Perceptions of Computer Science Students on Academic Dishonesty

Framework

The theory of ‘Rational Choice’ says decisions to academically cheat are calculated by balancing the work required in cheating instead of learning the subject, the projected gain in score due to cheating, and the stakes involved in the work assigned (Cornish & Clarke, 1986). This paper complicates that by positing that students often don’t clearly know what does or doesn’t count as cheating in CS classes. Instead of Rational Choice, this paper uses Social Constructivism Theory (Vygotsky,1978) which says that students learn by creating meaning through interactions with others, and as such, they often struggle to properly align these collaborative learning experiences with course academic dishonesty policies. This is especially true in CS classes, for which they have had more limited exposure to the cultural norms of CS compared to other subjects, such as math or english.

Methods

We designed an online survey to investigate the perceptions of computer science students on the ontology of academic dishonesty. The survey presents 15 scenarios about collaboration within a CS class, and students are asked to indicate on a sliding scale if they are academically dishonest or not. Participants were drawn from students in a mid-sized university who have taken one or more CS classes. We can then compare the students’ answers to the actual policies for the courses they have taken to illuminate where students have the greatest misunderstandings. The survey was anonymous and administered using Qualtrics, and there are demographic questions to find information about the gender and age of the students.

Results

We expect that students often have an overly generous view of what types of collaboration and peer-supported learning are allowed in their CS classes. In addition, we expect to find significant confusion and uncertainty as indicated by the use of a sliding scale: according to course policy behavior is or isn’t academically dishonest, so values in the middle of the slider indicate students are uncertain or believe there are exceptions.

Importance

This work has high value to the computer science education field, as ethics in computer science is a central value for CS programs, and protecting the integrity of assessment remains an ongoing challenge. In addition, the move to online modalities means many courses can no longer rely on the traditional ways of policing cheating, such as having in-person proctored exams or completing work in a supervised lab environment. This research will contribute to the field of knowledge on academic dishonesty in CS classes by assisting students in comprehending how they may be misconceptualizing academic dishonesty. In addition, this study will support professors in better understanding how to guide students in how to take advantage of collaborative learning in a CS class without inadvertently committing academic dishonesty.

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