13 More Charged in SAT Cheating Scandal

This relatively recent article in USA Today from last November, brings into question morality issues that we, as the professional educators, must be willing to address and discuss with our constituents. It seems that more often than not, students feel the "need" or the pressure to excel--at any cost--as, to them, the end results are worth the possible consequences of the unethical means. "To view plagiarism in terms of morality requires the writer to acknowledge that using someone else’s ideas or words without permission or acknowledgement is morally wrong" (Hatcher, 2011, p. 154). As learners move up the educational ladder, and stress or the pressure to succeed increases, students of all ages must resist unethical shortcuts as methods for obtaining their intended degree. To this end, educators (at the earliest levels) must continuously address the need for each student to do his/her own work and to properly cite thoughts and ideas that are not original. This will give students the solid foundation required for them to become both ethical and moral scholars, and effective leaders in our future society.

References

Hatcher, T. (2011). Becoming an ethical scholarly writer. Journal of Scholarly Publishing 42(2), 142-159. Retrieved from http://www.utpjournals.com/Journal-of-Scholarly-Publishing.html