The Importance of Ethics in Education

The Importance of Ethics in Education

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by J. A. Rodgers, October 2005

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Introduction

In our present age of technology where all information seems readily available and easily obtained through the internet and through emails, ethics in education is becoming even more important than it ever was. In the past people needed to really work hard if they wished to plagiarize individuals or to somehow obtain information for tests and other educational material. Today there is so much information and it is so easily obtained that all one needs to generally do is cut and paste information and never give credit where credit is due. As one author notes, "With a few clicks of the mouse, students simply can 'cut and paste' the information they need" (Olson, 2005; 17A).

In light of these things it seems that ethics in education is taking on a different focus in ensuring students learn about the importance of ethics in education. Simply because the information is everywhere and readily available does not mean that the information does not rightfully belong to someone, and it does not mean that this ease of accessing information is supposed to eliminate the need for students to actually learn. Papers such as this one are a perfect example. While many students may believe that "tutorial" papers such as this one can essentially be turned in as the student's work, the entire point of such papers is to merely assist students, not do their work for them. This is the reason papers such as produced by this particular company must be used and cited properly in order to ensure the student learn and not commit acts of plagiarism. With these possibilities and realities in mind the following paper presents a tutorial examination of why ethics are so important in education.

The Importance of Ethics in Education

What is perhaps astounding is the fact that most students, and adults in the work world it seems, do not really think cheating or plagiarism is a serious issue. Consider the following:

"In the latest survey of college students, 44 percent of those who said they had plagiarized dismissed the practice as 'trivial' or 'not cheating at all.'" "'They convince themselves that they're doing nothing wrong...That's the scary thing, because that's the attitude they're going to take out into the real world'" (Olson, 2005; 17A).

The student should stop and think about how they feel about the world outside of school, and the media that is uncovering liars and dishonest power figures. Merritt (2002) notes that, "College students are disturbed by recent corporate scandals: Some 84% believe the U.S. is having a business crisis, and 77% think CEOs should be held personally responsible for it" (8). Clearly this is a very serious problem in our nation today and it seems that every single day someone is being found out for leaking information or being essentially corrupt. But, in all honesty the same thinking that goes into such corrupt behavior goes into cheating in school. So, while cheating on a simple term paper, or a research paper, through plagiarism, may seem like a little thing, it is just this sort of thinking that eventually involves itself in the workplace.

If a student is willing to take the written word of another person and claim it as their own what is to stop them from taking an idea of a coworker and claiming it as their own? Of course a student may think that they would never do that, but honestly they can gain ideas from coworkers and with the basic understanding that cheating is acceptable they may subconsciously take on those ideas as their own. Ethics takes serious focus and serious attention to detail. Ethics is not something that comes simply to people, but it is something that really must be thought carefully about, and then thought about once more. It is not always an easy thing to do, but it necessary.

In many ways ethics is something that is difficult to really grasp in terms of its importance and that is why it is difficult to adhere to. When asked why cheating is wrong most students may simply say that there is punishment attached. But, if there was no punishment attached why would cheating be wrong. What is wrong and what is right, one might ask.

The ethical point is that of harm. It is not a physical harm, but it is harm nonetheless. Cheating steals information from a person or people and takes claim of ownership. It is the simplest form of theft really, and even without punishment it can harm the thief. For example, let us imagine an individual who has felt pressured throughout their school years, struggling to make good grades because of the pressure. They occasionally turn to cheating to ease their stress. They still feel they know the information they should have learned, but in reality when they become an adult in the work place that pressure will only increase if they have not done their schooling on their own. If they have not truly learned the information they were taught, they will find themselves in a far more stressful position than they were in school and may well even lose their job. In the case of media figures we have seen of late, there could even be prison time involved.

Ethics protect everyone and make existence in a society more secure and safe. People can feel safer if they know that others are thinking about doing the right thing in all aspects of life. When an individual simply cheats, in whatever form they choose, they are breaking a sort of trust that all people require in a society. Does a student really want to live in a world where they can trust no one to be honest, or even care about being honest? While this may not matter to some people, for they are those who really do not care who gets harmed in the path of their success or survival, most of us would like to live in a world where we can trust one another and work together. That cannot happen without ethics, and an agreement upon what ethics are necessary, in our society.

One trend that is occurring in schools across the country is that which involves presenting copies of sources. This particular tutorial essay has requested copies of the sources used and the process of this is seen somewhat in the following:

"Require students to give you printouts of all their textual sources...Then, if you question whether students properly cited their sources, you can