of work. Journal of Applied Social Psychology, 32, 1031-1046. Koziara, E. C., Anderson, R. E., & Burton, J. S. (1986). Personal computers: Drexel’s experience. Developments in Business Simulation & Experiential Exercises, 13, 33-38. Leonard, N. H., Leonard, T. L., McKeag, C. L., & Mullins, T. W. (1997). Empowered learning in the classroom. Developments In Business Simulation & Experiential Learning, 24, 224-229. SESSION OVERVIEW McCabe, D. L., & Trevino, L. K. (1995). Cheating among business students: A challenge for business leaders and educators. Journal of Management Education, 19. The general goals for this session are two-fold: to increase awareness of the ways in which new advances in teaching technology and technology in general can create opportunities for cheating, and to develop an action plan to facilitate academic honesty among students. Specifically, participants will: McCabe, D. L., & Trevino, L. K. (1996). What we know about cheating in college. Change (January/February), 29–33. Mueller, C., Jones, G., Ricks, D., Schlegelmilch, B., & Van Deusen, C.A. (2001). Information and communication technology in the classroom: An empirical study with an international perspective. Journal of Teaching International Business, 12(9): 21-41. • Learn of recent evidence linking increased plagiarism to the increased usage of the Internet and classroom management software, • Share experiences of dishonest student behavior in technology-assisted classroom, project, and testing situations, and Nonis, S., & Swift, C. O. (2001). An examination of the relationship between academic dishonesty and workplace dishonesty: A multicampus investigation. Journal for Education in Business, 77, 69-77. • Collaborate on ways to reduce learners’ opportunities to engage in dishonest acts and facilitate a learning environment that encourages ethical behavior. Ramarapu, N., Cites, T., & Overby, J. (1996). Multimedia in the year 2000: How will it affect our lives. Developments In Business Simulation & Experiential Exercises, 23, 175-176. We propose to start with a brief introduction of academic dishonesty in general, leading into a more in- depth discussion of the advantages - and disadvantages - of multimedia and common-use technology as it relates to the issue of academic dishonesty. Next, we propose to “go online” briefly to show the web pages of a few Internet papermills and the www.phuckschool.com culture that exists. Participants will then be encouraged to share their experiences, perhaps the most blatant examples of cheating they have personally seen. Finally, and perhaps most importantly, the session will conclude with open discussion of ways to counter the problem by highlighting the role of students AND faculty in abating the problem. Rawwas, M. Y. A., & Isakson, H. R. (2000). Ethics of tomorrow’s business managers. Journal of Education for Business, 75, 321-330. Schibrowsky, J. A., & Peltier, J. W. (1992). The impact of academic dishonesty on business simulation and experiential learning activities. Developments In Business Simulation & Experiential Exercises, 19, 222. Seyedian, M., & Aghazadeh, S. (1987). Simulated stock broker. Developments in Business Simulation & Experiential Exercises, 14, 186-187. The session is open to all ABSEL participants with interest in exploring the relationship between learning technology and academic dishonesty. The results of the interactive session depend upon lively participation and discussion of interested members. Ideally, participants will come away with constructive approaches to facilitating academic honesty in their learning environments. Snyder, S., & Vaughan, M. J. (1998). Multimedia and student expectations. Developments in Business Simulation and Experiential Learning, 25, 179-186. 107 Developments in Business Simulation and Experiential Learning, Volume 30, 2003 108 Thavikulwat, P. (1986). Another Chance: A multi-leveled, macro business game for microcomputers. Developments in Business Simulation & Experiential Exercises, 13, 143-145. Varble, D. L., & Smiley, B. E. (1988). Educational testing with the microcomputer. Developments in Business Simulation & Experiential Exercises, 15, 97-101. Table of Contents Volume 30, 2003 The Optimal Timing For Introducing Business Simulations Can Handicapped Students Access Your Class Web Site? The Competition Game: Decision Making In A Dynamic Environment Pan-Pacific Enterprises: Strategic Decision Making Simulation Study Of Stochastic Channel Redistribution The Impact Of Business War Games: Quantifying Training Effectiveness Experiential Learning: Introducing Faculty And Staff To A University Leadership Development Program The Feasibility Of The Balanced Scorecard For Business Games A Misuse Of Pims For The Validation Of Marketing Management Simulation Games Incorporating Technology Into The 21st Century Classroom: Are We Facilitating Academic Dishonesty? Improving The Effectiveness Of Peer Evaluations The Use Of A Simulation In An Integrated Mba Curriculum Student Portfolios In Business Education Student Portfolios In Business Education At Ashland University Using SAP ERP Technology To Integrate The Undergraduate Business Curriculum Board Games And Teaching Textile Marketing And Finance Blogging: A New Threat To Student Research? The Way We Talk! Take II Strategic Management: An Evaluation Of The Use Of Three Learning Methods In Hong Kong Adoption Of Discussion-Based Teaching And Assessment In Teaching Strategic Management In Hong Kong The Tobin Q As A Company Performance Indicator Using Representative Nominal Group Technique For Course Review And An Interactive Solicitation Of Ways To Enhance Absel's Image Making Teaching Matter: The Art And Science Of Teaching Business Communication Beyond Sex, Age, And Race: Exploring The Deeper Contents Of Diversity Teaching & Learning The Facilitation Process A Brief On Debriefing: What It Is And What It Isn't Changing Perceptions Of The Importance Of Leadership: The Contribution Of Individual Spirit Harmonics In Leadership Knowledge, Skills And Sustainable Values In Learning Organizations: Some Implications From The Multicultural Virtual Classroom Challenges Of Teaching Undergraduate Organizational Behavior In A Nontraditional Time Format Interactive Online Positioning With The Web-Based Product Positioning Map Graphics Package The Longitudinal Effects Of Entrepreneurship Training On Risk Tolerance: A Look At Similarities And Differences Between Male And Female Undergraduate Students Revisiting Strategy Learning In A Total Enterprise Simulation What Are Simulations For?: Learning Objectives As A Simulation Selection Device Gaming Agency Markets Cooperate For Profits Or Compete For Market? Study Of Oligopolistic Pricing With A Business Game The Design Of A Business Simulation Using A System-Dynamics-Based Approach Modeling The Product Development Function For An Entrepreneurial Firm Simulation Performance And Forecast Accuracy? Is That All? Business Manager Identification Of Competitors In Real World And Simulation Settings Monte Carlo Simulation Analysis On The Costs Reduction Argument Of Interest Rate Swaps Ebiz Game: A Scalable Online Business Simulation Game For Entrepreneurship Training A Model For Online Education Delivery And A Look At Online Delivery Effectiveness Incorporating "Company Reputation" into Total Enterprise Simulations The Genesis And Future Of The Absel "Classicos" Initiative